More than half of Merkel Township’s land is conserved: 78%
78% of Merkel Township’s land is conserved, about 32,710 acres. 66 miles of mapped trail cross Merkel Township, 1.0 per square mile of land.
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
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32,710 conserved acres
78% of Merkel Township’s land. Water is left out: Merkel Township has 65.6 square miles of land and 6.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Merkel Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 30,940 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nd State Lands - Surface Ownership State Resource Management Area | State land board | 1,550 | Open |
| Kidder County Waterfowl Production Area Resource Management Area | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 434 | Restricted |
| North Dakota Field Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 2 | Open |
14 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
4 more trails
The best walking months in Merkel Township: August and September
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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.1 | 15.9 | 15.6 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.2 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 18 | 22 | 35 | 52 | 66 | 75 | 81 | 80 | 71 | 54 | 36 | 23 |
| Rain (in) | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
January is the driest month (0.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Merkel Township →
Merkel Township and its neighbors
Merkel Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merkel Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Robinson Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wallace Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Stewart Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Atwood Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Frettim Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Progress Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lake Williams 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 Merkel Township
Is there public land near Merkel Township?
16,464 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Merkel Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,549 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Merkel Township 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 →