Absolutely beautiful park. Went jet skiing with my family there and had a great time. They have…read moreplenty of parking and lots of shaded seating to get a break from the sun. The beach part is just gorgeous too. Water is pretty peaceful. On a non windy day like this, it was easy to ride the jet ski around. There was a decent sized separated area to go swimming in, which sd enjoyed. I loved that there was a playground and also a small splash pad nearby. My toddler loved it. Definitely plan to be back some day to explore more of the park, as we were mainly on the water.

Came for a few hours for hiking, which was great! The kids played in the splash pad area for a few…read moreminutes, they almost didn't get to use the splash pad because we couldn't figure out how to get it running, it started going after we started walking away....other than that it is a unique design. The beach was good size but I don't recommend swimming, the water is nasty green and scummy.

Harriet Island is a fabulous place for a picnic, outdoor adventure, or even a music festival…read more I enjoyed attending the Minnesota Yacht Club festival on the island in July 2024. It was clean and well maintained each day.

Should you visit this park? If you're in the twin cities and have a pulse, I'd say yes…read more There's a lot to enjoy, from skyline views, a river pier, some riverbank trees with really cool roots sticking out, and some man made contraptions (primarily for the kids).

Went kayaking here and it was a lovely spot. There's quite a bit of seaweed up towards the…read moreshoreline, but once you get past that, it's quite serene. It was very quiet out on the lake despite how loud the beach area was. They have a huge parking lot, bathrooms, a big playground, plenty of grassy areas for sitting, and a pavilion that you can rent out as well. It's great to have a lake like this right in the neighborhood.

A small, or compact park in Roseville in a built up area. Most of the land around the park is…read moreprivate, everyone has a deck, but there is room for visitor activities. A boat launch, beach, playground but not much in walking paths. There were a few cars parked on a 0 degree winter day as it is just a spot to pull over and kill time. I played around with my radio pre-sets because some streaming channels were gone so I had to scroll around for something else.. tough times in the 21st century.

This lake is part of our daily walking route and we appreciate having the park in walking distance…read morefrom our house. The trails around the lake make for a nice walk and the park is usually well kept. If I recall correctly, I think one inner lap around the lake is about half a mile which is nice because it's short enough that you can choose exactly how much you'd like to walk. Plenty of birds and ducks, along with a playground, bathrooms, benches around the lake, and even a geocache or two.

I play volleyball here occasionally, and it's one of the most beautiful parks in the Twin Cities…read more It has well kept sand volleyball, basketball, and tennis courts. There's also a decent beach located on the lake. There's a ton of parking. Overall this park just has great vibes going on.

Okay, maybe I'm biased because my husband and I had our wedding at the barn at Lake Riley but... I…read morelove this park! Plenty of amenities such as trails, a picnic area, a basketball court, a tennis court, a big playground, grills, etc. The beach is really nice, and there is a lifeguard present. You can drink in the picnic area (not the beach). Makes for a nice afternoon.

This place I have been SOOOO many times! The high dive is so fun and exhilarating…read more... The food is amazing (I recommend SpongeBob popsicle) The water is not polluted because they do not let and speedboats or stuff like that (although you always wonder if something is lurking in the depths....) If you are wearing goggles I recommend looking for the fish under the mini docks, but DO NOT wear them in the deep. It makes everything scaryyyyy~

Great place to enjoy a sunny afternoon. Shady Oak beach is…read morewell maintained and the staff is super helpful and friendly. When my son lost his glasses two lifeguards - Beth and Josh - jumped into action to help retrieve them Thank you!

You can't convince me otherwise that the best part of this park is the zipline near the parking…read morelot. It is just SO FUN, even for adults. This alone is worth stopping by to check out, in my opinion. There's also a Nature Play Area with various features, wood and rock formations for climbing on and playing. Benches and a little library. Gazebo with picnic tables. An observation deck. No toilets or water fountains, unfortunately. During the nicer months there is a port-a-potty, though by November this had been taken away. Beyond all that are a few trails you can take around the lakes nearby. They are picturesque and lovely. You'll see all kinds of trees, and likely some wildlife too! I saw squirrel, deer, and birds on my walk. The trails aren't too long or challenging, though there are some decent elevation changes along the way. The paths are primarily dirt or sandy. A fair number of folks were using it to walk their dogs.

Came here for the first time this morning with my dogs. I wanted a nice trail and new smells for…read morethem. What a great hiking area! Very well maintained. We saw deer, or what I'm sure my dogs thought were weird looking doggies. I'll admit we did get semi lost at one point. Came across a map that I SWORE I had just looked at (Twilight Zone moment) and it turns out I had. Pulled out the GPS on my phone and we had done TWO full circles w/o even knowing it. As we were getting back on track we did hear a deep growl come from the tree area. Like DEEP growl. Had it been night with a full moon and I was in a horror movie, this would be the time I got attacked by a werewolf, therefore I recommend maybe bringing pepper spray along. Luckily it didn't follow us and we made it out alive albeit exhausted and sweaty. I wanted to lay down and have the dogs drag me to the car, but I resisted. I'll definitely come back with pepper spray in hand.

I am transplant from the other side of the river and absolutely love living in this neighborhood…read more Obviously the perks of this park requires a list so here goes: - The old water tower gets opened up during Highland Fest and in the fall for the fall colors. Once you climb the many stairs, you are treated to an amazing open air view of the surrounding area. The planes at the airport look like toys landing and taking off and all the colors just pop if you time it right. When open, it is only on the weekends. - Two golf courses. On the 18 hole, the 15th hole has a sand trap done up like Snoopy (zoom in on link) in honor of Charles Schulz once being a caddy. The 9 hole across the street is much hillier and is that way because a lot of it is the dirt from the construction of I-94 back in the 60's linking the two cities. http://goo.gl/maps/ZnXbz - Cross country skiing. Both course become x-country ski havens in the winter with even one of the courses having trails groomed. There is also a sliding hill by the water tower which gets packed after a fresh snowfall. - The Pavilion (and many other shelters) can be rented for picnics. Many a fine Booyah's, a fine upper midwestern treat that you need to have once in your life, are served here by neighborhood groups doing fund raisers. Bring a tupperware container to bring some home if you'd like. People will be there with empty ice cream bucket containers for the good ones. - The swimming pool. St. Paul has a few pools now that utilize sphagnum moss as a major cleaning process. Amazing water and you don't come out smelling like a chlorine factory with your hair turning a different color or your eyes burnt red. It's fantastic. - Frisbee course. While I don't understand the layout, many people do and it is always getting used. - Just walk around in the park or on the paths. Towering oaks, deer, fox, willow trees, hills and hidden stairs. This is really an old park and a gem in the city. Even the playground equipment has been updated in the last few years.

The pool facilities are excellent at the Highland Park Aquatic Center, and lots of updates since I…read moreenjoyed swimming here as a kid have really made this a very entertaining destination for kids of all ages and adults too, but the way it's run leaves a lot to be desired unfortunately. There was plenty of free parking and lots of shade available on the pool deck, but during the 4+ hours we spent there (2 adults, 3 kids under age 10) I didn't see one adult worker anywhere-just lots of teen life guards and workers. Also, the pool and deck rules are very unclear, sparsely posted and inconsistently enforced, so we found ourselves breaking all kinds of secret, nonsensical rules only the lifeguards seemed to know about (and we definitely weren't alone). Then, when asked to clarify how what we were doing was wrong, we could never get a clear answer and the lifeguards were often rude and dismissive. We were also given contradictory information from 3 different lifeguards about the same rule! We figured things out for ourselves quick enough and learned which lifeguards really could be consistent, so in the end we had a really good time, just be aware when you go that it's on you to figure it all out, not many of the staff will be helpful (even in matters of safety) at all. Lastly, the admission cost is a little steep ($6 per adult, $5 per kid under 48" tall), and even though they give a little break to families, it's not like you're getting all that much bang for your buck. Also be aware that no outside food or drinks are technically allowed--which I understand to a point, but this is also not listed online or posted officially anywhere on site which is annoying and inconvenient, especially since the concessions are mainly very overpriced junk food. So it would be nice if they offered some healthy alternatives like fruits and veggies rather than more processed, packaged, sugary junk for sale. If that's not possible then just let us bring at least those things with us? With little kids it's not easy to drag them out of the pool, back to the car for a healthy snack--which we ultimately did only to be harassed exiting AND re-entering by the overly enthusiastic little "teen bouncer" at the front gate even though re-admission is permitted as long as you're wearing your wristband. Like I said earlier though; ALL the rules at this facility and how they're communicated and enforced are very inconsistent to say the least! We resolved that if we return we'll just smuggle our own snacks in since they that's what we observed most people doing anyways! The bottom line: you can have a great time in the pool and the facilities have a lot to offer people of all ages if you take some of these tips to heart, learn how to work the ill-managed "system" of rules and their teen army of enforcers, advocate (and think) for yourself a little, and just basically ignore the incredible inconsistency that truly rules here!