Chaska Ravine Trail

Minnesota

2 Reviews

View Trail Map
View Map
Print
Complete
Favorite
Send to App

Register for free!

Register for free with TrailLink today!

We're a non-profit all about helping you enjoy the outdoors
  • View over 40,000 of trail maps
  • Share your trail photos
  • Save your own favorite trails
  • Learn about new trails near you
  • Leave reviews for trails
  • Add new and edit existing trails

Chaska Ravine Trail Facts

States: Minnesota
Counties: Carver
Length: 5.1 miles
Trail end points: LRT Regional Trail (Old Audubon Rd.) and Spring Peeper Meadow (W 82nd St.)
Trail surfaces: Asphalt, Dirt
Trail category: Greenway/Non-RT
ID: 11036015

Chaska Ravine Trail Description

The Chaska Ravine Trail is a hidden gem for cyclists and pedestrians looking to travel off the beaten path within the suburban community, offering a quiet, natural pathway right in the midst of neighborhoods and highways. The route is largely unsigned and connects with many offshoot trails from the city of Chaska's excellent network of community trails, with the Chaska Ravine Trail following the natural corridor formed by a series of lakes to the city's north, and connecting with the Minnesota River Bluffs LRT Regional Trail on the southern end.

The northern half of the trail has a much more rustic feel; the trails around Big Woods Lake and McKnight Lake are unpaved and tucked into the lakeshore woods, providing a nice escape for visitors staying at the nearby hotels as well as local residents looking to disappear into nature. The trail is disconnected from the southern half due to the railroad tracks south of McKnight Lake - a gap that the city hopes to one day fill in. For now, trail users can follow the unpaved path that leads west from McKnight Road down to Bavaria Road for a lengthy detour, or simply use the northern half as a loop trail and save the rest for another outing.

The southern half of the trail picks up at Lake Jonathan just south of the railroad tracks, where sprawling city parks offer plenty of picnic and playground space next to a local elementary school. This part of the trail is a smoothly paved asphalt, which continues south along the lakeshore and along the edge of Lake Grace, following a lovely tree-lined path through another city park at the southern end of the lake. A series of underpasses allow trail users to safely cross Hundertmark Road and Highway 212, with additional trail connections flowing in from the east and west. South of the highway, the trail begins to wind east and south, following the route of a small creek as it works its way to the LRT Trail, one of the premier trails in the regional trail network.

Parking and Trail Access

Parking is available at the northern end of the trail at a small lot for the Spring Peeper Meadow, an arboretum/meadowland with nature trails of its own, located at 105 W 82nd Street in Chaska. Parking is also available at McKnight Park, north of Jonathan Elementary School on Pleasant Lane, east of McKnight Road.

A trailhead with parking is also located at the trail's junction with the LRT Trail, on Old Audubon Road just north of Engler Boulevard.

Chaska Ravine Trail Reviews

railway track

The trail requires crossing an active rail way track. No legal crossing. Not sure this is safe

Beautiful hike.

Beautiful hike.

Nearby Trails

Go Unlimited Today!

  • FREE Account
  • View over 40,000 miles of trail maps
  • Post your trail reviews
  • Share your trail photos
  • Save your favorite trails
  • Learn about new trails near you
  • Get a free map in the app!
Register for FREE
  •  
Purchase Unlimited

Explore by City

Explore by City

Explore by Activity

Explore by Activity

Log in to your account to:

  • View trail paths on the map
  • Save trails to your account
  • Add trails, edit descriptions
  • Share photos
  • Add reviews

Log in with Google

Log in with Apple

OR

Register for free!

Join TrailLink (a non-profit) to view more than 40,000 miles of trail maps and more!

Register with Google

Register with Apple

OR