Photo: Brenda Riskey · Public domain97% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Grand Forks
24 miles of mapped trail cross Grand Forks, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Riverside Park (1.9 mi), Lincoln Drive Park (0.5 mi). 752 acres are parks and preserves, 13 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns · #5 of 23 in North Dakota. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Grand Forks?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Grand Forks have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Grand Forks is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns, #5 of 23 in North Dakota. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Riverside Park, with 1.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ulland Park Softball Complex
All 33 parks & preserves
530 conserved acres
3% of Grand Forks’ land. Who manages Grand Forks’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Drive Park Local Park | Town or city | 129 | Open |
| Ulland Park Local Park | Town or city | 68 | Open |
| Ryan Park / Lake Local Park | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Southern Estates Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Apollo Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Sertoma Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| University Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Bringewatt Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
54 places to go in Grand Forks
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 more playgrounds
49 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
52 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
60 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
48 more on the History page.
September is the best month for walking in Grand Forks
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) | 8.8 | 10.2 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 16.0 | 15.6 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.2 | 8.4 |
| High (°F) | 16 | 21 | 35 | 53 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 80 | 71 | 54 | 36 | 22 |
| Rain (in) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
February is the driest month (0.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Grand Forks →
Grand Forks and its neighbors
Grand Forks has the most mapped trails of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Forks | 3% | 0.8 | 13 | 97% | B+ |
| Grand Forks Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Rye Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Falconer Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Brenna 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 Grand Forks
Where can I hike in Grand Forks?
The longest trail networks: Riverside Park, 1.9 miles; Lincoln Drive Park, 0.5 miles; Grand Forks Greenway, 0.4 miles; Bringewatt Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Grand Forks is conserved land?
3% of its land, against a typical 3% for a North Dakota town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Grand Forks’ trails?
Riverside Park and Lincoln Drive Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Grand Forks?
52 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.9 of painted or protected lanes, 50 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Grand Forks?
2,809 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Grand Forks or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 752 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Grand Forks have?
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #5 of 23 in North Dakota. 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 Grand Forks neighbors.
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 →