Parks and Trails

Owatonna Parks

City Parks

Park & Recreation Office | 540 West Hills Circle | 507-444-4321

Parks throughout the city not only preserve the small-town appeal of nature with prairie grass, trees and wildflowers within city limits, but offer volleyball, basketball, tennis and horseshoe courts, ball diamonds, in-line and ice skating rinks, and exciting playgrounds. They offer a variety of activities including fishing, geocaching, disc golf, skating, skiing and much more! Visit Website

Trail Systems

Kaplan's Woods Parkway & Lake Kohlmier

225 Acres | 18th Street SW/Mosher Avenue
One of the city's most popular recreation areas is Kaplan's Woods Parkway, which offers 225 acres for hiking, biking, jogging, in-line skating, and cross-country skiing. Within this scenic parkway, Lake Kohlmier offers a beach facility for swimming, canoeing and docks for fishing. The Kaplan's Woods Parkway contains over 6 miles of hiking and cross country skiing trails, and nearly two miles of hard-surfaced, handicapped-accessible trails. Restrooms and facilities located at Morehouse Park. Maps are located along the trail. Visit Website

Steele County, Buxton & Muckle Trails

175 miles | 3 miles | 1.4 miles
Owatonna's multiple-use trail system has been created to provide a variety of recreational opportunities for city residents and visitors. The Muckle Trail runs along the Straight River in the heart of Owatonna, connecting Morehouse Park to the Buxton Trail. The Buxton Trail begins at North Street, traveling adjacent to Maple Creek and winding its way through Dartts Park, Brooktree Golf Course and Mineral Springs Park, before reaching its conclusion on the city's eastern edge. Visit Website

Winter Recreation

Winter is no time to slow down in Minnesota. The Steele County Trail System includes 175 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, connecting with five adjoining counties. Outdoor skating and hockey rinks can be enjoyed at Morehouse Park and over 11 miles of cross country skiing trails can be found at Brooktree Golf Course, Kaplan's Woods Parkway, Morehouse Park and Prairie Park.

Morehouse Park Skating

15.7 Acres | School, Mill, or Bridge Street | 507-444-4321
Warsinski rinks, located in Morehouse Park, are the only supervised skating rinks in Owatonna. The Warsinski Chalet, a large warming house complete with cross country ski and skate rentals and food concessions is located at the west end of School Street. Visit Website

Cross Country Skiing

Park & Recreation Office | 540 West Hills Circle | 507-444-4321
The Owatonna Parks and Recreation Department maintains and grooms cross country ski trails in the following areas from mid-December to mid-February (depending on weather and snow conditions). Ski rental is available at the Morehouse Park Warsinski Chalet. Over 11 miles of cross country skiing trails can be found from Kaplan's Woods Parkway starting from Morehouse Park through Kaplan's Woods and into the County Club Golf Course (in excess of 8 miles) and Brooktree Golf Course (2 miles). Visit Website

Four Seasons Centre Ice Activities

1525 South Elm Avenue | 507-451-1093
The Four Seasons Centre, the premier facility in Southern Minnesota, is used by many for ice skating activities. Now with two ice sheets, skaters make the Centre their home for hockey and figure skating nine months out of the year including open hockey and figure skating. Visit Website

Snowmobiling

The Steele County Trail System includes 175 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, connecting with five adjoining counties.Visit our website to view a map. Request a complimentary Snowmobile Trail Map.

State Parks & Nature Preserves

Rice Lake State Park

8485 Rose Street | 507-455-5871
Open year-round
Long ago, American Indians harvested wild rice from this lake where today, the shallow waters and marshy edges of Rice Lake attract many waterfowl during migrations. Rice Lake is a major wetland in the area. Visitors enjoy photographing spring wildflowers, picnicking, and bird watching. Winter activities include cross-country skiing and snowmobiling on the trails. For a more secluded camping experience, paddle across the lake and camp in a canoe campsite. Located 7 miles east of Owatonna, the park is open for camping and day-use activities year-round. Visit Website

Leo Rudolph Nature Reserve

57 Acres | Young Drive, Jeffrey Drive or Lemond Road
This reserve area includes a two acre pond, and numerous varieties of prairie grasses and wildflowers. Amenities include a hiking and cross-country ski trail and picnic site.

Explorative Recreation

Geocaching

Park & Recreation Office | 540 West Hills Circle | 507-444-4321
Geocaching is an outdoor activity that uses a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver to hide and seek out small containers other geocachers have hidden. Once found, the containers, called "geocaches" or "caches," reveal a number of tiny treasures that have been hidden inside that you or your kids can take as a souvenir as long as you bring a trinket to trade for it, along with a small writing log for geocachers to sign. Geocashing units are available to check out for individual/families use at the Park and Recreation Office. Visit Website