I am not from around and already a huge fan of this trail. I am visiting friends for a weekend and this is right opposite to where they live. On the first glance you'l know right away that this is a huge forest reserve. This one had a very big bike trail(I was told something around 15 miles), Ofcourse shared by people who is here for a run/hike/walk/picnic etc. Guessing by the signs, looks like there are few spots where you can actually ski. Consists of multiple loops/small trails if you want to walk or hike, both paved and unpaved. I've also located few picnic spots and the scenery at places is quiet refreshing and amazing. A very pleasant get away from the everyday noise, surprisingly you won't even hear any traffic once you are inside(depends how far you are away from the road). The main trail splits into small loops, you'll be fine if you can keep track of these. There's also a dog park as well multiple parking spots across the way based on which side of the trail you are accessing it(I used the one at intersection of Territorial and Fernbrook). read more

See all

Love this place! Tubing, snowboarding, skiing, cross country skiing! We did the snow tubing and they had 10 nicely groomed lanes and even at max capacity there was not that long of a wait. Easy to go online and reserve your two hour time slot which is plenty of time. Staff was friendly and helped give a push to start off if needed. read more

See all

Love coming to this park! Lots of trails, there is a huge beach and a wonderful park as well! read more

See all

Still one of my favorite winter places to go. They make man made snow so you can go all winter long from Dec-March. They have free parking lot and prices for rentals and just a day pass is fairly cheap compared to other places. You can snowshoe, snowboard, cross-country skiing, downhill, ski, and snow tube here. They have a magic carpet lift that brings you up to the top of the hill. It's usually a lot less crowded than other locations so you get to spend more time going up and down the hill. read more

See all

A grand get away. From the rigors of the city...winter, spring, summer and colorful autumn.

Love the variety offered in this park. Wonderful place for on leash dog walking. (There is a dog park too, but we haven't tried that.) Many options for hiking from a short trek with easy terrain lasting about 1.9 miles to longer trails more like 5 miles. Plentiful parking near most of the trails, historical sites, a mountain bike path, horses trails, and thousands of acres to play. Definitely worth a visit! read more

See all

Looks like a park with everything, except the snow was so deep the hiking trails were closed for skiers. I still found an area to hike along the road to cleared trail. There are multiple places to park and a host of winter activities such as tubing which elicits screams heard throughout the park. read more

Elm Creek Park Reserve - Dog Parks Near Me - Maple Grove, Minnesota

See all

Offering 4,900 acres, Elm Creek is the largest park in the Three Rivers Park District. It is a free park to enter (some things do have a nominal fee/pass/permit, as snow tubing, x-country skiing, snowmobiling, horseback riding, swimming pond pass, etc). We bike here since the trails are scenic and we can relax along the way or have a snack under a friendly tree on a picnic table. read more

See all

Elm Creek Park Reserve is a great getaway for folks from Maple Grove or any surrounding community. With easy parking and ample area to explore this place was a gem for new residents to Minnesota. With friends visiting from California who love the outdoors we used the opportunity to check out the area we now call home. With three little kids parking is key and there is easy parking available to families. The main center is helpful to understand the greater area, has a nature walk, animals native to the area and a library as well as conference rooms. It is a great place to have a kids party and the staff is so helpful and kind. We had a picnic at the car and then checked out the center and found out we could explore any of the clearly marked loop trails so we headed out for a snow hike. They rent snowshoes for those interested but we felt comfortable in boots. The area has sledding, trails and so many activities I highly encourage folks to come visit. You will see why Maple Grove is growing so quickly! read more

We don't get out this way that often, but since we were driving through we decided to stop and let our little guy get out and run around. We didn't know the playground was that far into the park, but eventually found it. On Mother's Day it was packed with people picnicking and playing on the cool playground structure. There are a ton of cool things to play on. Slides Sandbox Hammock Cargo nets Ladybugs, bumblebees and so much more. Our son loved it and loved running down the colored matted hills and climbing around the smaller kid area. Really a wonderful, fun and interactive playground. Not sure we would make the trek back, but will definitely stop on the way in or out of town. Bathrooms had a super long line, only to realize it's like a icky port a john in the floor. Oh well I guess all the funds went to the playground equipment. Lots and lots of tables, picnic tables in the sun and shade. Nice paths for biking and walking etc. read more

See all

This park is amazing! They have a great amount of parking which makes life easy, and it's free. And there is multiple places for parking depending where you are in the park. The trials are great here. They are well paved and are great length. When I was here last time I walked a total of 8 miles on the trails! The views can be beautiful and the nature is great to walk around in. The paths can be for walking and biking. They have some nature centers and have many different programs associated with them. They also have disc golf and mountain biking trails as well as a place for archery. There is many things to do here so every time you come, you will never be bored. If you haven't come here before, definitely come check it out, on a beautiful day, this is a great place to be! read more

Elm Creek Park Reserve - Dog Parks Near Me - Maple Grove, Minnesota

See all

A great little get away for those surrounding cities. It has everything has a little if everything for everyone. Cross county skiing; down hill skiing, snowboarding, tubing, trails to hike and a awesome bike trail! Trails and their buildings are well maintained. You can also reserve a shelter for any get together. Perfect for a formal get together or a more causal get together. We've had family get together and just causal volleyball games there too. Great for any activity year round. read more

This HUGE park has everything. Click on the link for the Three Rivers Park District and you can see all its amenities. I have used the mountain bike trail the most. It is challenging, but not as technical as Theo Worth trails. Even if the mountain bike parking lot is packed and over flowing, don't let that stop you because you still might see only two people on your entire ride. If the trail is closed because it is too wet (check the morcmtb.org site to be sure) the trail is fun to run. If you like a paved path for running, walking or biking there are 20 miles of trails. Not too many maps though. Bring someone familiar with the park or a phone with GPS. Just saying... bread crumbs might not work. Beautiful scenery! read more

OK, a very large open park in the middle of a metro area. Very good swimming beach and a nice large area in the winter for tubing and sledding. Nice area to get out and walk, run or bike. Lots of trails and I mean lots. Biking through this park is a cluster though. I have ventured out this way many times now and have never seen such a large area that is so poorly marked with signs. I came across 1 of 2 maps while riding. Both of the maps used the surrounding roads as markers. Hello, your in a forest, does a road, miles away, really help you when you have no idea of where it, or you are. One of the two signed was hung upside down. The little arrow that said "you are here" made no sense until I figured out the sign was upside down and everything was backwards (You work in a park and you can't figure out how to hang a sign! Money on the college degree was not well spent)! Many of the paths here are very poorly marked, no markers or any kind to help you find your way. Thank god for GPS or I would still be riding around. Overall if you live in the area it is a good way to get out and enjoy the outdoors. If you want to get rid of someone for a while though simply send them out for a ride. Want them back? I would recommend a big bag of bread crumbs! KT read more

Their winter activities area is top notch. I took 4 kids there on a Saturday at about 2 pm. It was busy but still tons of fun. We bought a 10 use pass for tubing that costs $120. That's slightly cheaper than $15/person for individual passes. The 10 use pass is good for 2 years. The tubing area has well-groomed hills with snow they make there. The tubes are in good condition and give you a swift, smooth ride to the bottom. There's a moving sidewalk to bring you up to the top again. Wait times were such that it takes about 15 mins to wait in line, slide down and then come back up to get in line again. Not terrible considering the 2 hr lift tickets you're getting. Their parking situation is a little rough. There's a lot immediately adjacent and 2 smaller across the street. They were all jam packed. The only alternative is a shuttle from a farther lot that takes about 15-20 mins to ride. read more

A great park that has a something for everyone. It has one of the best mountain bike trails in the cities. There are several loops, but you can go over 10 miles without going over the same trail twice. They also have a nice paved trail for those who are less adventurous, that is probably close to 10 miles as well. The disc golf course is great with enough open and wooded holes that there is something for all skill levels. It costs a few bucks but is definitely worth it. I'm not a huge fan of its xc skiing trails because I suck at xc skiing and there are a few hills that I think are too steep for a beginner that cannot be avoided. read more

Went to visit this park after spotting online. Super clean grounds and swim pond. Staff was friendly and welcoming, finished our visit with a trip to the park area, so fun! My 5 and 7 yr old loved it, such a variety of equipment for all ages. Will be returning! read more

Elm Creek Park Reserve - Dog Parks Near Me - Maple Grove, Minnesota

We started renting our house there about 1.5 years ago now with our three small children. Our oldest is 3.5 years old now and he loves the park and we were so happy to find the park here. It is amazing! compare it to chutes and ladders in Bloomington, not as large and no water playground area but still really nice for the kids. They have an area for younger kids and an area for the older kids who are more adventurous. you can tell it is newer and very clean. They also have a man made lake and beach within walking distance. Plenty of space and great that it is so nearby us. We have used the biking trails to get there, which are amazing and extend for miles and miles so you can definitely get a great ride in. Like any other park, they have grills and tables for a good BBQ with good friends and family if you are looking for an outdoor area to hang out and eat I would definitely recommend the park here. There is also a pavilion that you can rent out, I had looked into it for my son's birthday last year, ended up doing something different but would use it if we ever planned an event at the park, read more

I would like to begin my very long complaint with the fact that the workers here have a terrible attitude and treat customers with ZERO respect and after they would not sell us tickets to go tubing they stared us down through the window while we were doing nothing but checking out the view. not to bring race to it or anything but we are latino and it fills me with disgust. on a side note the worker behind the bar was very friendly and he was very helpful. update: we went back on wednesday and the workers fat shamed us when we were going down the hill read more

1. Haven't had any issues find parking and it's free. 2. Huge biking trail that's about 15 miles if you go the large loop around. There's a smaller trail that's about 4 miles you can walk also. 3. You can play frisbee golf here, bike, ride your horse, skate, bring your dog, so so much to do. You don't pay to access the area, but you may have to pay for some activities. 4. Nice mix of shaded areas and areas exposed to sun. Really pretty views of trees and lakes. You feel like you aren't surrounded by a city. Would be a good place to take family/graduation/wedding pics. read more

For a $17 ski pass we definitely got our moneys worth. The food prices are reasonable too. All around a great experience for beginner skiers read more

Elm Creek Park Reserve - Beautiful setting...not too crowded either - Dog Parks Near Me - Maple Grove, Minnesota

Awesome dog park but a few not so mindful parents had their toddlers in the dog pond?... It deterred us and other dog parents from even letting our dogs swim & be off leash because we didn't want them to possibly knock down Karen's kids. Their are a million places for children to go swim, please save this one for the pups. I really wish they had a rule in place for this. Other than that I can see us making the drive out there frequently. The trails were awesome and our puppy loved it. read more

***This review pertains to their dog park. *** Our pup hasn't had the opportunity to roam off-leash in several weeks, so my girlfriend and I decided to head north to check out Elm Creek Park Reserve's nearly 30-acre dog park. 30 acres, huh? Well, it most certainly doesn't feel like it. For starters, there are only three trails - left, right, and middle - and they all eventually converge together. There's a couple ponds, several small short hills, and part of a trail with looming trees, and that's about it. The defined dirt trails seem to not take advantage of the entire 30 acres. In other words, the trails don't really span the entire dog park. Kind of a let-down. Other helpful information: -The dog park requires all attendees to pay five dollars, by putting cash or check into an envelope at the entrance. -You'll also have to write your name and license plate information on it. It's by honor system. Nonetheless, you should support. ;0 -An area for small dogs exists, but it's somewhat dull. -Parking is not an issue. -Don't use the GPS, rather, while on Highway 610, take the Zachary Lane exit and head north until it intersects with Elm Creek Road. (It'll be several miles, and you'll pass several neighborhoods.) It should be on your right. It's a decent dog park if you live close by, but I would favor several others over this one. read more

I have lived near this park reserve my entire life thus far. I only began to take advantage of it within the past 18 months on a regular basis. The park is very accessible from Maple Grove, Dayton, Rogers, Champlin and Osseo. There are plenty of miles of paved and unpaved trails for hikers, walkers, cyclists, horseback riders, snowshoers, skiers, and anyone else looking for a nature excursion. I personally love biking around the entire park at dawn or dusk. You will be certain to see wildlife. There is a large deer population. I have been able to zoom right by some deer grazing 7 feet from the path. They seem to be more domesticated than deer in the north woods. I have had the enjoyment of seeing some raptors in the skies or scoping out the lakes for some prey. There are plenty of opportunities in the park during the winter time as well. I have been able to go on a few jaunts through the woods. There are marked skiing trails and snowshoeing trails. A big draw to this park in the winter is the large tubing hill. The nature center would be worth checking out during a visit to the reserve. The park has plenty of amenities. There are a few portable restrooms within the park. I have yet to find a drinking fountain along the north loop of the park, but near the recreation areas, there are plenty. The man-made lake and beach is a great place to swim. There are many picnic areas, a park, a disc golf course, and a large banquet center. I could easily spend an entire day exploring and enjoying Elm Creek Park Reserve. read more

I love this park! It's a sanctuary and escape and a good reminder that there are still wide open spaces in the metro/suburban area in the Twin Cities. My favorite area of the Three Rivers Elm Creek Parks is the Elm Creek dog park. One of the biggest off leash fenced in dog parks in the Twin Cities, this 29 acres of land will give both you and your furry friend a wonderful time exercising and socializing with other furry friends. It's pretty safe and social. Other park goers are usually very responsible with there dogs too. With rolling hills and open areas, it's a great place to spend time socializing your pet. read more

I ride these trails most of the year. They keep them clean and well maintained. It is a very nice park to ride in and offers some secludedness to it. There are some rides where I will only pass one person on the trails. It's a very peaceful park reserve. The wildlife there have included deer, coyote, ground squirrels, snakes, turtles, egrets, pheasents and turkeys. Depending on which bridge you cross, you might get a glance at the fish in the many creeks as well. There is one thing they could improve upon however. When the snow starts flying they don't clean off the trails. They also leave the snow on the trails until it naturally melts. As a bike rider, I can't ride in that. I know it's mainly for the cross country skiiers, however they should at least keep the part of the regional trail that goes through the park clean during winter for those that commute. read more

It's nice to be trail connected to ECPR. Straight off my backyard, I have about a 1.5 mile ride or walk to get there. I typically take my bike out for a lap around the outside of the park, which is about a 16-mile loop depending on which little offshoot trails you take when in the park. The trails are well-maintained, but often too congested with flocks of arrogant Lance Armstrong type geared out geeks all wearing the same spandex outfits and generally being road hogs with no respect for their self-imposed bike etiquette. Then you have the slow walkers that travel 4 abreast and block the whole effing trail and never move the right direction or fast enough when you call out "on your left", as one is supposed to do when obeying trail/biker v. walker etiquette. Now I remember why I avoid riding around ECPR so much--the maddening frustration of dealing with all of these dawdling a-holes! There is also a disc golf course that I have only hit up once. It was a decent course, but price was a little steep in my mind at $10 a head. I have only biked around the man-made sand bottom pond/pool/swimming hole. It looks cool, but I can just see it overcrowded with soccer moms and screaming kids. Not my bag, baby. read more

Part of this review has nothing to do with Elm Creek and everything to do with my delight as a recent transplant to the Twin Cities. I absolutely LOVE the fact that there is still lots of fun to be had, even in the dead of winter. Thus, I embrace the cold, don my warmest gear, and fight for my winter social life. Now, onto my review: Elm Creek Park Reserve is the epitome of winter awesome. I have discovered my inner snowboarder (I watch while on the tubing hills and tell myself that I WILL work up the courage to do it someday. The Park is crazy busy on warm weekends, but the facility is always clean and orderly, the prices are reasonable, I appreciate the shuttle and overflow parking and the staff are just the best at giving pushes to get me started down the icy hills and celebrating my triumphs at the bottom. And the moving sidewalk that takes riders back up to the top?? Fabulous. I know that tubing may be primarily a childhood activity (I'm surrounded by little kids whenever I go), but I. Don't. Care. My inner child is getting giddy just writing this review. Elm Creek Park Reserve makes me happy... read more

I am only going to write about the dog park area of this park reserve, because it's the area I am most likely to frequent. This is my favorite off-leash dog park in the metro area. It's huge, something like 20 acres of "fenced in" land. I use the term "fenced in" loosely. The fences are not trustworthy - so if you can't trust your dog to stick by you while you are at the park - do not trust the fences to keep them in. There is a separate fenced in area with a man-made pond for the dogs that is great. It does tend to be a bit mud pit at times, but my dogs don't seem to mind.. :) There are great walking paths and nice big open areas for the dogs to run...I love this park! read more

How is this rated anything but 5 stars lol. Its a giant nature reserve with endless trails for biking/walking/running, it has a beach/swimming area, you can sled there in the winter. Its also well kept. What are your complaints exactly? Lol weirdos read more

Some place are just worth raving about. This place has it all. Streams, wooded area, grass field, lake views, and a NATURE CENTER. Gosh, why can't all parks be like this? First off, there's a lot of hiking trails that go in a loop and go as short as like.. 3/4 mile so if you need to get out and get some exercise, drive here and find yourself completely immersed in nature. Are you in to that stuff? Do you like the sound of water streaming and birds chirping and dancing trees? It's all here and it's what I call a natural high baby. read more

Elm Creek Park Reserve - Elm Creek Park Reserve - Dog Parks Near Me - Maple Grove, Minnesota

I loved the off leash doc park/ trails. Whomever said they were small probably went to the wrong park since there are two. They have a gated pond if you're up to letting your dog swim and frolic. My dog never listens and loves to wander and for some reasons stuck close and listened here. She loved it! The other dog were great as well as the people. I got in a good walk and had a nice time. If you decide to let your dog wade in the water it is fantastic since it is manmade there is no mud, just sand. So much less of a mess on your pup. She was quite beat once we got home. Mission accomplished! read more

This review is for winter season activities only. Love, love, love this park. Snow tubing here is the most fun I have had anywhere in the metro. Its inexpensive, the tubes are awesome and well kept, the staff is helpful and will give you a good spin down the hill if you so request. There are probably 10 or so lanes, the best, biggest ones on the end will normally have a wait, but the others usually allow you to go straight down the hill with little to no waiting. One of the best things about this particular park for tubing is the moving sidewalk and allows you and your tube an easy ride back up the hill. No shlubbing you and your heavy tube up yourself, or ruining your gloves with a tow rope. That makes it worth every penny if you ask me. Plus, they take Discover Card, big plus for me. Parking can be a beast, but they have overflow and shuttles to get you to/from the chalet with ease. Be patient, sometimes you have to wait a few minutes. If you are lucky enough to find a place in the parking lot, don't be a d-bag and be mindful of how you park. Sometimes it is difficult to drive down the lanes because people park like idiots. This place is always busy, even when it is bitterly cold, so be aware and be patient. You will struggle to find a table in the chalet, you will wait in line for your ticket, you will wait in line to get back up the hill, you will wait in line to go down the big hills. It is worth it though. Normally this is where I would give you a helpful tip, but I think I will have to be selfish in this review and keep the 'inside information' to myself, so I don't ruin my secret to success. They have a lot of other activities too, snowboarding, skiing, cross country skiing, ice skating...just go, you will have fun. read more

I'll probably update this as I make myself more familiar. Its not bad by any means, but Im a park snob. I went snowshoeing here today, because its the closest trail to my house. The last place I went was near Lutsen, so naturally I expected to be disappointed. The trail was decent, but I wanted it to meander a bit off the beaten path. We were too close to the road, and the views of houses and cars reminded you that you weren't really deep in the wilderness. That being said, the cross country ski trails looked pretty awesome. The ski/snowboard area on the opposite side of the park seems like it would be an ideal place to learn how to do either sport. The hill is quite small, and the day pass is $4. All in all, its a decent park and I anticipate I will go back this winter. read more

First, I knocked off a star (yes a one point deduction. Call it restitution for blindly driving around looking for the dog park) is that gps-ing to the dog park will always get you lost. I can't recall if i ever followed the signs successfully, but trying to go by gps will take you to the nature center which is nowhere near the dog park. Oh, and the star is also for all the times someone's big muddy dog jumps on me when I walk by the dog swimming area. I love the dog park tho. It's huge and my dogs who tend to either by shy or over-gregarious can sniff and explore without having to interact with dogs if they don't want to. There's also a little bit of everything. Big open areas to run, swimming, woods. I'm sure my dogs find this place to be like dog valleyfair. I've also used the running trails, which are very nice. I think just once we had a trail that just kinda ended or we could keep running another 10mi (no thanks). Today we ventured out to do some snowshoeing on the nature trails which was a lot of fun too. We had our own, but the nature center also had snowshoes to rent. There's a ton of winter sports things to do making one actually appreciate when it snows. read more

We have gone here a couple times for tubing in the winter. I like it because it's far less crowded than Buck Hill, closer than Wild Mountain, and actually has a decent chalet. Nothing too fancy, but you can get hot food and a place to sit near the fire. Tubing is well organized, and lots of lanes to use. I can't speak to the skiing or snowboarding, but I saw a lot of people doing that as well, so it must be fun. read more

Went to visit this park after spotting online. Super clean grounds and swim pond. Staff was friendly and welcoming, finished our visit with a trip to the park area, so fun! My 5 and 7 yr old loved it, such a variety of equipment for all ages. Will be returning! read more

A bit of a drive for us being in Maple Grove, but this is one of our favorite summer destinations! This park is huge! If you wan't something a park has to offer, this one has it all. Over 20 miles of bike trails, you can ride through the whole Elm Creek Park Reserve experience. They have a disc golf course (which I have yet to play). The swimming area is not free, but a good time for all. It is a cross between a lake and a water park. Near the water, there is a newly remodeled playground that is amazing! The old one was nothing to scoff at, but this one provides activities for kids of all ages. Yes, even into your twenties! Between the playground and the water, there is a huge picnic area with tables and grills. Plenty of room for yard games as well, they even have a volleyball court ready to go. (I have never been to the dog park, but it seems there are other reviews that cover that.) My only issue with this place is that it is often extremely busy! It makes the shortage of bathrooms difficult to handle, especially with kids. Sometimes you have to wait for a table, but I always bring my own grill. That being my complaint, I think this place is pretty cool. I will definitely be back! read more

This sensational park is best used with the whole family. I have grown up seeing the improvements made on this park since the 80's. It is a favorite place in the Twin Cities for a quick respite from city life with miles of bicycle trails. Off road biking in on the north side of the park where it is best to enter for a medium paced challenge. Up hill at first then down hill for the ride home! The play ground is better than any other park in the metro area, unless it is winter. Then you'll have to trek over to the Maple Grove community center:) The Eastman Nature center is a favorite with my grandma and best of all are the cross country ski trails that are well groomed and lit for night riding. read more

Elm Creek Park Reserve - Wild life galore! - Dog Parks Near Me - Maple Grove, Minnesota

This place is just HUGE! Their downhill ski area is amazing. Their tubing hill is unparalleled. Their mega-park has every kind of swing, slide, etc you could imagine. And the shear miles upon miles of paved bike trails. And 200+ deer make their home in the park. read more