Robbins Island Park
Managed by City of Willmar
62 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Willmar
5% of Willmar’s land is conserved, and 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Robbins Island Park (0.6 mi), Ramblewood Park (0.5 mi). 7.7 miles of mapped trail cross Willmar, 0.5 per square mile of land. 395 acres are parks and preserves, 18 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #121 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
475 acres · of 14.2 sq mi of land
Trails
7.7 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
395 ac
18 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
22 mi
2.0 mi lanes · 20 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Willmar?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Willmar have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Willmar is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #121 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Willmar’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land18 acres of park per 1,000 residents (395 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13BParks close to home96% 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 56%
Water is 9% of Willmar’s area (1 of 16 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 5%.
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 Robbins Island Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bergquist Park
Park
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Willmar Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
127 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 21 parks & preserves
Robbins Island Park62 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · City of Willmar
DirectionsRamblewood Park26 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsBergquist Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Vos Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Bjorsell Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Willmar Wildlife Management Area127 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSwansson Complex30 acres
DirectionsThompson Park23 acres
DirectionsEast Willmar Park6 acres
Sperryville Park5 acres
DirectionsLincoln Park5 acres
Southside Park5 acres
DirectionsGesch Park5 acres
DirectionsNorthside Park4 acres
Lions Park4 acres
DirectionsGarfield Park4 acres
DirectionsMiller Park3 acres
DirectionsMinnegasco Park3 acres
Pleasant View Park3 acres
DirectionsRice Park2 acres
DirectionsJaycee Park1 acres
Who protects it
475 conserved acres
5% of Willmar’s land. Water is left out: Willmar has 14.2 square miles of land and 1.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Willmar’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city331 ac
State fish & wildlife127 ac
Other state land14 ac
Private owners3 ac
Local Park · 334 acState Conservation Area · 127 acState Park · 13 acConservation Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willmar State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 127 | Restricted |
| Robbins Island Park Local Park | Town or city | 84 | Open |
| Pleasant View Park Local Park | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Baker Diamond Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Swansson Field Recreation Complex Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Ramblewood Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Hedin Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Thompson Park State Park | Other state land | 10 | Open |
| Hanson Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
69 places to go in Willmar
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Willmar
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Willmar
Bjorsell ParkIn Bjorsell Park
DirectionsBria's PlaygroundIn Jaycee Park
DirectionsLincoln ParkIn Lincoln Park
DirectionsMiller ParkIn Miller Park
DirectionsRamblewood ParkIn Ramblewood Park
DirectionsWillmar Destination PlaygroundIn Robbins Island Park
Directions46 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Willmar
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Willmar
3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Willmar
16 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Willmar
2 disc golf without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.0 mi
Willmar Walks Green1.5 mi
Willmar Walks Red1.0 mi
35th Street Northwest0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
22 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
20 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
25Baseball
22Tennis
12Basketball
10Soccer
5Football
4Volleyball
4Softball
2Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 21 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Willmar Hospital Farm for Inebriates Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986
About itLarson, A., & Co. BuildingBuilding · listed 1989
About itWillmar AuditoriumBuilding · listed 1991
About itWillmar Tribune BuildingBuilding · listed 2007
About itLakeland HotelBuilding · listed 2012
About itWillmar Municipal AirportSite · listed 2013
About itAlbert H. and Jennie C. Sperry HouseBuilding · listed 2020
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Willmar
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) | 21 | 26 | 39 | 55 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 40 | 27 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
January is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Willmar →
Next door
Willmar and its neighbors
Willmar 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willmar | 5% | 0.5 | 18 | 96% | A− |
| Willmar Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| St. Johns Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Dovre Township | 10% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Willmar
Where can I hike in Willmar?
The longest trail networks: Robbins Island Park, 0.6 miles; Ramblewood Park, 0.5 miles; Bergquist Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Willmar 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 Willmar’s trails?
Robbins Island Park and Ramblewood Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Willmar?
22 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of painted or protected lanes and 20 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Willmar?
625 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Willmar or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 395 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Willmar have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #121 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 Willmar 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 →