Buena Vista State Forest
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
13,387 acres12 mi of trail
Blue Ox TrailFriedrichsmeyerstraßeBadstraßePeterson Lake Road Northeast+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Turtle River Township
Turtle River Township has 53 acres of parks, 49 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Buena Vista State Forest (12 mi), Hobson Memorial Forest (4 mi). 7% of Turtle River Township’s land is conserved, about 1,341 acres. 17% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
1,341 acres · of 31.5 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
53 ac
49 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
17%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.4 mi
1.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
12
1 beach · 1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Turtle River Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Turtle River Township is ahead of 62% 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 Turtle River Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land49 acres of park per 1,000 residents (53 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home17% 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 62%
LessMore
Water is 13% of Turtle River Township’s area (5 of 36 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
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 Buena Vista State Forest, with 12 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hobson Memorial Forest
Managed by Bemidji State University
247 acres4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Chippewa National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
1,341 conserved acres
7% of Turtle River Township’s land. Water is left out: Turtle River Township has 31.5 square miles of land and 4.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Turtle River Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,288 ac
State parks53 ac
State Resource Management Area · 1,288 acState Park · 53 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buena Vista State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 969 | Open |
| Miscellaneous State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 320 | Open |
| Lake Bemidji State Park State Park | State parks | 53 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Turtle River Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Turtle River Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Turtle River Township
2 swimming spots without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Turtle River Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 12 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.0 miUnpaved · 8.7 mi
Blue Ox Trail3.0 mi
Friedrichsmeyerstraße0.1 mi
Badstraße0.1 mi
Peterson Lake Road Northeast0.1 mi
Edwin's Weg0.1 mi
Biking & sports
1.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
1Soccer
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Turtle River 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) | 8.8 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 15.9 | 15.6 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.2 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 17 | 23 | 37 | 51 | 65 | 74 | 79 | 77 | 68 | 52 | 35 | 22 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
February is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Turtle River Township →
Next door
Turtle River Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Northern Township18 miBemidji18 miTurtle River Township18 miTen Lake Township15 miPort Hope Township14 miSugar Bush Township10 miFrohn Township3.4 miTurtle River1.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turtle River Township | 7% | 0.6 | 49 | 17% | B |
| Port Hope Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Northern Township | 21% | 0.8 | 415 | 21% | A− |
| Turtle River | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Sugar Bush Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Frohn Township | 2% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Bemidji | 6% | 1.1 | 20 | 93% | A− |
| Ten Lake Township | 37% | 0.7 | under 1 | under 1% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Turtle River Township
Where can I hike in Turtle River Township?
The longest trail networks: Buena Vista State Forest, 12 miles; Hobson Memorial Forest, 4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Turtle River Township is conserved land?
7% 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 Turtle River Township’s trails?
Buena Vista State Forest and Hobson Memorial Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Turtle River Township?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Turtle River Township?
67,603 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Turtle River Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,345 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Turtle River Township have?
Ahead of 62% 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 Turtle River 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 →