LONE LAKE PARK
Minnetonka, MN
What to expect?
- Big parking lot and indoor toilets + water fountains next to playground (there’s a “Lone Lake” sign right on Shady Oak Road so you can’t miss the entrance)
- Wood chip footing on playgrounds, rocks to climb, many grassy hills (think: winter sledding?)
- Paved bike path that heads through the woods
- Dirt walking path down by the water (an easy one-mile trek for little legs with a nice view of Lone Lake…and ducks and frogs and turtles)
- A big playground for older kids and a very small one for toddlers + a variety of swings
- Full-court basketball across the parking lot and tennis courts and soccer fields are up the large paved driving hill.
- Two picnic pavilions over by the grassy open are and water. Otherwise, just benches.
- Under-a-mile drive to Shady Oak Beach ($6/person).
- Rarely a busy play area, but we’ve noticed there’s a van of special needs teens who come here with their group around 10 or 11am and stay about 30 minutes. They are very sweet, but that makes it busier, obviously.
- Also, they are supposedly putting in pickle ball courts. I hear that’s all the rage in Florida 🙂
- TIP:Â Treat your kids (who am I kidding…yourSELF!) to a stop at YoYo Donuts less than two minutes from the park. Nothing like running off a good old fashioned sugar high! Also in the same strip of shops is PoppedCorn, a unique and delightful popcorn shop.
What to bring?
- Snacks/a lunch to picnic (and probably a blanket)
- Tennis racquets or basketballs or soccer balls
- Bikes if manageable. We loved the short, but pretty, bike path when we went!
- Tennis shoes. The dirt path is rocky and there are some steps that wouldn’t be the safest in flip-flops.
- Beach gear if you want to head next door to Shady Oak Beach ($6/person)
Open 7 days a week from 6am – 10pm
Want more parks?
Find the rest of the parks in our Park Series by using this map:
Have a park you want to suggest? Send me an email.