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There’s Plenty To Do at Three Rivers Parks

By Amanda Fretheim Gates Minnesota Monthly

For four summers in high school and college, I worked at Fish Lake Regional Park in Maple Grove. Just one of 22 parks in the Three Rivers Parks system, Fish Lake was a place for people to come boat, walk, swim, and play. I spent many hours serving concessions, taking entrance fees, and managing the line of boats waiting for permission to get on the access-controlled lake. While it’s one of the smaller parks in the system, Fish Lake has a ton to offer.

These years, my family spends time at Elm Creek Park Reserve because the playground is pretty amazing, with chutes and ladders for all ages, and the man-made, filtered lake is a perfect swimming hole in the summer. I’ve also spent time at French Lake Park (another great playground!) and Bryant Lake. No matter where you are in the metro area, there’s a Three Rivers Park for you. Boating? Baker Park. Skiing? Hyland. Dog sledding? Crow-Hassan. A working farm? Gale Woods Farm. Geocaching? Nearly all of them.

The best thing is that these parks don’t limit the fun to only the warmer months. Even as fall and winter creep up on us, there are plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy, especially on Sundays, which are Free Family Fun Days at North Mississippi Park: try a different activity each week without the cost. Learn about bats, winter mammals, deer, and ducks.

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