Minnesota Seasons - Lake Elmo Park Reserve

About • Location • Activities • Ecology

About

Ownership

Links

Washington County Parks

Overview

History

Management

Comments

Location

Size

2,165 acres

Driving Directions


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				Washington County
				Metro Area

Parking

1515 Keats Avenue North
Lake Elmo, MN 55042

N44 58.522, W92 54.258

Hours

M - F 6:00 AM — 10:00 PM

Sat 6:00 AM — 10:00 PM

Sun 6:00 AM — 10:00 PM

Closed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Easter, Labor Day, Veterans Day and the day after, Thanksgiving, Friday after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

Fees

All vehicles entering a Washington County Park must display a daily or annual vehicle permit, including vehicles belonging to registered campers and picnic shelter users.

Daily Permit $7

Annual Permit (valid 12 months from month of purchase) $30

Vehicle permits are also not required in any park on the first non-holiday Tuesday of each month, Earth Day, the second Saturday in June for National Get Outdoors Day, and the Friday after Thanksgiving. Learn more about free admission days in our parks.

Maps

Lake Elmo Park Reserve Winter Trails Map

Lake Elmo Park Reserve Summer Trails Map

Lake Elmo Park Reserve Winter Trail East Side Map

Lake Elmo Park Reserve Summer Trails East Side Map

Lake Elmo Park Reserve Campground Maps

Activities

Hiking

Trail running

Biking

Mountain biking

Horseback riding

Picnicking

Camping

Swimming

Boating

Canoeing

Birding

Nature photography

Horseshoes

Volleyball

Geocaching

Cross country skiing

Skate-skiing

Winter hiking

Snowshoeing

Snowmobiling

Trails


Hiking	7.4 miles
Winter hiking	10.5 miles
Paved bike	5.4 miles
Mountain bike	14 miles
Horse	14 miles
Dog	3.4 miles (winter)
Cross country skiing	8.6 miles
Skate-skiing	8.6 miles
Snowmobile	5.0 miles
Snowshoe	7.1 miles

Hunting and Fishing


Ecology

Ecological Classification
Ecological Province			Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province
Ecological Section			Minnesota & NE Iowa Morainal
Ecological Subsection			St. Paul-Baldwin Plains and Moraines
Land Type Association			Maplewood Moraine

Native Plant Communities*
Boulder Shore (Inland Lake) Oak - (Red Maple) Woodland Sand Beach/Sandbar (River)
* Source: The Minnesota Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological Resources

Natural Features

Summer Weekends

On sunny summer weekends the swimming beach attracts hundreds of local residents.


Visitor Photos

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Kirk Nelson

Trails


Prairie Restoration


MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos



Park entrance		Swim pond


Eagle Point Lake viewing blind

Camera

Slideshows

slideshow


Visitor Videos

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Other Videos

Trail Ride, Lake Elmo Park Reserve, Washington County, Minnesota, USA, 9 24 11
Jane Gilgun

About

Uploaded on Sep 24, 2011

What a way to spend a Saturday morning in late September--with good friends and horses on the prairies of Lake Elmo Park Reserve in Washington County, Minnesota, USA. Two horses and two friends enjoy the early autumn colors and meet up with a hiker and his dog and other horses and riders. See the wonder of friends, horses, and the prairie in early autumn bloom.

YMCA Day Camp Kumalya in Lake Elmo
YMCATwinCities

About

Uploaded on Jan 26, 2011

YMCA Day Camp Kumalya, located at beautiful Lake Elmo Park Reserve in Lake Elmo, offers outdoor camp activities for kids ages 4-14.

Camcorder


Visitor Sightings

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KatyMN12


Insects and Arachnids
narrow-headed marsh fly (Helophilus fasciatus)


Kirk Nelson


Birds
Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings

Visits

7/10/2011


Amphibians
Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Amphibians and Reptiles List

American toad (Anaxyrus americanus)


Birds
Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Birds List eBird Field Checklist

American Robin (Turdus migratorius) Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) Great Egret (Ardea alba) Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)


Fishes
Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Fishes List


Fungi and Lichens
Black Knot (Apiosporina morbosa)


Insects and Arachnids
Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Insects List

autumn meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum) cherry-faced meadowhawk (Sympetrum internum) common green darner (Anax junius) common oblique syrphid (Allograpta obliqua) common wood nymph (Cercyonis pegala) eastern tent caterpillar moth (Malacosoma americana) four-spotted skimmer (Libellula quadrimaculata) goldenrod bunch gall midge (Rhopalomyia solidaginis) goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis) Halloween pennant (Celithemis eponina) monarch (Danaus plexippus) mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella) white-faced meadowhawk (Sympetrum obtrusum) widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa)


Plants
Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas and Minnesota Biological Survey Vegetation Releves Plant List

Plants frequently found in: Boulder Shore (Inland Lake) LKi43a Oak - (Red Maple) Woodland FDs37a Sand Beach/Sandbar (River) RVx32b

Common Name Scientific Name alfalfa (Medicago sativa ssp. sativa) alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum) American basswood (Tilia americana var. americana) American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) American elm (Ulmus americana) American hazelnut (Corylus americana) American plum (Prunus americana) American red raspberry (Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus) American stinging nettle (Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis) American vetch (Vicia americana ssp. americana) Amur maple (Acer ginnala) annual fleabane (Erigeron annuus) asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus var. corniculatus) bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina) black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima) black-seeded plantain (Plantago rugelii var. rugelii) bland sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii) blue giant hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) blue vervain (Verbena hastata) boxelder (Acer negundo var. negundo) bracted spiderwort (Tradescantia bracteata) bristly locust (Robinia hispida var. hispida) broad-leaved arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa) butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa ssp. interior) Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) cereal rye (Secale cereale) chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. virginiana) cleavers (Galium aparine) common agrimony (Agrimonia gryposepala) common boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum) common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) common burdock (Arctium minus) common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale) common mullein (Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus) common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) common St. Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum) common selfheal (Prunella vulgaris) common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) corn (Zea mays) crown vetch (Securigera varia) curly dock (Rumex crispus) dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis ssp. matronalis) downy phlox (Phlox pilosa ssp. fulgida) eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana) eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) field clover (Trifolium campestre ssp. campestre) field thistle (Cirsium discolor) flowering spurge (Euphorbia corollata) four-flowered yellow loosestrife (Lysimachia quadriflora) fringed loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata) gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa) green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) hairy vetch (Vicia villosa ssp. villosa) heart-leaved four o’clock (Mirabilis nyctaginea) hoary alyssum (Berteroa incana) hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata var. bracteata) honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) Illinois tick-trefoil (Desmodium illinoense) Indian hemp (Apocynum cannabinum) leadplant (Amorpha canescens) long-headed coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) marsh hedge nettle (Stachys palustris) Missouri gooseberry (Ribes missouriense) Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) musk thistle (Carduus nutans) narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia) narrow-leaved hawk’s-beard (Crepis tectorum) New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) northern bedstraw (Galium boreale) northern lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum) northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis) northern red oak (Quercus rubra) oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) pineapple-weed (Matricaria discoidea) plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. molinifera) pointed-leaved tick-trefoil (Hylodesmum glutinosum) prairie coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata) prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) prairie fleabane (Erigeron strigosus) purple meadow-rue (Thalictrum dasycarpum) purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea var. purpurea) quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) rabbit’s foot clover (Trifolium arvense) red baneberry (Actaea rubra ssp. rubra) red clover (Trifolium pratense) red pine (Pinus resinosa) rough cinquefoil (Potentilla norvegica) rough oxeye (Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra) round-headed bush clover (Lespedeza capitata) silver maple (Acer saccharinum) smooth Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum) smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe ssp. micranthos) spreading dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium) stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida) sugar maple (Acer saccharum ssp. saccharum) sulphur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta) tall thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana) timothy (Phleum pratense ssp. pratense) water smartweed (Persicaria amphibia) western poison ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii) white avens (Geum canadense) white campion (Silene latifolia ssp. alba) white clover (Trifolium repens ssp. repens) white prairie clover (Dalea candida var. candida) white spruce (Picea glauca) white sweet clover (Melilotus albus) wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) wild grape (Vitis riparia) wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) woodbine (Parthenocissus vitacea) yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis) yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta) 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) Agastache foeniculum (blue giant hyssop) Agrimonia gryposepala (common agrimony) Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) Amorpha canescens (leadplant) Amphicarpaea bracteata var. bracteata (hog peanut) Anemone virginiana (tall thimbleweed) Apocynum androsaemifolium (spreading dogbane) Apocynum cannabinum (Indian hemp) Arctium minus (common burdock) Asclepias tuberosa ssp. interior (butterfly weed) Asparagus officinalis (asparagus) Athyrium filix-femina var. angustum (northern lady fern) Berteroa incana (hoary alyssum) Carduus nutans (musk thistle) Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea) Centaurea stoebe ssp. micranthos (spotted knapweed) Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle) Cirsium discolor (field thistle) Cirsium vulgare (bull thistle) Convolvulus arvensis (field bindweed) Coreopsis palmata (prairie coreopsis) Cornus alternifolia (pagoda dogwood) Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood) Corylus americana (American hazelnut) Crepis tectorum (narrow-leaved hawk’s-beard) Dalea candida var. candida (white prairie clover) Dalea purpurea var. purpurea (purple prairie clover) Desmodium illinoense (Illinois tick-trefoil) Dioscorea villosa (wild yam) Erigeron annuus (annual fleabane) Erigeron strigosus (prairie fleabane) Eupatorium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum (common boneset) Euphorbia corollata (flowering spurge) Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash) Galium aparine (cleavers) Galium boreale (northern bedstraw) Geum canadense (white avens) Glechoma hederacea (ground ivy) Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust) Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra (rough oxeye) Hesperis matronalis ssp. matronalis (dame’s rocket) Hylodesmum glutinosum (pointed-leaved tick-trefoil) Hypericum perforatum (common St. Johnswort) Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana (eastern redcedar) Lespedeza capitata (round-headed bush clover) Leucanthemum vulgare (oxeye daisy) Lonicera morrowii (Morrow’s honeysuckle) Lotus corniculatus var. corniculatus (bird’s-foot trefoil) Lysimachia ciliata (fringed loosestrife) Lysimachia quadriflora (four-flowered yellow loosestrife) Matricaria discoidea (pineapple-weed) Medicago sativa ssp. sativa (alfalfa) Melilotus albus (white sweet clover) Melilotus officinalis (yellow sweet clover) Mirabilis nyctaginea (heart-leaved four o’clock) Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) Osmorhiza claytonii (bland sweet cicely) Oxalis stricta (yellow wood sorrel) Parthenocissus vitacea (woodbine) Persicaria amphibia (water smartweed) Phleum pratense ssp. pratense (timothy) Phlox pilosa ssp. fulgida (downy phlox) Picea glauca (white spruce) Pinus resinosa (red pine) 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 norvegica (rough cinquefoil) Potentilla recta (sulphur cinquefoil) Prunella vulgaris (common selfheal) Prunus americana (American plum) 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) Ratibida columnifera (long-headed coneflower) Rhamnus cathartica (common buckthorn) Rhus glabra (smooth sumac) Ribes missouriense (Missouri gooseberry) Robinia hispida var. hispida (bristly locust) Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust) Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus (American red raspberry) Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry) Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black-eyed Susan) Rumex crispus (curly dock) Sagittaria latifolia (broad-leaved arrowhead) Sambucus canadensis (American elderberry) Secale cereale (cereal rye) Securigera varia (crown vetch) Silene latifolia ssp. alba (white campion) Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade) Solidago rigida (stiff goldenrod) Sporobolus heterolepis (prairie dropseed) Stachys palustris (marsh hedge nettle) Taraxacum officinale ssp. officinale (common dandelion) Thalictrum dasycarpum (purple meadow-rue) Tilia americana var. americana (American basswood) Toxicodendron rydbergii (western poison ivy) Tradescantia bracteata (bracted spiderwort) Trifolium arvense (rabbit’s foot clover) Trifolium campestre ssp. campestre (field clover) Trifolium hybridum (alsike clover) Trifolium pratense (red clover) Trifolium repens ssp. repens (white clover) Typha angustifolia (narrow-leaved cattail) Ulmus americana (American elm) Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis (American stinging nettle) Verbascum thapsus ssp. thapsus (common mullein) Verbena hastata (blue vervain) Vicia americana ssp. americana (American vetch) Vicia villosa ssp. villosa (hairy vetch) Vitis riparia (wild grape) Zea mays (corn)