Minneapolis Reveals 5 Must-Visit Outdoor Spots This Weekend

Minneapolis hit 91 degrees on Thursday, and the heat isn’t letting up. For anyone looking to escape the concrete, the city’s network of parks, trails, and waterways offers plenty of options, some of them free, others requiring a small fee.

July is peak season for outdoor recreation in the Twin Cities. With schools out and temperatures climbing, demand for paddleboard rentals, bike paths, and shaded picnic spots spikes. This year, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board reports that combined attendance at the Chain of Lakes, Lake Harriet, Lake Calhoun, and Lake of the Isles, hit 1.2 million visits in June alone, up 8 percent from the same period last year.

The Minnehaha Falls Regional Park remains the city’s most-visited natural attraction, drawing an estimated 850,000 people annually. The 53-foot waterfall is running strong after a wet spring, and the limestone bluffs along Minnehaha Creek offer a rare slice of Midwest canyon terrain inside city limits. Parking fills by 10 a.m. on weekends, so arriving early, or taking the Blue Line light rail to the 50th Street station and walking east, is recommended.

Paddle the Mississippi or bike the Grand Rounds

The Mississippi River Gorge, stretching from the Stone Arch Bridge to the Ford Dam, is open for kayaking and canoeing. The National Park Service maintains the river corridor as part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Rentals are available at the Minneapolis Kayak Company near Boom Island Park, $25 per hour for a single kayak, $40 for a tandem. The company reported a 20 percent rise in reservations this July compared to last year, driven in part by the opening of the newly rebuilt Boom Island Pier in May.

For cyclists, the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, a 50-mile loop connecting parks, lakes, and the river, is in good shape after the city paved a 1.7-mile stretch of the Minnehaha Trail in April. The route passes through Theodore Wirth Park in the north, where a new 2.3-mile single-track mountain bike trail opened in June. The trail, built by the Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists group, runs adjacent to the 18-hole disc golf course. Day-use parking is free in the gravel lot off Glenwood Avenue.

Wildlife and quiet spots in the city’s southern wedge

Fort Snelling State Park, located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, charges $7 for a day pass. The park’s 18 miles of hiking trails wind through floodplain forest and prairie restoration areas. Recent construction added a new boardwalk along Pike Island, which reopens July 15 after being closed since May for repairs. Park naturalists are leading free guided walks every Saturday at 10 a.m. through August.

Closer to downtown, the 4.2-mile Greenway bikeway, also known as the Midtown Greenway, runs from the Chain of Lakes to just past Hiawatha Avenue. The Greenway sees an estimated 5,000 riders on a typical summer weekday, according to the Midtown Greenway Coalition. Free bike repair stations are located at the 10th Avenue and Humboldt Avenue intersections.

If you want to fish, paddle, or just sit quietly, the Minneapolis Park Board rents rowboats and canoes at Lake Harriet for $12 per hour. The concession stand at the Lake Harriet bandshell is open daily until 8 p.m., don’t expect gourmet food, but the soft serve and hot dogs are reliably cheap.

The city’s outdoor options are free in most cases, but they’re popular. Show up early, bring water, and expect company.