Photo: Bmzuckerman · CC BY 4.0Owatonna has 16 miles of mapped trails, 1.1 for every square mile of land
92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Kaplans Woods Regional Park (9.7 mi), Leo Rudolph Nature Reserve (1.6 mi). 596 acres are parks and preserves, 22 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #96 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Owatonna?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Owatonna have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Owatonna is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #96 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Kaplans Woods Regional Park, with 9.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Leo Rudolph Nature Reserve
All 22 parks & preserves
422 conserved acres
4% of Owatonna’s land. Who manages Owatonna’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaplans Woods Park Local Park | Town or city | 154 | Open |
| Steele County Fairgrounds Park Local Other or Unknown | County | 62 | Open |
| Leo Rudolph Nature Resv Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 49 | Open |
| Mineral Springs Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Manthey Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Lake Chase Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Dartts Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Morehouse Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Jaycee Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Cashman Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
25 places to go in Owatonna
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 16 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
2 lakes & rivers
13 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
10 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The walking year in Owatonna
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 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 22 | 27 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 78 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 58 | 41 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Owatonna →
Owatonna and its neighbors
Owatonna has the most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owatonna | 4% | 1.1 | 22 | 92% | A− |
| Owatonna Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Clinton Falls 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 Owatonna
Where can I hike in Owatonna?
The longest trail networks: Kaplans Woods Regional Park, 9.7 miles; Leo Rudolph Nature Reserve, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Owatonna 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 Owatonna’s trails?
Kaplans Woods Regional Park and Leo Rudolph Nature Reserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Owatonna?
13 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of painted or protected lanes and 13 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Owatonna?
3,299 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Owatonna or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 596 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Owatonna have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #96 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 Owatonna 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 →