Dodge Nature Center
Nature preserve
156 acres2.9 mi of trail
Arboretum TrailElderberry TrailWeesner Wetland WalkwayLightner Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: DanNowicki · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in West St. Paul
98% of residents live within a half mile of a park in West St. Paul
5.9 miles of mapped trail cross West St. Paul, 1.2 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Dodge Nature Center (2.9 mi), Thompson County Park (1.6 mi), Harmon Park (0.9 mi). 5% of West St. Paul’s land is conserved, about 153 acres.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #119 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
153 acres · of 4.9 sq mi of land
Trails
5.9 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
183 ac
8.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
20 mi
4.9 mi lanes · 15 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
10
What kind of outdoors town is West St. Paul?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does West St. Paul have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, West St. Paul is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #119 of 274 in Minnesota. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of West St. Paul’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land8.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (183 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 78%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 57%
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 Dodge Nature Center, with 2.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Thompson County Park
Managed by Dakota County Parks
58 acres1.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Harmon Park
Park
19 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Marthaler Park
Park
29 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 13 parks & preserves
Dodge Nature Center156 acres · 2.9 mi of trail
DirectionsThompson County Park58 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Dakota County Parks
DirectionsHarmon Park19 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Marthaler Park29 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHaskell Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGarlough Park26 acres
West St Paul Sports Complex22 acres
DirectionsMud Lake Park7 acres
Weschke Park4 acres
DirectionsOrme Park2 acres
DirectionsOakdale Park2 acres
Emerson Park2 acres
Kennedy Park1 acres
Who protects it
153 conserved acres
5% of West St. Paul’s land. Who manages West St. Paul’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city110 ac
County43 ac
Local Park · 133 acLocal Recreation Area · 20 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thompson County Park Local Park | County | 43 | Open |
| Marthaler Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Garlough Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Harmon Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Mud Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Weschcke Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Haskell Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Orme Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Emerson Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
13 places to go in West St. Paul
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in West St. Paul
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in West St. Paul
2 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Trails & water
12 named trails and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.8 mi
Arboretum Trail0.4 mi
Elderberry Trail0.3 mi
Weesner Wetland Walkway0.2 mi
Lightner Trail0.2 mi
Sugar Bush Trail0.2 mi
Photoblind Trail0.2 mi
Preschool Trail0.1 mi
Charlton Trail0.1 mi
Evergreen Trail0.1 mi
Barenscheer Trail0.1 mi
2 more trails
Oak Knoll Trail
0.1 miApiary Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
20 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
15 mi
off-road bike paths
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
18Baseball
14Tennis
8Basketball
2Pickleball
2Multi-sport
2Soccer
2Tracks
1Field hockey
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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.
George W. Wentworth HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in West St. Paul
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) | 9.1 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in West St. Paul →
Next door
West St. Paul and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West St. Paul | 5% | 1.2 | 9 | 98% | A− |
| South St. Paul | 7% | 0.1 | 14 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Inver Grove Heights | 7% | 0.6 | 22 | 95% | A− |
| St. Paul | 16% | 1.8 | 22 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Sunfish Lake | — 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 West St. Paul
Where can I hike in West St. Paul?
The longest trail networks: Dodge Nature Center, 2.9 miles; Thompson County Park, 1.6 miles; Harmon Park, 0.9 miles; Marthaler Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of West St. Paul is conserved land?
5% 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 West St. Paul’s trails?
Dodge Nature Center and Thompson County Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in West St. Paul?
20 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.9 of painted or protected lanes, 15 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near West St. Paul?
34,467 acres of parks and open public land lie inside West St. Paul or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 183 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does West St. Paul have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #119 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 West St. Paul 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 →