Wild River State Park
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
3,742 acres8.3 mi of trail
Sunrise Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Sunrise Township
Sunrise Township has 3,459 acres of parks, 1,744 for every 1,000 residents
12% of Sunrise Township’s land is conserved, about 3,543 acres. The biggest trail networks: Wild River State Park (8.3 mi). 24% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
3,543 acres · of 45.0 sq mi of land
Trails
9.8 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,459 ac
1,744 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
24%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.0 mi
1.0 mi lanes
Lakes & rivers
3
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Sunrise Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sunrise Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sunrise Township is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Sunrise Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land1,744 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,459 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home24% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 68%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Wild River State Park, with 8.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Chengwatana State Forest
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
192 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
Managed by National Park Service
1 acres
Dogs usually limited
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
3,543 conserved acres
12% of Sunrise Township’s land. Who manages Sunrise Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks3,429 ac
National Park Service83 ac
State natural resources32 ac
State Park · 3,429 acWild and Scenic River · 83 acState Resource Management Area · 32 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wild River State Park State Park | State parks | 3,429 | Open |
| Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway Wild and Scenic River | National Park Service | 83 | Open |
| Chengwatana State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 32 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Sunrise Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Sunrise Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Sunrise Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Sunrise Township
Goose CreekIn Wild River State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 8.1 miUnpaved · 8.1 mi
Sunrise Trail8.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Sunrise Township
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 57 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Sunrise Township →
Next door
Sunrise Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Sterling30 miAmador Township28 miSunrise Township9.8 miRushseba Township4.0 miChisago Lake Township2.9 miHarris2.3 miNorth Branch2.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise Township | 12% | 0.2 | 1,744 | 24% | B+ |
| Harris | 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Chisago Lake Township | 1% | 0.1 | 24 | 19% | C |
| Amador Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| North Branch | 3% | 0.1 | 29 | 67% | B− |
| Rushseba Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sunrise Township
Where can I hike in Sunrise Township?
The longest trail networks: Wild River State Park, 8.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sunrise Township is conserved land?
12% of its land, against a typical 5% for a Minnesota town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Sunrise Township’s trails?
Wild River State Park and Chengwatana State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Sunrise Township?
1.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.0 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Sunrise Township?
41,651 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sunrise Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,574 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sunrise Township have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Sunrise Township neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →