Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
Managed by University of Minnesota
493 acres7 mi of trail
Ridge TrailLost Pond TrailOak TrailUnder the Oak+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Myotus · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Chanhassen
11% of Chanhassen’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. 30 miles of mapped trail cross Chanhassen, 1.5 per square mile of land. 1,859 acres are parks and preserves, 71 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #12 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
1,495 acres · of 20.4 sq mi of land
Trails
30 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,859 ac
71 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
85 mi
4.0 mi lanes · 81 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
14
5 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Chanhassen?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Chanhassen have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chanhassen is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #12 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Chanhassen’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (30 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4APark land71 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,859 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 96%
Water is 11% of Chanhassen’s area (2 of 23 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 10%.
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 Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, with 7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lake Minnewashta Regional Park
Park
335 acres6 mi of trail
Prairie LoopWoodlands LoopLake TrailNorth Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Spring Peeper Meadow
Managed by University of Minnesota
65 acres1.2 mi of trail
Spring Peeper Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 29 parks & preserves
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum493 acres · 7 mi of trail · University of Minnesota
DirectionsLake Minnewashta Regional Park335 acres · 6 mi of trail
DirectionsSpring Peeper Meadow65 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · University of Minnesota
DirectionsLake Ann Park89 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLake Susan Park16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGreenwood Shores Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Rice Marsh Lake Park Preserve177 acres
DirectionsRaguet Wildlife Management Area170 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Chanhassen Nature Preserve135 acres
DirectionsBluff Creek Preserve119 acres
Lake Susan Preserve48 acres
DirectionsMinnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge43 acres
Bandimere Community Park43 acres
DirectionsFox Woods Nature Preserve28 acres
City Center Park21 acres
DirectionsBluff Creek School Recreation Center20 acres
Hawks Ridge Park14 acres · Carver Trails
North Lotus Lake Park13 acres
DirectionsMeadow Green Park11 acres
Pleasant View Preserve9 acres
Roundhouse Park8 acres
DirectionsCurry Farms Park8 acres
DirectionsPioneer Pass Park7 acres
DirectionsSugarbush Park5 acres
DirectionsRiley Ridge Park4 acres
DirectionsSouth Lotus Lake Park3 acres
DirectionsCarver Beach Playground2 acres
DirectionsHerman Field Park2 acres
DirectionsCarver Beach Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,495 conserved acres
11% of Chanhassen’s land. Water is left out: Chanhassen has 20.4 square miles of land and 2.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Chanhassen’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city834 ac
County310 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)189 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service146 ac
State natural resources73 ac
State fish & wildlife9 ac
Other state land6 ac
Local Park · 667 acLocal Conservation Area · 464 acConservation Easement · 195 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 146 acState Conservation Area · 82 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 195 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnewashta Regional Park Local Park | County | 310 | Open |
| Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 146 | Restricted |
| Chanhassen Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 111 | Open |
| Lake Ann Park Local Park | Town or city | 89 | Open |
| Seminary Fen State Scientific and Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 73 | Restricted |
| Rice Marsh Lake Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 69 | Open |
| Lake Susan Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Bluff Creek Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| Bluff Creek Headwaters Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 50 | Open |
| Unnamed Park Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 38 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
77 places to go in Chanhassen
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Chanhassen
Lake Ann Beach
DirectionsPlus 4 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Swimming spots in Chanhassen
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Chanhassen
Green Play YardIn Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
DirectionsNorth Lotus Lake PlaygroundIn North Lotus Lake Park
Directions35 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Chanhassen
Lake Minnewashta Off-Leash Dog AreaIn Lake Minnewashta Regional Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Chanhassen
5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Chanhassen
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Chanhassen
8 more scenic views
Rainwater Runoff ModelIn Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
DirectionsThe Light and Sound of God
DirectionsTrex DeckIn Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Chanhassen
North Lotus Lake Park Picnic ShelterIn North Lotus Lake Park
DirectionsPlus 10 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
15 named trails and 14 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 18.2 mi
Ridge Trail1.6 mi
Prairie Loop1.5 mi
Woodlands Loop1.1 mi
Spring Peeper Trail0.9 mi
Lake Trail0.8 mi
Lost Pond Trail0.6 mi
North Loop0.4 mi
Oak Trail0.4 mi
Marsh Trail0.3 mi
South Loop0.3 mi
5 more trails
Under the Oak
0.2 miPrairie Trail
0.2 miGreen Heron Trail
0.2 miVista Trail
0.2 miMaintenance Trail
0.1 miBiking & sports
85 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
81 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
34Tennis
32Baseball
27Basketball
17Soccer
10Pickleball
2Football
2Volleyball
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 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.
When to get out
The walking year in Chanhassen
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) | 9.1 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.0 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 1.1 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Chanhassen →
Next door
Chanhassen and its neighbors
Chanhassen has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Eden Prairie37 miChanhassen30 miVictoria23 miChaska20 miShakopee19 miJackson Township1.6 miShorewood1.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chanhassen | 11% | 1.5 | 71 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Chaska | 4% | 1.1 | 31 | 94% | A |
| Victoria | 55% | 1.8 | 411 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Eden Prairie | 17% | 1.1 | 58 | 99% | A+ |
| Shorewood | 4% | 0.3 | 17 | 88% | B |
| Shakopee | 11% | 0.7 | 30 | 98% | A |
| Jackson Township | under 1% | 0.3 | 370 | 41% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Chanhassen
Where can I hike in Chanhassen?
The longest trail networks: Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 7 miles; Lake Minnewashta Regional Park, 6 miles; Spring Peeper Meadow, 1.2 miles; Lake Ann Park, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Chanhassen is conserved land?
11% 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 Chanhassen’s trails?
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and Lake Minnewashta Regional Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Chanhassen?
85 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.0 of painted or protected lanes and 81 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Chanhassen?
30,010 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chanhassen or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,859 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Chanhassen have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #12 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 Chanhassen 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 →