Bald Eagle-Otter Lake Park
Park
694 acres13.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: McGhiever · CC BY 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in White Bear Township
32% of White Bear Township’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 24 miles of mapped trail cross White Bear Township, 3.3 per square mile of land. 32% of White Bear Township’s land is conserved, about 1,478 acres.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #1 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
32%
1,478 acres · of 7.3 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
3.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,729 ac
162 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.1 mi
7.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
10
1 beach · 7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is White Bear Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does White Bear Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, White Bear Township is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #1 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs put White Bear Township near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of White Bear Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land32% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (24 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land162 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,729 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13AParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)#1 of 274
Water is 33% of White Bear Township’s area (4 of 11 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 21%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Bald Eagle-Otter Lake Park, with 13.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Tamarack Nature Center
Nature preserve
326 acres8.1 mi of trail
Dragonfly LoopAcorn LoopDeer Pass TrailGrass Walking & Hiking Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Red Pine Park
Park
13 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Poplar Lake County Park
Managed by Ramsey County
274 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 29 parks & preserves
Bald Eagle-Otter Lake Park694 acres · 13.6 mi of trail
DirectionsTamarack Nature Center326 acres · 8.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRed Pine Park13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Deer Meadow Park123 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBenson Park42 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRutherford Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Poplar Lake County Park274 acres · Ramsey County
Polar Lakes Park51 acres · White Bear Township
DirectionsBrandlwood Park34 acres
Four Seasons Park25 acres
DirectionsMeadowlands Park23 acres
DirectionsFox Meadow Park22 acres
Moon Lake Park14 acres
Columbia Park12 acres
DirectionsLongville Park9 acres
Bellaire Park9 acres
Mead Park6 acres
Otter Park4 acres
Bellaire Beach3 acres
DirectionsEagle Park2 acres
Rotary Nature Preserve1 acres
Weyerhauser Park1 acres
Anderson Park1 acres · Town of White Bear
Apple Tree Park1 acres
Glider Park1 acres
Garden Creek Park1 acres
DirectionsWalhof Park1 acres
Sandterra Park1 acres
Birch Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,478 conserved acres
32% of White Bear Township’s land. Water is left out: White Bear Township has 7.3 square miles of land and 3.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages White Bear Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County878 ac
Town or city586 ac
Other state land13 ac
Local Park · 1,142 acLocal Conservation Area · 322 acState Park · 13 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bald Eagle-Otter Lakes - Bald Eagle Lake Local Park | County | 552 | Open |
| Tamarack Nature Center Local Conservation Area | County | 322 | Open |
| Poplar Lake Local Park | Town or city | 275 | Open |
| Deer Meadow Park Local Park | Town or city | 94 | Open |
| Polar Lakes Park Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Benson Park Local Park | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Brandlwood Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Meadowlands Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Four Seasons Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Moon Lake Park State Park | Other state land | 13 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in White Bear Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in White Bear Township
Bellaire Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in White Bear Township
Polar ParkIn Polar Lakes Park
DirectionsPlus 13 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in White Bear Township
Otter Lake Dog ParkIn Bald Eagle-Otter Lake Park
DirectionsBoat launches in White Bear Township
Bald Eagle Lake Boat LaunchIn Bald Eagle-Otter Lake Park
DirectionsSmall boat launchIn Bellaire Beach
DirectionsPlus 5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
9 named trails and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 5.9 mi
Dragonfly Loop2.1 mi
Acorn Loop1.3 mi
Deer Pass Trail1.0 mi
Grass Walking & Hiking Trail0.7 mi
Bluestem Trail Paved Loop0.5 mi
Chickadee Trail Loop0.4 mi
(seasonally flooded)0.2 mi
Paved Trail0.2 mi
Turtle Pass Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
7.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
11Baseball
7Tennis
3Soccer
2Pickleball
1Basketball
1Softball
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).
E. H. Hobe House-SolheimBuilding · listed 1983
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in White Bear 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 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 | 57 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in White Bear Township →
Next door
White Bear Township and its neighbors
White Bear Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
North Oaks26 miWhite Bear Township24 miWhite Bear Lake3.9 miMahtomedi3.8 miVadnais Heights3.1 miDellwood2.5 miGem Lake1.7 miBirchwood Village0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Bear Township | 32% | 3.3 | 162 | 99%+ | A+ |
| White Bear Lake | 7% | 0.5 | 16 | 99% | A− |
| North Oaks | under 1% | 3.7 | 10 | 70% | B− |
| Gem Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Vadnais Heights | 32% | 0.4 | 116 | 99% | A+ |
| Birchwood Village | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Mahtomedi | 11% | 1.1 | 32 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Dellwood | under 1% | 0.9 | 1 | 59% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in White Bear Township
Where can I hike in White Bear Township?
The longest trail networks: Bald Eagle-Otter Lake Park, 13.6 miles; Tamarack Nature Center, 8.1 miles; Red Pine Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of White Bear Township is conserved land?
32% 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 White Bear Township’s trails?
Bald Eagle-Otter Lake Park and Tamarack Nature Center don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in White Bear Township?
7.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near White Bear Township?
26,030 acres of parks and open public land lie inside White Bear Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,729 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does White Bear Township have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #1 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 White Bear 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 →