The largest regional park in the Minneapolis Park System, Wirth Park is 759 acres of year round recreational activities and natural treasures. The park is located west of Downtown Minneapolis, technically in Golden Valley, and features a sampling of practically everything in the Minneapolis Park System.
Amenities include Wirth Lake and Birch Pond, a fishing pier and boat launch, a supervised beach, volleyball courts, a playground, picnic facilities, reservable indoor picnic pavilion, an archery range, trails for walking, biking, off-road biking and skiing, a snowboard park, Swiss chalet-style clubhouse and 18-hole and Par 3 golf courses.
The urban forest overlooking Birch Pond offers Wedding Hill as a wedding venue for nature-lovers.
From cattails in the wetlands to towering oak trees on the prairie visitors can explore the natural resources of Wirth Park: Bassett’s Creek, a wildflower garden and bird sanctuary, a children’s garden, a quaking bog, and the picturesque winding parkway. The serenity of the park and woods sets it apart from the bustling metropolitan area and visitors often forget they are in the heart of the city.
Activity at Wirth Park doesn’t slow down in the winter. The Wirth Winter Recreation Area takes advantage of Minnesota’s fourth season.
Snowboard Park – The first inner-city snowboard program, the park, now with snow-making equipment, was established in 2002 to offer snowboarding to the general public at low cost. It offers everything from equipment rental and lessons by a veteran trained staff to advanced technical rails and jumps.
Cross Country Skiing – The park offers trails for beginner, intermediate and advancedskiers. There’s a practice area, a 2 km lighted loop, snow-making capabilities, lessons and equipment rental.
Historical Profile: More information about this and other parks is included in Parks, Lakes, Trails and So Much More, a richly detailed account of the histories of Minneapolis’ renown recreational system.
Located across from golf course parking lot (Plymouth Ave. and Wirth Parkway).
Target bales are provided; bring your own bull's-eye sheets.
Cross Country Skiing:
Cross country skiing features trails for beginners, intermediates and advanced skiers. Some trails are lighted. A cross country loop, with snow-making capability, features 700-800 meters of skiing with a small practice area. The practice area and most of the loop are lighted.
Wirth also features a snowboard program with everything from lessons by a veteran-trained staff to a snowboard park with advanced technical rails and jumps.
Garden:
The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden is the oldest public wildflower garden in the nation. The woodland, swamp and prairie areas provide visitors with a seasonal display of native wildflowers. The meandering trail through this garden is approximately 2/3 of a mile.
The J.D. Rivers' Children's Garden provides programs focused on children and teens, horticulture therapy and intergenerational programming with recent immigrants.
The sledding hill is at Sunset Hill on 26th and Wirth Parkway. The tubing hill is down the 10th fairway and features lights, tubing lanes and a tow rope. More information.
Wells:
1 well located at Wirth Parkway and S Glenwood Ave.
