There is an area in Minnesota
where you can go to access an abundance of quality lakes for swimming, fishing,
and boating. Biking and walking trails abound in the area. Lodging is readily
available there, along with all the modern conveniences desired by even the
least outdoorsy person. Things to do, both outdoors and in, are plentiful.
The place of which we speak, is
of course, the Twin Cities Metropolitan area. If you live within the limits of
either Minneapolis or St. Paul, there are easily one hundred lakes within an
hour’s drive; most of them are within twenty minutes. The same is generally
true for the surrounding suburbs. While the classic lakeshore dream is of the
cabin on the lake in the woods up north, it is worth spending a few moments
recognizing the incredible value in lakes and shore land that Twin Cities
dwellers have right at their doorsteps.
Much of the shoreline of the
suburban lakes is taken up by private homeowners who own their own slice of the
lakeshore dream. The majority of those same lakes also offer access to everyone
else through at least one park containing some public shoreline. In fact, it is
a rare body of water in the Twin Cities metro that fails to offer a public
swimming beach, a boat ramp and a playground. Completely private and exclusive
lakes are out there, but you have to look hard to find them. And in spite of
the houses, most of the area lakes also include stretches of protected wetlands
and small-forested patches that offer some views that are devoid of
civilization.
The big lakes typically get the
most attention: Minnetonka, White Bear and to a lesser extent, Forest Lake and
Prior Lake. The fishing is good, the boat ramps and beaches are plentiful, and
these larger lakes also offer commercial enterprises on the water: boat rental
shops, restaurants and so on. Even so, there is a veritable plethora of lesser
known waters in the Metro, lakes in the sixty to one hundred and fifty acre
range where the water is just as clear, the beaches exactly as sandy and, if
possible, the fishing is slightly better. Snail Lake in Shoreview, Long Lake in
New Brighton, Bush Lake in Bloomington and Fish Lake in Maple Grove are just
four out of dozens of possibilities.
Within the city limits of both
Minneapolis and St. Paul, the situation is slightly different. There are of
course, no wild stretches along the perimeters of the city lakes. However, the
entire shoreline of many key lakes in both cities is owned by the public, and
has, in several notable cases, been developed into one of the most remarkable
urban park networks in the country.
St. Paul has Como Lake, which is,
of course, the crowning glory of Como Park. In addition, Phalen is completely
surrounded by public land, and is graced with walking trails, a boat ramp, a
beach and a golf course. Not only that, but it is possible in normal summertime
conditions to navigate by canoe from Phalen up to Kelller and from there
through little Spoon Lake into Gervais and then Kohlman. It makes a pleasant
half-day paddle, particularly the stretch between Phalen and Keller, in which a
tree-shadowed creek winds it way alongside a paved walking/bike path.
The jewels of the urban lakes,
however, are in Minneapolis. More than one hundred years ago, the city leaders
of Minneapolis heeded some good advice from Fredrick Olmstead (the planner
behind Central Park in New York), and bought up the land surrounding several
key bodies of water within the city limits. These included Cedar Lake, Lake of
the Isles, Calhoun, Harriet and Nokomis. Over the next several decades, the
Minneapolis park system was developed with attention to the lakes and green
spaces around them. In 1996, one writer called the system “the best-located, best-financed, best-designed,
best maintained public open space in America.” There is certainly some evidence
to support such claims. Within the system are 53 miles of interconnected
parkways, bike trails, walking trails, green spaces and lakes.
It is possible to take a canoe
from lake Calhoun, through Lake of the Isles, on into Cedar Lake and finally
finish up at Brownie Lake. The skyline view accompanying the quiet paddle is
something unique in the state. Skyscrapers or not, fish thrive in these lakes,
as the many shoreline fishermen know. Those fishing from boats may be
under-represented in these waters, particularly in Lake of the Isles and Cedar
Lake, which have canoe put-ins, but no boat ramps. Both Calhoun and Harriet
boast beaches, and offer plenty of room for boats to roam. All of the lakes
mentioned here offer walking paths and bike paths that encircle the entire
lake.
Each lake in the Minneapolis
chain has its own unique character. Harriet is a family and group sort of
place, with its band shell, summer concerts and playground. Calhoun is also
fast paced, with an almost festival-like atmosphere on warm summer days. Lake
of the Isles and Cedar Lake offer quieter, more tranquil experiences.
Maybe now
is a time when you are thinking more about staying at home than you are about
taking an up-north vacation. If so, maybe you might enjoy a taste of the city
life, on the lake.
