Armstrong, W. J., Company Wholesale Grocers · Photo: Jatakuck · CC BY-SA 3.08% of Waseca’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Maplewood Park (1.3 mi). 8% of Waseca’s land is conserved, about 216 acres. 237 acres are parks and preserves, 26 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #101 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Waseca?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Waseca have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Waseca is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #101 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
Water is 22% of Waseca’s area (1 of 5 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Maplewood Park, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Clear Lake Park
All 14 parks & preserves
216 conserved acres
8% of Waseca’s land. Water is left out: Waseca has 4.3 square miles of land and 1.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Waseca’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Nature Area Local Park | Town or city | 93 | Open |
| Maplewood Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| County Fairground Local Recreation Area | County | 25 | Open |
| Northeast Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Clear Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Trowbridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Tink Larson Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| University Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Loon Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
7 places to go in Waseca
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
2 lakes & rivers
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The walking year in Waseca
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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 27 | 40 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 59 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Waseca →
Waseca and its neighbors
Waseca has the second most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waseca | 8% | 0.3 | 26 | 99% | A− |
| Woodville Township | 6% | under 0.1 | 4 | 39% | C− |
| St. Mary 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 Waseca
Where can I hike in Waseca?
The longest trail networks: Maplewood Park, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Waseca is conserved land?
8% 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 Waseca’s trails?
Maplewood Park and Waseca County Fair Grounds don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Waseca?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.0 of painted or protected lanes and 7.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Waseca?
1,071 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Waseca or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 237 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Waseca have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #101 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 Waseca neighbors.
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 →