Root River Trail Towns

Visit the Root River Trail System and Towns

Chatfield

Chatfield

“Gateway to the Root River Valley”

Just 20 minutes from the bustle of the city, Rochester International Airport, and Mayo Clinic, this historic town sits along the Root River and Mill Creek, and is an outdoor recreation and music destination.

Chatfield is home to three recreational trails, the Root River Water Trail, the Chatfield ATV trail, and the Lost Creek Hiking Trail. The Root River and Mill Creek offer some of the best trout fishing in the region as well as its most northern canoe and kayak launch. The Lost Creek Hiking Trail is maintained by the Bluff Country Hiking Club and offers 6.35 miles of ranging terrain and ecosystems of forest, prairie, and pasture. For a bit faster pace, the 16-mile Chatfield ATV Trail sits east of town and is open to the public May through October. Following the rise and fall of the bluffs and valleys, and winding through woodlots, pastures, and along streams, the trail is geared for all ages and experience levels.

For a quieter pace, you will find the Chosen Valley Golf Club offers a public, 9-hole regulation course of 5,866 yards for a par of 35. Not a golfer? Birders will enjoy Pin Oak Prairie, a MN DNR scientific and natural area (SNA) as well as an Audubon Society Important Birding Site. Beat the heat with some relaxing laps at the aquatic center or play a few matches at the city tennis courts. Chatfield’s park system also offers 47-acres of creek-side walking trails, picnic/play areas, ball fields, sand volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, biking, a skateboarding park as well as a hockey and skating rink in the winter.

If live music or theatre is your thing, the Chatfield Center for the Arts hosts nationally and regionally-known performers as well as visual art exhibits in its newly restored 1930’s-era historic auditorium. It is also the home to Wit’s End Community Theatre. The city is also home to the Chatfield Brass Band, a harmonic tradition for nearly a half century. Its more than 30 members, of all ages, play a variety of music in an effort to provide opportunities for amateur musicians to perform and grow musically and to continue the city’s proud custom. The city boasts a music lending library, the only one of its kind in the world today. Dedicated to the preservation of musical heritage and utilized by musicians worldwide, the library has collected and cataloged more than 30,000 pieces, many of which are no longer in print.  Get a taste of Chatfield at any one of its several annual community celebrations:
  • ChillFest – February
  • Music and Market  in the Park – June and July
  • Western Days – August
  • Fall Fest – September
  • Christmas in the Valley – December