It's a nice lake with a couple beaches. No amenities nearby and because of the ridiculous overpriced green line that goes nowhere it's now hard to get to. We all got taken for a ride $$$$ with light rail when the buses do a great job! read more

The once popular clothing optional Hidden Beach is no longer nor clothing optional. Looking to escape the 90° heat & sans suit, remembering this place from years ago. Then I saw this! Years have changed things! I went, regardless. Will modern day's morality accept a little skinny dipping. Unh-unh! Plus, thunder storms greeted me. looks like a nice shower at home will suffice." read more

Cedar Lake East Beach - Entrance to hidden beach - Beaches Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Good place to hang if you know how to get to it your sure to find that it's not like the other beached

Hidden Beach was my second home summer of 2007. people would chill and do whatever; smoke weed, drink, socialize. theres an awesome mud pit in the back of the beach that people wrestle in and stuff. it was always relaxing to post up with some beers in the mud. unfortunately, its now a public beach, which breaks my heart. they have lifeguards on the weekends and they turned the winding dirt path through the woods into a gravel road for the coppers to cruise down. i miss the old beach very much, but last i was there it was still good for drinking beers at night by the lake. and everyone should go in the mud at least once. it would be deserving of five stars had it not been publicized. do me a favor if youre ever there and the papos roll up: yell "REDS! as loud as you can... thx. read more

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Years ago, this was one of two nude beaches within shouting distance of Minneapolis. Sadly, those days are long gone. It is still a cute, small sequestered beach about 3 miles from downtown. There are Porta-Potties and it gets crowded quickly. read more

This is the kind of beach to go if you are a hippie/hipster type of person and don't mind smokers. Lots of places to hammock. Open space to tan. I wouldn't say it's very kid friendly though. read more

Oh, Hidden Beach. You are the exact opposite of hidden. Some people are nostalgically attached to you. I'm not one of them. Ima tell 'em what's what, Hidden Beach, and you can't stop me... 'cause you're a beach. I went for the first time last summer and... hmm.... the word that comes to mind is dirrrrrrty (X-tina-style=too dirty to clean its act up). The beach was ungodly crowded and I think I shaved about three years off my life by breathing the second-hand smoke hanging in the atmosphere like Hidden Beach's own personal smoke monster. I could see nary a square inch of sand, which turned out to be a blessing because under the beach towels were old cigarettes, broken glass bottles, used condoms (at least they're being safe, right?) and rusty nails (YEP, I found an actual rusty nail). I don't even want to know what has gone down in those mud pits over the years. Yelch. The two stars are for (a) best. people-watching. ever. (saw some water-walkers on stand-up paddle boards, cute dogs, cute babies that should have been taken to a less rough-and-tumble beach, really good and really bad tattoos, etc.) and (b) for simply being a beach (gotta give it up for that, I'm not heartless). Oh, I feel for you, Hidden Beach... you sorry has-been, I hope you aren't too upset by my criticism. Either way, you're a beach, so you can't hurt me. Unless there's something you'd like to tell me about that rusty nail... read more

Seig Heil the Mpls. Park Board. This used to be a cook place with a Amsterdam feel to it on the beach with nice mountain bike paths in the woods but the Mpls. Park Board felt that after years to "scorch earth" the area to make it a public beach! All gone. read more

Hidden Beach, I hardly knew ye. Of course, you've changed - cleaned up your act. You no longer grow out your underbrush and you've gone teetotaler. It sounds like you were a real party animal back in the days, but have become tame in recent years. I hear you even call yourself "East Cedar Lake Beach" now! We took our dog, Ajax, to Hidden Beach to teach him to swim because it is one of the few places that you can let your dog swim in the lake. It is still technically a offense that can get you a fine, but the Park Rangers were more concerned with alcohol possession. 4 people near us got tickets for having a whopping total of 4 beers between them! Ouch! The lake and swimming area are really nice. The beach itself could use a little work - there are tons of cigarette butts everywhere. There is a port-o-potty for those who need some privacy and don't subscribe to my philosophy that to a man, the entire world is a bathroom :-) There is one BBQ grill and two or three picnic tables as well. This is still a pretty fun place to go, but now that they are cracking down on alcohol, there is no reason to go here over the cleaner nicer beaches all around Cedar Lake and throughout Minneapolis. And I have a feeling the local million-dollar-homeowners want it that way. As long as Kenwood is the most expensive area of the city, this beach will see heavy enforcement and fun-squelching. Move on folks. Nothin to see here. read more

Cedar Lake East Beach - Cyrus teaching Ajax to swim at Hidden Beach - Beaches Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

People watching is the best part of this beach, other than that it's not that great. The beach is dirty and there are quite a few people who seem untrustworthy. Not very pretty or relaxing but interesting and casual. It is worth trying out if you haven't been but it's not a place to bring your kids or recommend to out of town guests. Tip: RIde your bike and take the Cedar Lake trail, there isn't a lot of parking so riding your bike is the best option. read more

This beach struck me as dirty and swampy. Apparently the major complaint people have about it is that it is no longer as dirty as it was. But at least it wasn't crowded. Drinking beer on the beach would be pleasant, but I'd rather do it on a beach that didn't make me check the date of my last tetanus booster. A beach where you can see some sand under the cigarette butts. I did go there once or twice when it was supposedly a nude beach, but I didn't see any of the partying that is supposed to have gone on there; just a couple of families. read more

My favorite beach in the city. But then again who doesn't like a shady path to a tiny beach and giant mud pit?

Wow!!! Can't believe how many uptight ******* voted this beach down. First of all, this beach is nicknamed "Hidden" for a reason. It doesn't say, "kids beach" or "family beach".. it says "hidden". It's like going to a bar and saying OMG there's a bunch of drunks drinking. Or going to the Dark Web and complaining there's no family filter for your kids. As far as "Hidden" goes, the name describes it well. "It is the only beach like place in Minnesota it gets way overcrowded", Wow! Can't believe someone actually said this. Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. If it gets overcrowded its because word got out about Hidden Beach and its qualities. News media have made reports on Hidden, so it's gained popularity. If you want a nice, family beach, go to Thomas Beach on Lake Calhoun. Its only a 5 min drive from Hidden Beach. As far as being messy, dirty and having sketchy characters, the truth is in the eye of the beholder. Someones trash is another persons treasure.. kinda like Trump. So... if your still a virgin, this beach is NOT for you (kids AND adults). If you can't see people displaying PDA or being half naked, this beach is not for you. If you are a pro War on Drugs, Nancy Reagan type, this beach is DEFINITELY NOT for you. PLEASE DON'T COME AND MESS IT UP for everyone else that has enjoyed this beach since the 1940's for its "hidden" qualities. read more

Hidden Beach is the dive bar of beaches in Minneapolis. Dirty, crowded, and perfect for people watching. The sand is pretty terrible, and once you find a spot for your towel you will be grateful that it covers the cigarrette butts and other assorted junk. There was an odd mixture of visitors yesterday afternoon, but the majority were hippies and hipsters. If you want to get even more dirty, take a dip in the nearby mud pit. The water at the lake was surprisingly cool and there weren't too many weeds, but I'm glad I didn't go too far in. Although I saw a couple of families, this is not a great family destination in my book. read more

Last time I visited this beach on Saturday afternoon, the Minneapolis police decided to show up and patrol for almost 2 hours. Two stone-cold officers combed though the peacefully lounging college students and couples asking to look in backpacks and coolers for beer, hoping to catch someone off guard. Note that nobody was being loud, drunk, or rowdy before the police showed up. Apparently they just routinely patrol this beach like that. Eventually people got fed up enough and started asking the officers to leave. The police presence in such a small area made for a really uncomfortable atmosphere. Otherwise, the beach is clean compared to any others in Minneapolis. I still prefer Hidden Beach to any other if I'm planning on swimming. It you're just planning on sunbathing, another option might be on the lawn of Minneapolis Police Headquarters, if you like that kind of crowd! read more

I grew up as a kid in the sixties going to this beach, as it was only a few blocks from our house. The area in general has had a bit of a neglected history for years, starting with the railroad being built along the east side, to the lowering of Cedar Lake by five feet when the channel was cut between it and Lake of the Isles, to the resulting dried up bay to the southeast of the beach being used as a city dump as late as the 1960's - where we used to ride our bikes - eek! Supposedly it was mostly concrete from the new interstate projects, but who knows what else. The beach itself has had a seedy reputation for a long long time, one that it cant seem to shake to this day. We swam there a lot in the summer during the daytime but we knew it wasnt a place to go to after dark. It originally attracted an unsavory element ever since the days when the railroad yards, (where we also used to get up to no good), occupied the space where the Kenilworth bike trail now is, which you cross on 21st St. just a block east of the beach. Apparently there were a large number of transients and hobos that used to come and go on the railroad, and the beach was a conveniently close and secluded place for various debauchery. I've occasionally stopped by over the years just to see what its like and am fascinated that it still seems to retain that somewhat subversive atmosphere that it has always had. I think that unless it receives a complete makeover in the form of an developed park area, it is likely to remain that way in the future. If you are looking for raw and unpolished in your beach experience, this is the place for you. read more