About 9.3% of Scandia is conserved land, roughly 2,353 acres. There are about 14 miles of mapped trails, and the biggest networks are in William O'Brien State Park (12.3 mi), Wind In The Pines Preserve (1.2 mi), and Crystal Spring Scientific and Natural Area (0.5 mi).
Conserved land, trails, parks and bike routes in Scandia, measured from OpenStreetMap and USGS data.
Conserved land is a share of the whole town area. Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Tap a name for directions.
Conserved doesn't always mean open to visitors. 468 acres are conservation easements, which are usually private land. The places listed above are parks and preserves people visit.
Counts include school and college facilities, which aren't always open to the public.
| Place | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| William O'Brien State ParkState Park | State parks | 1,102 | Open |
| Lower Saint Croix National Scenic RiverwayWild and Scenic River | National Park Service | 493 | Open |
| Falls Creek State Scientific and Natural AreaState Conservation Area | State natural resources | 139 | Restricted |
| Wind in the Pines PreserveLocal Conservation Area | Town or city | 71 | Open |
| Bone Lake ParkLocal Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Rutstrum State Wildlife Management AreaState Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 24 | Restricted |
| Scandia Community Center, Leonard Wojtowicz Skating Park & South Ball FieldLocal Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Gammelgarden Museum & ParkLocal Park | Private owners | 13 | Open |
| Lilleskogen Park / Veterans MemorialLocal Historic or Cultural Area | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Hay Lake ParkLocal Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Town | Conserved | Trails | Parks & preserves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scandia | 9.3% | 14.4 mi | 10 |
| Farmington | 8.7% | 6.7 mi | 8 |
| Forest Lake | 6% | 6.6 mi | 18 |
| May | 5.2% | 0.9 mi | 6 |
| Chisago Lake | 0.5% | 2.9 mi | 6 |
| Marine on St. Croix | 35.4% | 10.4 mi | 4 |
| Franconia | 9% | 8.8 mi | 4 |
Sources: trails, parks, preserves, courts and bike lanes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), map data as of 2026-09-28. Conserved land: USGS Gap Analysis Project, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US). Measured against the Census town boundary.
How we measure
"Trails" are OpenStreetMap paths, bridleways, public tracks and unpaved footways, plus footways inside a park or preserve or on a named trail route. Sidewalks are left out. Areas are counted on a 21.3-meter grid, so overlapping parcels count once. "Conserved" includes conservation easements, which protect land from development but are usually private property. Trailheads are the nearest marked trailhead, public parking lot or information board within about 150 meters of a preserve. Dog rules come from OpenStreetMap when someone has tagged them; otherwise we show what's typical for the land manager, or say the rules aren't recorded.