Lake Elmo Park Reserve - Lake Elmo

Lake Elmo Park Reserve

10th Street, Lake Elmo

Washington County Parks

Lake Elmo Park Reserve has a lot to offer. You could spend an entire day here and then some.  They have picnic areas, 3 playgrounds, a boat launch into Lake Elmo, a fishing pier, a man made filtered and clorinated beach, an equestrian center, two campgrounds (one modern for campers) and miles of walking paths and hiking trails.

It is a county park, so its either $5 for a day pass, or its $25 for an annual pass to any of the county parks. We decided to invest in the annual pass, afterall it'll only take 5 visits to one of the many parks to make it worth it.

This playground is HUGE.  

Its almost like they took 3 different large playgrounds
and made them into 1 giant park. They also have
the small ship you see that is
designed for smaller children.

After playing at the playground for quite some time,
we wandered down one of the many paths that circle
the park reserve. It was a very quiet peaceful walk through
grasslands and trees.  Part of the path takes you down to
the fishing pier and then follows the lake shore
for some time.

While walking the paths we found another smaller playground,
much less people than the main one had and much more quiet.
It had a covered picnic area with dozens of picnic tables,
and a shelter with a bathroom.

This "North" park had a beautiful sitting area. I
absolutely loved the beauty and tranquility of this
space. 

As we continued walking the paths we found another playground.
Both the North and South playgrounds had shelters, ample picnic tables
and plenty of room to run and play.

There was a ton of wildlife, this is a wonderful place for
someone who enjoys spending time
outdoors and in nature.
(Can you spot the deer in the photo above?)

There were plenty of signs to direct you to
each area of the park. As long
as you followed the signs, you weren't
going to find yourself lost. 

This park is great, we spent 4 hours there
and if I had prepared better (more drinks)
I could have spent much more time there.