Bluffside Park
Park
323 acres11.4 mi of trail
WildwoodLow RollersOpe!Quarry+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Winona
10% of Winona’s land is conserved, and 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park
28 miles of mapped trail cross Winona, 1.5 per square mile of land. 1,417 acres are parks and preserves, 54 per 1,000 residents. 10% of Winona’s land is conserved, about 1,219 acres.
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #26 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
1,219 acres · of 19.0 sq mi of land
Trails
28 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,417 ac
54 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
26 mi
3.6 mi lanes · 11 mi paths
Highest peak
1,214 ft
Sugar Loaf
Lakes & rivers
9
3 beaches · 7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Winona?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Winona have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Winona is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #26 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Winona’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (28 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4APark land54 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,417 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home97% 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 95%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 91%
Water is 22% of Winona’s area (5 of 24 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 8%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Bluffside Park, with 11.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Prairie Island Park
Managed by City of Winona
62 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Latsch Island
Park
27 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 14 parks & preserves
Bluffside Park323 acres · 11.4 mi of trail
DirectionsLake Park488 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsWindom Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsGarvin Heights City Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMcNally Landing3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Prairie Island Park62 acres · City of Winona
DirectionsLatsch Island27 acres
Cotter Fields23 acres
DirectionsLions Park6 acres
DirectionsLevee Park4 acres
DirectionsWincrest Park4 acres
DirectionsSobieski Park3 acres
DirectionsGabrych Park2 acres
DirectionsVerchota Landing1 acres
Who protects it
1,219 conserved acres
10% of Winona’s land. Water is left out: Winona has 19.0 square miles of land and 5.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Winona’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city964 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service474 ac
State fish & wildlife15 ac
State natural resources2 ac
Local Park · 538 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 474 acLocal Conservation Area · 366 acLocal Recreation Area · 60 acState Conservation Area · 15 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 474 | Restricted |
| Prairie Island Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 334 | Open |
| Bluffside Park Local Park | Town or city | 319 | Open |
| Garvin Heights City Park Local Park | Town or city | 63 | Open |
| Mankato Park Local Park | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Bambenek Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Latsch Island Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Pleasant Valley Creek State Aquatic Management Area (Winona) State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 15 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
43 places to go in Winona
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Winona
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Winona
Winona Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Winona
7 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Winona
Dacota Street Fishing PierIn Lake Park
DirectionsFranklin St. Fishing PierIn Lake Park
DirectionsHuff Street Fishing PierIn Lake Park
DirectionsScenic views in Winona
Garvin Heights Park Scenic Lookout
DirectionsLookoutIn Garvin Heights City Park
DirectionsPlus 8 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Winona
Sugar Loaf1,214 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Winona
Prairie Island Campground
DirectionsDisc golf in Winona
Saint Mary's University Disc Golf Course
DirectionsTrails & water
22 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.7 miUnpaved · 4.8 mi
Wildwood2.5 mi
Low Rollers1.8 mi
Chickadee Circuit1.7 mi
Ope!1.5 mi
Quarry1.2 mi
High Rollers1.2 mi
Dike1.1 mi
Rattlesnake1.1 mi
Cistern1.0 mi
Upper Trail0.8 mi
12 more trails
Sugar Loaf Trail
0.6 miPowerline Trail
0.6 miOrchard
0.5 miTroll Stroll
0.4 miRiver Trail
0.4 miLower Connector
0.3 miSalad Bar Trail
0.3 miDahl Connector
0.2 miHorse Trail
0.2 miUpper Connector
0.2 miICE WALL
0.2 miGoat Meadow
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
26 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
11 mi
off-road bike paths
11 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
29Tennis
21Baseball
8Pickleball
8Soccer
7Basketball
3Football
3Volleyball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →36 places 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.
Winona County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1970
About itMerchants National BankBuilding · listed 1974
About itKirch/Latch BuildingBuilding · listed 1975
About itChoate Deparment StoreBuilding · listed 1976
About itHuff-Lamberton HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itWinona Free Public LibraryBuilding · listed 1977
About itWinona Savings Bank BuildingBuilding · listed 1977
About itGrain and Lumber Exchange BuildingBuilding · listed 1977
About itAnger's BlockBuilding · listed 1978
About itSugar Loaf BreweryBuilding · listed 1978
About itSchlitz HotelBuilding · listed 1982
About itWinona HotelBuilding · listed 1983
About it24 more on the History page.
When to get out
The walking year in Winona
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 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 26 | 31 | 44 | 58 | 70 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 73 | 60 | 44 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Winona →
Next door
Winona and its neighbors
Winona has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Winona28 miRollingstone Township7.5 miBuffalo4.3 miWilson Township1.1 miHomer Township1.1 miGoodview0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winona | 10% | 1.5 | 54 | 97% | A+ |
| Wilson Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 9% | D |
| Goodview | 3% | 0.1 | 9 | 92% | B− |
| Homer Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 1 | 6% | D |
| Rollingstone 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 Winona
Where can I hike in Winona?
The longest trail networks: Bluffside Park, 11.4 miles; Lake Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Winona is conserved land?
10% 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 Winona’s trails?
Bluffside Park and Lake Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Winona?
26 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.6 of painted or protected lanes, 11 of off-road paths and 11 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Winona?
10,877 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Winona or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,419 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Winona have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #26 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 Winona 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 →