Sakatah Lake State Park
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
361 acres4.5 mi of trail
Hidden Pond TrailOak Tree TrailBig Woods LoopSumac Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
–Not graded
Outdoors in Waterville Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Waterville Township
The biggest trail networks: Sakatah Lake State Park (4.5 mi). 5% of Waterville Township’s land is conserved, about 902 acres. 445 acres are parks and preserves, 668 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
5%
902 acres · of 30.5 sq mi of land
Trails
4.6 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
445 ac
668 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
2%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.5 mi
5.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
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 Sakatah Lake State Park, with 4.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Murphy Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
140 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Horseshoe Lake AMA
Managed by Minnesota DNR
102 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
902 conserved acres
5% of Waterville Township’s land. Water is left out: Waterville Township has 30.5 square miles of land and 3.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Waterville Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks343 ac
State fish & wildlife332 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service227 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)72 ac
Other state land41 ac
State Park · 343 acState Conservation Area · 332 acResource Management Area · 227 acConservation Easement · 113 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 113 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sakatah Lake State Park State Park | State parks | 343 | Open |
| Lesueur County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 227 | Restricted |
| Horseshoe Lake State Aquatic Management Area (Le Sueur) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 166 | Restricted |
| Murphy State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 140 | Restricted |
| Tetonka Lake State Aquatic Management Area (Le Sueur) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 27 | Restricted |
Things to do
7 places to go in Waterville Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Waterville Township
Pope Park
DirectionsTree Hugger Park
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Waterville Township
Mount Krystosek
DirectionsCampgrounds in Waterville Township
Kamp DelsFee
DirectionsSakatah Lake State Park CampgroundFee · In Sakatah Lake State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.4 mi
Hidden Pond Trail0.8 mi
Oak Tree Trail0.8 mi
Big Woods Loop0.7 mi
Sumac Trail0.7 mi
Wahpekute Trail0.7 mi
Bike Trail Access0.3 mi
Timber Doodle Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Basketball
2Beach volleyball
1Baseball
1Softball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Waterville 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 40 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Waterville Township →
Next door
Waterville Township and its neighbors
Waterville Township has the most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterville Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Kilkenny Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Elysian Township | 3% | under 0.1 | 10 | 1% | C− |
| Morristown 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 Waterville Township
Where can I hike in Waterville Township?
The longest trail networks: Sakatah Lake State Park, 4.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Waterville Township’s trails?
Sakatah Lake State Park and Murphy Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Waterville Township?
5.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Waterville Township?
1,471 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Waterville Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 445 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Waterville 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 →