Paul Bunyan State Forest
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
18,194 acres16.1 mi of trail
North Country Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
–Not graded
Outdoors in Thorpe Township
More than half of Thorpe Township’s land is conserved: 82%
82% of Thorpe Township’s land is conserved, about 18,201 acres. The biggest trail networks: Paul Bunyan State Forest (16.1 mi). 19 miles of mapped trail cross Thorpe Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
82%
18,201 acres · of 34.8 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.5 mi
1.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
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 Paul Bunyan State Forest, with 16.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Big Mantrap WMA
Managed by Minnesota DNR
48 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
18,201 conserved acres
82% of Thorpe Township’s land. Who manages Thorpe Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources18,201 ac
State Resource Management Area · 18,201 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Bunyan State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 18,194 | Open |
| Miscellaneous State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 7 | Open |
Trails & water
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
North Country Trail8.5 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.5 mi
off-road bike paths
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Louis J. Moser HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Thorpe 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 | 15.9 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 17 | 23 | 36 | 51 | 65 | 73 | 78 | 76 | 67 | 52 | 35 | 22 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.2 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 0.9 |
February is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Thorpe Township →
Next door
Thorpe Township and its neighbors
Thorpe Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Clay Township25 miThorpe Township19 miHendrickson Township13 miSteamboat River Township8.3 miMantrap Township6.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thorpe Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Steamboat River Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Clay Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mantrap Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Hendrickson 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 Thorpe Township
Where can I hike in Thorpe Township?
The longest trail networks: Paul Bunyan State Forest, 16.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Thorpe Township’s trails?
Paul Bunyan State Forest and Big Mantrap WMA don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Thorpe Township?
1.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Thorpe Township?
75,907 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Thorpe Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 18,335 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Thorpe 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 →