Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Nature preserve
170 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Chaska
Chaska has 20 miles of mapped trails, 1.1 for every square mile of land
94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (1.1 mi), Firemen's Park (0.9 mi). 900 acres are parks and preserves, 31 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #77 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
442 acres · of 17.1 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
900 ac
31 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
94 mi
0.4 mi lanes · 93 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
14
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Chaska?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Chaska have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chaska is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #77 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Chaska’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land31 acres of park per 1,000 residents (900 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home94% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 86%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 72%
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 Valley National Wildlife Refuge, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 18 parks & preserves
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge170 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFiremen's Park29 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsCourthouse Lake Park31 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCity Square Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsChaska Community Park32 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLions Park30 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMcKnight Park30 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Chaska
DirectionsSunset Park29 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWetlands Park31 acres
Hawks Ridge Park15 acres · Carver Trails
DirectionsPioneer Park11 acres
Friendship Park6 acres
DirectionsCortina Woods Park5 acres
DirectionsShepherd of the Hill Park4 acres
DirectionsMinnesota Landscape Arboretum2 acres · University of Minnesota
Chanhassen Nature Preserve2 acres
Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area - Nyssen's Lake Unit1 acres
Firemans Park Two1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
442 conserved acres
4% of Chaska’s land. Who manages Chaska’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service326 ac
Town or city278 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 326 acLocal Park · 278 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 326 | Restricted |
| Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| Mcknight Park Local Park | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Lake Bavaria Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Sunset Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Bavaria Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Community Center Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Athletic Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Griep Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
45 places to go in Chaska
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Chaska
Clayhole BeachIn Firemen's Park
DirectionsSwimming spots in Chaska
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Chaska
Sunset PlaygroundIn Sunset Park
Directions35 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Chaska
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Chaska
6 waterfalls without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Chaska
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Trails & water
14 lakes & rivers
Biking & sports
94 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
93 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
26Tennis
21Soccer
18Baseball
6Basketball
6Pickleball
1Skate park
1Multi-sport
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 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.
Brinkhaus Saloon Livery BarnBuilding · listed 1980
About itE. H. Lewis HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itEder-Baer HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itFrederick E. DuToit HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itFrederick Greiner HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itHerald BlockBuilding · listed 1980
About itSimons Building and Livery BarnBuilding · listed 1980
About itWalnut Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itChaska Historical MarkerSite · listed 2010
About itWhen to get out
The walking year in Chaska
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) | 23 | 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 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 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 Chaska →
Next door
Chaska and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Chanhassen30 miVictoria23 miChaska20 miCarver8.0 miLaketown Township4.9 miDahlgren Township2.0 miJackson Township1.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaska | 4% | 1.1 | 31 | 94% | A |
| Chanhassen | 11% | 1.5 | 71 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Laketown Township | under 1% | 0.2 | 22 | 45% | C+ |
| Jackson Township | under 1% | 0.3 | 370 | 41% | B− |
| Victoria | 55% | 1.8 | 411 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Carver | 43% | 1.6 | 86 | 91% | A+ |
| Dahlgren Township | 1% | 0.1 | 19 | 4% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Chaska
Where can I hike in Chaska?
The longest trail networks: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, 1.1 miles; Firemen's Park, 0.9 miles; Chaska Community Park, 0.1 miles; Courthouse Lake Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Chaska is conserved land?
4% 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 Chaska’s trails?
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Firemen's Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Chaska?
94 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of painted or protected lanes and 93 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Chaska?
22,749 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chaska or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 900 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Chaska have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #77 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 Chaska 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 →