Jay Cooke State Park
Nature preserve
2,409 acres18.3 mi of trail
Superior Hiking TrailTriangle TrailsOgantz TrailOak Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Lorie Shaull · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Thomson Township
Thomson Township has 2,256 acres of parks, 408 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Thomson Township’s land is conserved, about 2,480 acres. The biggest trail networks: Jay Cooke State Park (18.3 mi). 13% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns · #156 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
2,480 acres · of 39.7 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,256 ac
408 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
13%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.7 mi
4.7 mi paths
Highest peak
958 ft
Oldenburg Point
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Thomson Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Thomson Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Thomson Township is ahead of 69% of U.S. towns, #156 of 274 in Minnesota. 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 Thomson Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4BPark land408 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,256 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13AParks close to home13% 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 69%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 43%
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 Jay Cooke State Park, with 18.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Gichigami Ziibi WMA
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
537 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Northridge Park
Park
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
2,480 conserved acres
10% of Thomson Township’s land. Who manages Thomson Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks2,203 ac
State natural resources252 ac
State fish & wildlife21 ac
Town or city4 ac
State Park · 2,203 acState Resource Management Area · 199 acState Conservation Area · 74 acLocal Park · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Cooke State Park State Park | State parks | 2,203 | Open |
| Miscellaneous State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 199 | Open |
| Hemlock Ravine State Scientific and Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 54 | Restricted |
| Midway River State Aquatic Management Area (Carlton/St. Louis) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 14 | Restricted |
| Anderson Creek State Aquatic Management Area (Carlton) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 6 | Restricted |
| Northridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| St. Louis River Islands State Aquatic Management Area (Carlton) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1 | Restricted |
Things to do
6 places to go in Thomson Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Thomson Township
3 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Thomson Township
Oldenburg Point958 ft elevation · In Jay Cooke State Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Thomson Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Thomson Township
Jay Cooke State ParkFee · In Jay Cooke State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.8 miHorses · 1.4 miUnpaved · 17.9 mi
Superior Hiking Trail3.9 mi
Triangle Trails2.7 mi
Ogantz Trail1.8 mi
Oak Trail1.8 mi
White Pine Trail1.4 mi
Grand Portage Trail1.2 mi
C.C.C. Trail1.1 mi
Gill Greek Trail0.9 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Baseball
2Equestrian
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
★
Cooke, Jay, State Park CCC/Rustic Style Historic DistrictNational Historic Landmark · District · listed 1992
About itGrand Portage of the St. Louis RiverSite · listed 1973
About itCooke, Jay, State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style Picnic GroundsDistrict · listed 1992
About itCooke, Jay, State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style Service YardDistrict · listed 1992
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Thomson 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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°F) | 19 | 25 | 37 | 50 | 63 | 72 | 78 | 76 | 67 | 53 | 37 | 24 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 1.3 |
February is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Thomson Township →
Next door
Thomson Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Cloquet25 miTwin Lakes Township20 miThomson Township19 miMidway Township3.2 miCarlton2.9 miScanlon0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomson Township | 10% | 0.5 | 408 | 13% | B+ |
| Twin Lakes Township | 13% | 0.5 | 1,516 | 3% | B+ |
| Carlton | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cloquet | 3% | 0.7 | 25 | 76% | B+ |
| Scanlon | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Midway Township | 1% | 0.2 | 96 | 14% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Thomson Township
Where can I hike in Thomson Township?
The longest trail networks: Jay Cooke State Park, 18.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Thomson Township is conserved land?
10% 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 Thomson Township’s trails?
Jay Cooke State Park and Gichigami Ziibi WMA don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Thomson Township?
4.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Thomson Township?
34,723 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Thomson Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,415 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Thomson Township have?
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #156 of 274 in Minnesota. 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 Thomson 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 →