Amazing park in the middle of Lakeville. Plenty of parking, large baseball and soccer facilities…read moreand an accesible playground are found here. But what really makes this location stand out from other city parks in the area is the free 9-hole mini golf course. How cool is that!? What a great idea by the Lakeville Lions and the city to build into the park plan. My family loves mini golf but it can get $$$. Now we just need to invest in some clubs and balls (thanks Goodwill) and we're ready to go! The course isn't too challenging but includes a couple neatly designed holes. For free, I'm not complaining one bit, the experience fits the bill! The course is well maintained throughout the year and makes for a fun outdoor activity with family and friends. We have acquired a large set of putters over the last couple of years, so that no matter our group size, everyone can play. I'm grateful we have this type of recreation opportunity in our parks system!

Great park with really nice scenic walking routes. Great little bridge to over the water. Very…read moreclean and lots of parking. Definitely a beautiful spot to visit.

A fantastic little 1.1mi loop around a lake in Eagan. This park also features an impressively sized…read moregazebo with picnic tables, fire pit, restrooms (seasonal), grills, trash/recycling, and even concrete cornhole. There is a children's playground as well with a wide variety of features like swings, climbing walls/ropes, diggers, slides, spinners, and more-- you and/or your kiddos are gonna have lots of fun here. The playground is on gravel. There's also a volleyball court with sand, and lots of open grassy space to kick or throw about a ball. Seriously excellent amenities. The trail has inconsistent surfaces-- some of it is paved, other parts are dirt and gravel. Just something to be aware of (it wouldn't work well for skateboarding or rollerblading, for example). There are a couple docks you can fish off of or just sight-see from. A wooden bridge across the lake makes for excellent photographs. There is also a boat ramp (walk to, not drive to). The parking lot is pretty large with many spaces.

I was in the area the other day and decided to take advantage of the nice spring weather. I wasn't…read moreexpecting a $7 day fee to enter, but I decided to consider it a donation to the parks system, fed it my debit card and got a ticket to put on my dash. There were three parking lots to choose from, but I drove all the way down to the third and last one by the park office and playground. Decided to do the approximately six mile loop on the dirt path trails (also used for skiing when there's snow on the ground). It was nice hiking through the various groupings of pine trees. I could still hear the freeway noise, but it was mostly in the background. The prettiest part was definitely at the beginning beside the lake though (but perhaps in other seasons, like fall, it might be even prettier). Some mild elevation change, nothing too challenging by any means. There was also the option to walk on a paved path with many benches if you do need something less strenuous or you aren't hiking. The playground was really cute with relatively new equipment. Lots of climbing options, slides, and one large swing (very comfy to lean back in and admire the lake). There were picnic tables around along with barbecues and trash/recycling bins. There's a dock for fishing off of, and another (at the second parking lot) for canoe/kayak launching (which I'll have to come back and try when I have some free time this summer). There were two port-a-potties available for when the park office isn't open. The park office has many a toilet, all singletons so non-gendered, which was lovely. They were clean and well-stocked. The park office didn't have much going for it from what I could glean, but there was space in the lobby to sit and relax if desired, as well as a large backroom that seemed like it was probably for classes and such. It wasn't very busy while I was there; likely because the weather was predicting a storm, but I lucked out and it never came the two hours I was there. I came across a couple that had their dogs off leash, which the park rules state you're supposed to keep your dogs leashed... People, man.

A beauty hidden gem in the southeast metro that I would recommend if you are looking for a close to…read morehome walk/bike with some varied terrain. We hiked this the first week of March and we both wish we would have worn spikes or brought poles- if you get off the main trail, there is some really great up and down. I did not have my cross country skis with me but the trails looked amazing and are groomed for both skate and classic! Highly recommend if you need to get outdoors and want some up and down!

HIDDEN GEM IN THE CITY…read more I've lived on this parkway for 3 years now and I don't think I've shut up about how amazing Theo Wirth is since! The City Chain of Lakes get all the hype, but you know what's even closer to downtown, in the heart of the city, with: a lake xc ski trails fat bike / mountain bike trails endless walking paths beach with volleyball courts public golf course and so much more?! Yeah, that's right - my neighborhood park! You can do about every outdoor activity you can think of here. Plus, the Trailhead is the main hub for all of it, with a restaurant, tons of indoor seating, gear rentals year-round, and an amazing nature space in the heart of the city. This is the perfect park to embrace any season in Minne!

Come out and visit the Trail Head at Theodore Wirth!…read more It has a fantastic community space and outdoor recreation center. Totally makes winter in Minnesota even better. I'm new to discovering The Trailhead at Theodore Wirth Regional Park, but believe me when I say I'll be back many more time. In the winter, they offer cross-country skiing and lessons. (You can rent a full set of gear for about $30- no need to have your own to experience skiing! They also have à la carte options for cheaper if you only need poles or boots, etc.) Besides skiing, outdoor winter activities also include snow tubing, snowboarding, snowshoeing.... You name it. (I haven't been in fall or summer yet, but I also hear great things about their mountain biking and trail running options.) Inside The Trailhead, there's food and drink concessions, ample seating, lockers, bathrooms, and even rooms for rent. The last time I was there, a family was hosting a young child's birthday party in the multi-purpose room. Altogether, there is an amazing assortment of services here to come and check out. Can't wait for next ski season!

I'm going to have to return to this park again when I have a bit more time to explore. I stopped by…read morefor a quick hike and was a bit stymied when my GPS took me an unnecessary two miles over to the west entrance (past the unrelated marina) when I'd been intending to use the east one. The west entrance has a good-sized free parking lot nearby the gazebo. This structure has picnic tables, fire pit, water fountain, and restrooms (however, the latter two are seasonal... in November the fountain was shut off and the restrooms were locked, which kind of sucked for me who was in need of both... thus why I made my stay somewhat short). The trails for the most part are all paved, unless you take the unofficial ones beaten down along the riverway (which seem to be most utilized by fishers from what I could glean). So that's great for bicyclists or people pushing baby strollers or rollerbladers, but wasn't exactly the vibe I was looking for. Depends on what your desires are recreationally. There was one lake area under restoration that was therefore inaccessible for now; always nice to see when resources are being invested to keep our parks nice. Lots of trees, plenty of shade, even when most of the trees have lost their leaves in preparation for winter. I think I'll come back when some snow has fallen, because I'm sure it would probably be quite gorgeous.

Love this park! Beautiful sand trails by the river and also paved trails. Highly recommend checking…read moreit out. There are many places to park along the road, but I love the parking lot by the picnic shelter, too!

A popular park with an emphasis on nature, meaning they haven't cut every tree in site and crew cut…read morethe grass. Plenty for us tree huggers to appreciate with some winding trails. Great views along the bluff and then we realize this park area just keeps going. There is modern 'Gathering Area' for indoor events and room outdoors for your 250 guest outdoor wedding pending Minnesota's rapidly changing weather. Bikers follow a trail from Hastings and then head south, we hikers can hike till we near drop.

Loved this park! We visited on a beautiful sunny mild winter Feb morning. The path is paved so easy…read moreto walk. It follows the river with some stunning bridge views over ravines. We saw several hawks and bald eagles. It looked like they had some non-paved trails that were marked for cross country skiing which I assume would be available for walking in the summer. Will definitely be back!

Dropped by because my husband and I are planning to buy a home soon, and any place we live needs to…read morebe nearby a public park. I had a lot of fun while I was here! There is more than one entrance/parking lot where you can park; I entered from Upper Afton Road in the Pavilion Area and hiked through that area as well as the Eastern Trails area sound of that. Total time spent was two and a half hours just enjoying the trails and scenery and exploring about, and I didn't even check out the Bluff Corridor or Winthrop Recreation areas! The playground is most certainly an A+ feature of the park. The slides are tall enough to even give an adult a thrill going down, haha. There's also a fun zipline and some natural climbing poles as well that are fun. If that's not enough, there's even a waterpark! (Obviously the waterpark is seasonal June to August, so it wasn't open while I was there, but still so neat!) The pavilion is quite large, a bandshell-esque structure with plenty of picnic tables and shade, with trash cans and recycling and bathrooms available (toilets are also seasonal, but there were plenty of port-a-potties scattered about so you could relieve yourself). I was also delighted by the small pollinator/gardening area, which also featured a free little library. The trails are well maintained and primarily paved for multi-use. There were some dirt paths you could choose to take in the Eastern Trails area, which I did. Many of them offer additional elevation change to increase your challenge rating, if desired. c: I appreciated the frequent and easily legible trail marker signs at each intersection; I was never at risk of getting lost! All in all, a large peaceful place to enjoy nature.

I've been a couple times to walk the 2 mile paved loop this summer and the views are stunning. So…read moreexcited this park is so close by.

He Said: Great place for a solo hike, group hike, or…read moreeducational stroll with the family. The Center is right next to 394, but it would not know it, since the Center is very serene. The building is new and clean. There are many cool outside and inside things to do. Check it out. Pros: - Free - Near Minneapolis - Several things to do Cons: - NA

This place is a literal hidden gem…read more Went for a birthday party. It is clean and well kept. As it is smaller than Como, I thought it was super lovely. It was raining and couldn't explore everything but I will be back.