Thrive! Park
Managed by Village of Nelson
23 acres0.8 mi of trail
Pikes Peak and Sisters TrailThrive Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Nelson
28% of Nelson’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. The biggest trail networks: Thrive! Park (0.8 mi). 28% of Nelson’s land is conserved, about 253 acres.
Conserved land
28%
253 acres · of 1.4 sq mi of land
Trails
1.1 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
254 ac
666 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
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 Thrive! Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lower Chippewa River SNA—TNC Addition
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
164 acres
Dogs usually not allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
Tiffany Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
68 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Thrive! Park23 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Village of Nelson
Lower Chippewa River SNA—TNC Addition164 acres · The Nature Conservancy
Tiffany Wildlife Area68 acres
Castleberg Park3 acres
DirectionsUpper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge2 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Who protects it
253 conserved acres
28% of Nelson’s land. Water is left out: Nelson has 1.4 square miles of land and 0.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Nelson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits159 ac
State natural resources68 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service52 ac
Private Conservation · 159 acState Recreation Area · 68 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 52 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Chippewa River State Natural Area - The Nature Conservancy Addition Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 159 | Open |
| Tiffany Wildlife Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 68 | Open |
| Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 52 | Restricted |
Trails & water
2 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.0 mi
Pikes Peak and Sisters Trail0.7 mi
Thrive Loop Trail0.3 mi
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Nelson
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 | 14.8 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 29 | 42 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 42 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Nelson →
Questions about parks and trails in Nelson
Where can I hike in Nelson?
The longest trail networks: Thrive! Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Nelson’s trails?
Thrive! Park and Lower Chippewa River SNA—TNC Addition don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Nelson?
17,220 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Nelson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 254 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Nelson 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 →