Clifton E. French Regional Park

 

 

     
 
About
 
 

Ownership

 
 

 
     
 

Links

 
 

Three Rivers Park District

 
     
 

Overview

 
 

This popular urban park on the north shore of Medicine Lake is surrounded on three sides by suburban housing. It has everything that its many visitors want, including a picnic area, fishing dock, swimming beach, boat launch, and a large playground. It also has 5.2 miles of natural surface hiking trails through deciduous woodlands. Visitors who come here for the trails are advised to come on a weekday when it is less crowded but still well used.

 
     
 

History

 
 

 

 
     
 

Management

 
 

 

 
     
 

Comments

 
 

 

 
     
 
Location
 
 

Maps

 
 

Summer

Winter

 
         
 

Printable Map(s) with GPS coordinates

 
         
         
 

Size

 
 

370 acres

 
         
 

Parking

 
 

12605 Rockford Road
Plymouth, MN 55441

N45 1.324, W93 26.051

 
         
 

Hours

 
 

5 AM–10 PM

 
         
 

Fees

 
 

No fee

 
         
 

Driving Directions

  Area and County  
 

Get driving directions from Google Maps to this destination from any address, and send those directions to your phone.

   
          Hennepin County  
          Metro Area  
     
 
Activities
 
 

Hiking Trails

 
 

5.2 miles

 
     
 

Hunting

 
 

No hunting

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Ecological Classification

  Ecological Classification  
  Ecological Province    

Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province

   
  Ecological Section    

Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal

   
  Ecological Subsection    

Big Woods

   
  Land Type Association    

Hopkins Moraine

Maple Plain Moraine

   
             
 

Native Plant Communities*

   
 

Southern Mesic Maple-Basswood Forest

   
  * Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources      
         
 

Natural Features

     
 

Lake shore, protected lake basin, deciduous woodland, marsh

 

 

 

 

 

           
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Park Entrance

 
    Clifton E. French Regional Park      
           
 

Deciduous Woodlands

 
    Clifton E. French Regional Park   Clifton E. French Regional Park  
           
 

Marsh

 
    Clifton E. French Regional Park   Clifton E. French Regional Park  
           
 

Trails

 
    Clifton E. French Regional Park      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
 
     
     

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  Phantom 2 Vision+ Test Flight #4 @ DroneVideoMN.com
DroneVideoMN.com
 
   
 
About

Published on May 3, 2014

Phantom 2 Vision+ Test Flight #4 @ DroneVideoMN.com. Low light 720p video test. French Regional Park. 12605 Rockford Rd Plymouth, MN 55441.

   
  Kids in the Twin Cities Episode 4
Jesse Hendrickson
 
   
 
About

Published on Sep 1, 2014

Episode 4 - Kids in the Twin Cities - French Regional Park

   
  Clifton French Regional Park - Plymouth, MN
Abdulrahman Filimban
 
   
 
About

Published on Aug 18, 2014

Clifton French Regional Park - Plymouth, MN 8/18/2014

   
  Sub-zero temps don't deter sledders at French Regional Park
Minnesota Sun Channel
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Dec 23, 2008

Sub-zero temperatures didn't deter sledders at French Regional Park in Plymouth this week.

   

 

Camcorder

           
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

Visits

9/8/2014                
 
 

Amphibians

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Amphibians and Reptiles List

 
 

Ameroasian treefrogs (Dryophytes spp.)

northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens)

  northern leopard frog  
 

Birds

 
 

eBird Field Checklist

 
 

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Eastern Wood-peewee (Contopus virens)

Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)

 

Blue Jay

Canada Goose

Wild Turkey

 
 

Fungi and Lichens

 
 

Black Knot (Apiosporina morbosa)

Fairy Fingers (Clavaria fragilis)

False Turkey Tail (Stereum ostrea)

Speckled Tar Spot (Rhytisma punctatum)

  Black Knot  
 

Insects and Arachnids

 
 

Minnesota Bee Atlas

 
 

blue dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis)

cabbage white (Pieris rapae)

Carolina grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina)

common green darner (Anax junius)

dog day cicada (Neotibicen canicularis)

eastern tailed-blue (Cupido comyntas)

goldenrod bunch gall midge (Rhopalomyia solidaginis)

goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis)

grape leaf miner moth (Phyllocnistis vitifoliella)

great black digger wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus)

lime nail gall mite (Eriophyes tiliae)

maple spindle-gall mite (Vasates aceriscrumena)

monarch (Danaus plexippus)

multicolored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis)

Virginian tiger moth (Spilosoma virginica)

white snakeroot leaf miner (Liriomyza eupatoriella)

 

common green darner

dog day cicada

eastern tailed-blue

monarch

 
 

Mammals

 
 

American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

  eastern gray squirrel  
 

Plants

 
 

Plants frequently found in:

Southern Mesic Maple-Basswood Forest MHs39

     
 

 

American basswood (Tilia americana var. americana)

American black currant (Ribes americanum)

American bugleweed (Lycopus americanus)

American burnweed (Erechtites hieraciifolius var. hieraciifolius)

American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)

American elm (Ulmus americana)

American hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana)

American lopseed (Phryma leptostachya)

American red raspberry (Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus)

American white waterlily (Nymphaea odorata ssp. tuberosa)

Amur maple (Acer ginnala)

annual fleabane (Erigeron annuus)

arrow-leaved aster (Symphyotrichum urophyllum)

barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli)

beaked hazelnut (Corylus cornuta var. cornuta)

big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi)

bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus var. corniculatus)

bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara)

black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina)

black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)

black medick (Medicago lupulina)

black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)

black walnut (Juglans nigra)

black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima)

black-seeded plantain (Plantago rugelii var. rugelii)

bland sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii)

blue vervain (Verbena hastata)

bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

boxelder (Acer negundo var. negundo)

broad-leaved arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia)

broad-leaved cattail (Typha latifolia)

broadleaf enchanter’s nightshade (Circaea canadensis)

bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare)

bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa)

butter and eggs (Linaria vulgaris)

Canada anemone (Anemonastrum canadense)

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)

Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis)

Canadian clearweed (Pilea pumila)

Canadian honewort (Cryptotaenia canadensis)

Canadian horseweed (Erigeron canadensis)

Canadian woodnettle (Laportea canadensis)

catnip (Nepeta cataria)

chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. virginiana)

cleavers (Galium aparine)

climbing false buckwheat (Fallopia scandens)

clustered black snakeroot (Sanicula odorata)

common blue violet (Viola sororia)

common boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum)

common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)

common bur-reed (Sparganium eurycarpum)

common burdock (Arctium minus)

common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale)

common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)

common false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum)

common lilac (Syringa vulgaris)

common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

common mullein (Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus)

common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)

common self-heal (Prunella vulgaris ssp. vulgaris)

common strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)

common yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

crown vetch (Securigera varia)

curly dock (Rumex crispus)

curlytop knotweed (Persicaria lapathifolia)

cursed crowfoot (Ranunculus sceleratus var. multifidus)

cut-leaved coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata)

eastern purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana)

eastern white pine (Pinus strobus)

field horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum)

garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida)

golden alexanders (Zizia aurea)

gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa)

gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)

green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)

ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata var. bracteata)

Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum)

jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

late goldenrod (Solidago altissima)

leadplant (Amorpha canescens)

meadow horsetail (Equisetum pratense)

narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia)

northern arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum)

northern bog goldenrod (Solidago uliginosa)

northern hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)

northern lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum)

northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis)

northern prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum)

northern red oak (Quercus rubra)

northern shagbark hickory (Carya ovata)

paleleaf woodland sunflower (Helianthus strumosus)

panicled aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum)

Pennsylvania smartweed (Persicaria pensylvanica)

perennial sow thistle (Sonchus arvensis)

plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera)

poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata)

prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola)

prickly sow thistle (Sonchus asper)

purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

purple lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabilis)

purple meadow-rue (Thalictrum dasycarpum)

purple-stem beggarticks (Bidens connata)

pussy willow (Salix discolor)

quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)

red baneberry (Actaea rubra ssp. rubra)

red clover (Trifolium pratense)

red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa)

red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea ssp. sericea)

reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea)

river birch (Betula nigra)

rock elm (Ulmus thomasii)

Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia)

sage-leaved willow (Salix candida)

sandbar willow (Salix interior)

scouring rush horsetail (Equisetum hyemale ssp. affine)

sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis)

shining willow (Salix lucida ssp. lucida)

silky dogwood (Cornus obliqua)

silver maple (Acer saccharinum)

slender willow (Salix petiolaris)

smooth rose (Rosa blanda var. blanda)

smooth Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum)

smooth sumac (Rhus glabra)

soft agrimony (Agrimonia pubescens)

spotted lady’s thumb (Persicaria maculosa)

spotted touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis)

staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)

stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida ssp. rigida)

stinging nettle (Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis)

sugar maple (Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum)

sulphur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta)

swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata ssp. incarnata)

tall beggarticks (Bidens vulgata)

tall thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana)

Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica)

timothy (Phleum pratense)

upright carrionflower (Smilax ecirrhata)

velvet-leaf (Abutilon theophrasti)

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

Virginia stickseed (Hackelia virginiana)

Virginia waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum)

water smartweed (Persicaria amphibia)

weeping willow (Salix x sepulcralis)

western poison ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii)

white avens (Geum canadense)

white campion (Silene latifolia ssp. alba)

white clover (Trifolium repens)

white heath aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides)

white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima var. altissima)

white spruce (Picea glauca)

white sweet clover (Melilotus albus)

white vervain (Verbena urticifolia)

wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

wild cucumber (Echinocystis lobata)

wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)

wild grape (Vitis riparia)

wild mint (Mentha arvensis)

wolfberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis)

woodbine (Parthenocissus vitacea)

yellow foxtail (Setaria pumila ssp. pumila)

yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis)

yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta)

zigzag goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis)

 

Abutilon theophrasti (velvet-leaf)

Acer ginnala (Amur maple)

Acer negundo var. negundo (boxelder)

Acer saccharinum (silver maple)

Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum (sugar maple)

Achillea millefolium (common yarrow)

Actaea rubra ssp. rubra (red baneberry)

Ageratina altissima var. altissima (white snakeroot)

Agrimonia pubescens (soft agrimony)

Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)

Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)

Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed)

Amorpha canescens (leadplant)

Amphicarpaea bracteata var. bracteata (hog peanut)

Andropogon gerardi (big bluestem)

Anemonastrum canadense (Canada anemone)

Anemone virginiana (tall thimbleweed)

Apocynum cannabinum (Indian hemp)

Arctium minus (common burdock)

Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit)

Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed)

Asclepias incarnata ssp. incarnata (swamp milkweed)

Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)

Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum (northern lady fern)

Betula nigra (river birch)

Bidens connata (purple-stem beggarticks)

Bidens vulgata (tall beggarticks)

Carya ovata (northern shagbark hickory)

Celtis occidentalis (northern hackberry)

Circaea canadensis (broadleaf enchanter’s nightshade)

Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle)

Cirsium vulgare (bull thistle)

Cornus obliqua (silky dogwood)

Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood)

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea (red osier dogwood)

Corylus cornuta var. cornuta (beaked hazelnut)

Cryptotaenia canadensis (Canadian honewort)

Echinacea purpurea (eastern purple coneflower)

Echinochloa crus-galli (barnyard grass)

Echinocystis lobata (wild cucumber)

Elaeagnus angustifolia (Russian olive)

Elymus canadensis (Canada wildrye)

Equisetum arvense (field horsetail)

Equisetum hyemale ssp. affine (scouring rush horsetail)

Equisetum pratense (meadow horsetail)

Eragrostis spectabilis (purple lovegrass)

Erechtites hieraciifolius var. hieraciifolius (American burnweed)

Erigeron annuus (annual fleabane)

Erigeron canadensis (Canadian horseweed)

Eupatorium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum (common boneset)

Fallopia scandens (climbing false buckwheat)

Fragaria virginiana (common strawberry)

Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash)

Galium aparine (cleavers)

Galium triflorum (fragrant bedstraw)

Geranium maculatum (wild geranium)

Geum canadense (white avens)

Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy)

Hackelia virginiana (Virginia stickseed)

Helianthus strumosus (paleleaf woodland sunflower)

Hydrophyllum virginianum var. virginianum (Virginia waterleaf)

Impatiens capensis (spotted touch-me-not)

Juglans nigra (black walnut)

Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana (eastern redcedar)

Lactuca serriola (prickly lettuce)

Laportea canadensis (Canadian woodnettle)

Linaria vulgaris (butter and eggs)

Lonicera tatarica (Tatarian honeysuckle)

Lotus corniculatus var. corniculatus (bird’s-foot trefoil)

Lycopus americanus (American bugleweed)

Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)

Maianthemum racemosum var. racemosum (common false Solomon’s seal)

Medicago lupulina (black medick)

Melilotus albus (white sweet clover)

Melilotus officinalis (yellow sweet clover)

Mentha arvensis (wild mint)

Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot)

Nepeta cataria (catnip)

Nymphaea odorata ssp. tuberosa (American white waterlily)

Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose)

Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)

Osmorhiza claytonii (bland sweet cicely)

Ostrya virginiana var. virginiana (American hophornbeam)

Oxalis stricta (yellow wood sorrel)

Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)

Parthenocissus vitacea (woodbine)

Persicaria amphibia (water smartweed)

Persicaria lapathifolia (curlytop knotweed)

Persicaria maculosa (spotted lady’s thumb)

Persicaria pensylvanica (Pennsylvania smartweed)

Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass)

Phleum pratense (timothy)

Phryma leptostachya (American lopseed)

Picea glauca (white spruce)

Pilea pumila (Canadian clearweed)

Pinus strobus (eastern white pine)

Plantago rugelii var. rugelii (black-seeded plantain)

Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum (smooth Solomon’s seal)

Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera (plains cottonwood)

Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen)

Potentilla recta (sulphur cinquefoil)

Prunella vulgaris ssp. vulgaris (common self-heal)

Prunus serotina var. serotina (black cherry)

Prunus virginiana var. virginiana (chokecherry)

Quercus ellipsoidalis (northern pin oak)

Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa (bur oak)

Quercus rubra (northern red oak)

Ranunculus sceleratus var. multifidus (cursed crowfoot)

Ratibida pinnata (gray-headed coneflower)

Rhamnus cathartica (common buckthorn)

Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)

Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac)

Ribes americanum (American black currant)

Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust)

Rosa blanda var. blanda (smooth rose)

Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus (American red raspberry)

Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)

Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black-eyed Susan)

Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata (cut-leaved coneflower)

Rumex crispus (curly dock)

Sagittaria latifolia (broad-leaved arrowhead)

Salix candida (sage-leaved willow)

Salix discolor (pussy willow)

Salix interior (sandbar willow)

Salix lucida ssp. lucida (shining willow)

Salix petiolaris (slender willow)

Salix x sepulcralis (weeping willow)

Sambucus canadensis (American elderberry)

Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa (red elderberry)

Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot)

Sanicula odorata (clustered black snakeroot)

Securigera varia (crown vetch)

Setaria pumila ssp. pumila (yellow foxtail)

Silene latifolia ssp. alba (white campion)

Smilax ecirrhata (upright carrionflower)

Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade)

Solidago altissima (late goldenrod)

Solidago flexicaulis (zigzag goldenrod)

Solidago rigida ssp. rigida (stiff goldenrod)

Solidago uliginosa (northern bog goldenrod)

Sonchus arvensis (perennial sow thistle)

Sonchus asper (prickly sow thistle)

Sparganium eurycarpum (common bur-reed)

Symphoricarpos occidentalis (wolfberry)

Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides (white heath aster)

Symphyotrichum lanceolatum (panicled aster)

Symphyotrichum urophyllum (arrow-leaved aster)

Syringa vulgaris (common lilac)

Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale (common dandelion)

Thalictrum dasycarpum (purple meadow-rue)

Tilia americana var. americana (American basswood)

Toxicodendron rydbergii (western poison ivy)

Trifolium pratense (red clover)

Trifolium repens (white clover)

Typha angustifolia (narrow-leaved cattail)

Typha latifolia (broad-leaved cattail)

Ulmus americana (American elm)

Ulmus thomasii (rock elm)

Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis (stinging nettle)

Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus (common mullein)

Verbena hastata (blue vervain)

Verbena urticifolia (white vervain)

Viburnum recognitum (northern arrowwood)

Viola sororia (common blue violet)

Vitis riparia (wild grape)

Zanthoxylum americanum (northern prickly ash)

Zizia aurea (golden alexanders)

 

American black currant

American elderberry

American white waterlily (ssp. tuberosa)

annual fleabane

bird’s-foot trefoil

bittersweet nightshade

black raspberry

bloodroot

broad-leaved arrowhead

butter and eggs

Canada anemone

catnip

common blue violet

common boneset

common evening primrose

common mullein

cut-leaved coneflower

perennial sow thistle

golden alexanders

gray-headed coneflower

leadplant

northern prickly ash

paleleaf woodland sunflower

poke milkweed

Purple Looststrife

red clover

red elderberry

sulphur cinquefoil

Russian olive

silky dogwood

smooth rose

spotted touch-me-not

stiff goldenrod

swamp milkweed

purple meadow-rue

Tatarian honeysuckle

upright carrionflower

Virginia waterleaf

white snakeroot

white sweet clover

wild geranium

wild mint

yellow sweet clover

 

 
 

Reptiles

 
 

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Amphibians and Reptiles List

 
  painted turtle (Chrysemys picta)   painted turtle  

 

 

Binoculars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bald Eagles

Northern Bald Eagles nest in a restricted area of this park.


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