Elm Creek Park Reserve

Overview
Photos
Slideshows
Videos
Sightings


	About

	Ownership


	Links
	Three Rivers Park District

	Overview


	History


	Management


	Comments


	Location

	Maps
	Summer Winter Eastman Nature Center Summer Eastman Nature Center Winter		Recreation Area Singletrack Trail (Mountain Bike) Ski Trails

	Printable Map(s) with GPS coordinates


	Size
	4,900 acres

	Parking
	12400 James Deane Parkway Maple Grove, MN 55369 N45 8.516, W93 25.590

	Hours
	5 AM–10 PM

	Fees
	“No parking fee. Private naturalist programs and birthday parties can be arranged for a separate fee. Fee for most family nature programs. Some free classes or demonstrations.”


	Driving Directions
	Get driving directions from Google Maps to this destination from any address, and send those directions to your phone. Your Address (street address and either city and state or ZIP code)

					Hennepin County
					Metro Area


	Activities

	Hiking Trails
	Unpaved hiking: 5 mi. Unpaved hiking/horse: 20.8 mi. Unpaved hiking/mountain bike: 7.7 mi. Unpaved hiking/horse/bike: 7.7 mi. Paved hiking/bike/dog: 20 mi. The paved Medicine Lake Regional Trail and Rush Creek Regional Trail connect to the paved trails in this park.

	Hunting
	No hunting


	Ecology

	Ecological Classification
	Ecological Province			Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province
	Ecological Section			Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal
	Ecological Subsection			Anoka Sand Plain Big Woods
	Land Type Association			Maple Plain Moraine Mississippi Sand Plain

	Native Plant Communities*
	Black Ash - Yellow Birch - Red Maple - Alder Swamp (Eastcentral) Elm - Basswood - Black Ash - (Hackberry) Forest Red Oak - Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest Sedge Meadow Seepage Meadow/Carr Southern Mesic Maple-Basswood Forest Sugar Maple - Basswood - (Bitternut Hickory) Forest Sugar Maple Forest (Big Woods) Tamarack Swamp (Southern) Willow - Dogwood Shrub Swamp
	* Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources

	Natural Features


	Visitor Photos

	Share your photo of this destination.
			This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption.


	Kirk Nelson



	Eastman Nature Center




	MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

	Park Entrance


	Rush Creek


	Eastman Nature Center


	Historic Pierre Bottineau House


	Hike/Bike/Horse Trails




	Bike Trail

Camera


	Slideshows


	Elm Creek Park Reserve Brett Whaley

	About I have spent a lot of time here the last three years. It is not far from where I live and on my way home from work so I can exercise there.

slideshow


	Visitor Videos

	Share your video of this destination.
		This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link.










	Other Videos

	Elm Creek Park Reserve Loop Trail MidwestTrails

	About Mar 6, 2021 To see where this is on an interactive map, along with additional photos and comments, visit this videos web page at: http://MidwestTrails.com/MN-Trails/El... Explore trails found throughout the Upper Midwest at: http://MidwestTrails.com Description: The entire trail makes a nearly 15 mile long loop within the Elm Creek Park Reserve. Ride begins near the junction with the Medicine Lake Regional Trail and ends at the same spot. Note: This video is meant to be viewed within the MidwestTrails.com website. The website contains photos and descriptive content about the trail. It also uses an interactive map to allow you to easily find many other trails found in the Upper Midwest.



	Hitting The Trails: Elm Creek Park Reserve KARE 11

	About Sep 4, 2020 Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove is our stop on this week's, "Hitting The Trails" segment. "It's the largest park in the Three Rivers Park system. There's a lot of space for people to get out and explore," said Elm Creek Park supervisor Bruce Bolduan. https://www.kare11.com/article/sports/hitting-the-trails-elm-creek-park-reserve/89-34aa6b19-7379-43c9-b2dd-6f17c55b64d1



	Twin Cities Live at Elm Creek Park Reserve & Central Park, Maple Grove Minneapolis Northwest

	About Dec 14, 2017 Tubing at Elm Creek Park Reserve and ice skating at Central Park’s loop are family-friendly experiences you can enjoy all winter! Join Emily from Twin Cities Live in this video as she checks out Elm Creek Park Reserve and does a couple of laps at Central Park.



	Bike Ride through Elm Creek Park - Deer, Loon, Swan davebts77

	About Published on May 30, 2013 Took a lap around the 5k loop at Elm Creek. 2x speed, saw a swan thing, loon, and deer.

Camcorder

Visitor Sightings

Share your sightings or comments about of this destination.

This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.

MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings


Visits
8/13/2009		4/4/2015

Amphibians

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Amphibians and Reptiles List

American toad (Anaxyrus americanus)

boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata)

wood frog (Rana sylvatica)

Birds


Three bird species with conservation status in Minnesota have been seen here:
Endangered	Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
Special Concern	Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)

Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Birds List

eBird Field Checklist (Complete)

eBird Field Checklist (Eastman Nature Center)

American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)

Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)

Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)

Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus)

Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

Plants


Six plant species with conservation status in Minnesota are found here:
Endangered	butternut (Juglans cinerea)
Threatened	largebract ticktrefoil (Desmodium cuspidatum var. longifolium) spreading sedge (Carex laxiculmis var. copulata)
Special Concern	American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) squirrel corn (Dicentra canadensis) wild sweet William (Phlox maculata ssp. maculata)