Prairie Creek Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
79 acres0.3 mi of trail
Chicago Great Western Railway
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Wheeling Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Wheeling Township
8% of Wheeling Township’s land is conserved, about 1,701 acres. 1,630 acres are parks and preserves, 3,081 per 1,000 residents. 14 miles of mapped trail cross Wheeling Township, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
8%
1,701 acres · of 34.6 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,630 ac
3,081 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
22%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
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 Prairie Creek WMA, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Prairie Creek Woods SNA
Nature preserve
80 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
1,701 conserved acres
8% of Wheeling Township’s land. Who manages Wheeling Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,621 ac
State natural resources80 ac
State Park · 1,621 acState Conservation Area · 80 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nerstrand Big Woods State Park State Park | State parks | 1,621 | Open |
| Prairie Creek Woods State Scientific and Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 80 | Restricted |
Things to do
4 places to go in Wheeling Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Wheeling Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Wheeling Township
Hidden Falls
DirectionsCampgrounds in Wheeling Township
Group Camp Area B1Fee
DirectionsNerstrand Big Woods CampgroundFee · Minnesota DNR
DirectionsTrails & water
13 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 13.7 mi
Prairie Trail1.6 mi
Fawn Trail1.5 mi
Beaver Trail1.4 mi
Hope Trail1.4 mi
Fox Trail1.3 mi
White Oak Trail1.1 mi
Hidden Falls Trail1.0 mi
Big Woods Trail1.0 mi
Maple Trail0.9 mi
Basswood Trail0.6 mi
3 more trails
Ironwood Trail
0.5 miChicago Great Western Railway
0.3 miTo Hidden Falls Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The walking year in Wheeling 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) | 22 | 27 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 78 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 5.6 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Wheeling Township →
Next door
Wheeling Township and its neighbors
Wheeling 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeling Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Northfield Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Richland Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cannon City Township | 2% | 0.1 | 226 | 12% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wheeling Township
Where can I hike in Wheeling Township?
The longest trail networks: Prairie Creek Wildlife Management Area, 0.3 miles; Prairie Creek Woods SNA, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Wheeling Township’s trails?
Prairie Creek Wildlife Management Area and Prairie Creek Woods SNA don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Wheeling Township?
4,805 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wheeling Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,630 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Wheeling 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 →