We took our pup for a walk around purgatory creek park and appreciated the approximately one mile…read moreloop around the water. Having the loop non-paved, and the section crossing the water being uneven, may be difficult for those with accessibility concerns. The seating area and landscaping seemed to be well maintained. We appreciated having a bathroom as well.

This park was really a pleasant surprise. I accidently found it and I was so glad I did - looked…read morelike it had a great walking trail around it but then you can also cross the lake and go out to explore a little on this 'island' in the middle. Such a cool place to explore and see some fun animals. I meant to make it to the sunset but was not close enough to it - I am guessing they are amazing.

First stroll of the season! Overall a good couple mile trail system in the heart of Eden prairie…read more Reminds me a lot of Elm Creek Park in Maple grove with the park and beach overlooking the lake. The trails are nicely paved as well as some gravel and dirt trails if you get deeper into the wooded areas. Concessions, trail maps nice playground for the kids and a nice size beach for the area it's in. Definitely want to come back when the leaves start returning.

A city park with a load of amenities and plenty of free parking…read more Just blocks from shopping and offices is a quiet well kept park. Boat launch, beach with large umbrellas where I saw at least 10 would be artists practicing their hobby. Swimmers and beach loungers. There is a walking trail and an off-leash dog park. Boat and canoe rentals are available as well. Even Disc Golf. Picnic tables and of course the all important concession stand which opens at 11:00 a.m. daily! The hiking trail is listed as 1.5 miles and then merges with a state trail.

Fantastic park that's a bit hidden which makes it less busy. Large playground area, many benches…read morefor picnics, walking/biking trail and baseball fields. Lots of parking too. We are glad that we found this park that is close to us!

Lots to do at Staring Lake. There's also three unique entrances with their own parking lots, one at…read morethe south end, one at the north end, and one on the west side. Depending on where you enter from, you can enjoy different activities. The south entrance has a very extensive playground, as well as basketball courts, bocce ball courts, a volleyball court, and disc golf. There's lots of benches and tables to sit at or eat at, as well as a full amphitheater. There is a building with indoor restrooms (well kept), a water fountain and water bottle refill station, and a couple of rentable rooms and a rentable gazebo with BBQs, as well as an office (though that was closed when I was there midday on a Monday). There's plenty of parking spaces at this entrance. The north entrance has a smaller playground as well as a garden, a couple of cabins that serve as a place for community events, a firepit, canoe rentals, a pier, a red tail hawk enclosure, an observation station (for their stargazing activities), a minimal wildlife blind, and a nature trail. There is limited parking at this entrance. The west entrance was lamest by far. It had a sizeable parking lot, but the only amenities were a port-a-potty, a pier, and access to the paved trail that goes all the way around Staring Lake. Speaking of the trail, which is what I hiked while exploring here, it is entirely paved and has a line down the middle to delineate directionality. The east side is quite lovely, taking you through shaded secluded-feeling forest; the west side is not as nice, with less shade and a loud road right next to the trail as well as lots of residential housing. Yuck. It also connects with the nearby lake north of it, Purgatory Creek Wildlife Area.

Park and trails are lovely. Unfortunately the fishing pier is surrounded by lily pads, rendering it…read moreimpossible to fish from. My son was very disappointed.

This is a small park situated in downtown Shakopee along highway 101. It connects with the State…read moreTrail along the Mississippi River. There is a little outdoor amphitheater in the center with ample seating where they currently do movie nights on Fridays and Saturdays. Bathrooms are well-lit and clean. There is a water fountain to refill your water bottle as well as a soda pop vending machine. A large picnic area has a roof covering over it. A goodly-sized playground for kids to enjoy is made of wood with physical challenge elements like monkey bars, climbing wall, and balance ropes, as well as lots of swings. It is very charming. The ground consists of old crumbled up rubber tire bits so your kids won't hurt themselves if they fall. There is a parking lot directly beside the playground.

The facility looks to have a lot to offer. It is really clean and well kept. There is a cozy room…read morewith a fireplace where cutling up with a good book would be perfect. I went and attended a buck thorn wreath making class. What fun! I had never done anything like that before. The instructor and volunteers were great. I hope to attend more activities that are offered.

On a misty summer day, we were looking for a place to walk in nature that had a canopy of trees…read moreover the path. This one was perfect. It was about a 2-mile wood-chipped path around a beautiful lake. The entire area was gorgeous and well kept up. Although we didn't have kids with us, we noticed a large, brightly colored playground area that children would love to explore.

Fun way to spend the day! The beach area was currently closed 06/02/2026 but the splash pad and…read morepark were so much fun we did not miss going into the beach area to swim! Plenty of seating and grass areas to sit and have lunch and play all day!

Shhh! Dont go here!…read more You should totally go here. I've been going here for years, including before and during the times of Covid. The swimming beach is rarely crowded. The life guards are legit, like you want them to be. The water is big enough for little kid play and big kid or adult swimming. There's a splash pad! There's a fishing pier! There's a shady place with tables to eat! There are decent bathrooms! And it's free, like parks should be.

Our annual Fourth of July spot! They normally do fireworks July 3rd so it's nice to come here…read morebefore everyone is busy on the fourth. The area is very nice. We get a nice spot by the lake to set up chairs. Bring bug spray because it can get wild with the mosquitos! There's tons of food trucks and booths but the lines were looooong. There's a waterfall that's nice to take pictures at. Parking can be tricky and traffic can be crazy. Stop by for a walk around the lake if you find yourself in the area.

Had some extra time to spare before an event nearby and it was reasonably nice outside (aka,…read moreforties in March lol), so I decided to take a hike around the lake. You won't manage to escape road noise really because it's surrounded on three sides by fairly busy roadways, but still better than nothing! It's not a long walk around, just about forty-five minutes worth at a leisurely pace. The park actually features two paved trails that run parallel to one another, with the outer ring for bicyclists and other wheeled conveyance usage, and on-foot folk on the inner ring. Dogs do need to be on leash. Occasional benches around the lake, and a cute man-made waterfall. There are a couple of gazebos near the parking lot for if you'd like to have a picnic. The bandshell structure was particularly impressive and neat. There are bathrooms built into the back of it, which were even open during off season, so that was highly appreciated. Water fountain was currently turned off though, unsurprisingly. Parking lot seemed a bit small, but perhaps most folks who visit are from the surrounding office buildings on their lunch break.

This lovely park has extensive walking/jogging trails through the lake, marsh and woodlands, plus…read morehigh quality children's play areas, a full water park ( closed for the winter in late August), tennis and pickleball, and fishing docks. I enjoyed an early morning walk along the lake front and marshland with nice late summer flowers and great bird watching.

It was a cute park, more run down than the other parks we visited in the area. It does have a lot…read moreto do and is safe for toddlers and bigger kids!

Minnesota has always impressed me with the effort it puts into its green spaces, parks, trails and…read moreespecially its playgrounds. There are a lot of good ones scattered throughout the Twin Cities, but the Hyland Play Area is operating on a different scale. The first thing that hits you is simply the enormity of it. A landscape photo barely does it justice. This isn't a playground with a couple of oversized structures--it's an entire playscape built around elevation, exploration and seemingly endless ways for kids to disappear upward and reappear somewhere completely different. There are distinct areas that make it approachable for kids of different ages, select water features, and plenty for younger children to explore without making the bigger kids feel like they've outgrown it. But the stars are those towering structures and enormous climbs spread throughout the park. If you've got a kid who needs to "get their zombies out," this ought to do it. A determined child could probably accumulate the equivalent vertical ascent of Minnesota's Eagle Mountain before lunch. What impressed me almost as much as the playground itself was how well the space handles people. There can seemingly be hundreds of kids here and somehow it doesn't feel like hundreds of kids. The scale absorbs everyone. Instead, you get this constant background soundtrack of giggles, playful screams and kids absolutely exhausting themselves. And somebody clearly thought about the adults. There are huge umbrellas providing shade along with benches, tables and places to settle in while the kids go explore. You quickly understand why the crowd is such an interesting mix: stay-at-home parents making a morning of it, grandparents with their grandchildren, friends meeting up with their kids, and even remote workers squeezing in some laptop time while periodically looking up to make sure everyone is still accounted for. It's less "take the kids to the playground for 30 minutes" and more pack some food, bring water and make this the destination. We're only reviewing the play area for now, but based on this alone, Hyland deserves the five stars. It's enormous without feeling chaotic, ambitious without forgetting the little kids, and thoughtfully designed for the adults who inevitably spend half their day here too. Minnesota does parks exceptionally well. This is one of the ones worth going out of your way for.

Hyland Lake Park is one of my favorite places to rent a kayak and fish for bass in the Twin Cities…read more The lake is never too busy and the bass are always biting :) I easily rented a single-person kayak online and walked up to the rental booth to pick up my life jacket and paddle - off I went! There is a nice sandy beach, and other boats available to rent (including paddle boats!) This is a must-stop for your summer itinerary in Minnesota!