Lake of the Isles

Hard to beat the cozy energy at Lake of the Isles in the heart of a city with several fabulous lakes and connected trail systems. Lake of the Isles offers great walking and biking paths, a dog park, ice skating rink and warming house, channels to Cedar Lake and Bde Maka Ska, and wonderful architecture. Beautiful in any season, including the City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival, a two-day festival that is topped off with the Luminary Loppet, one of the most magical nights of a Minnesota winter.

I’ve loved this Minneapolis treasure since I first experienced it over 20 years ago. I come at all times of year to appreciate the lake, the seasons, the nature, and the people watching. There are wonderfully maintained trails around the lakes, amazing homes to gawk at, and it’s a serene getaway from the nearby city area. Plenty of places to sit, parks nearby, places to walk and dine at.

I love this lake for walking the pup to chillin' in the hammock.

One of the most beautiful parks I’ve ever been to. Beautiful place to take a walk, or bike or car ride around!

Beautiful Park lack of Parking for a motor coach and some vehicles! Nice paved paths and excellent lake views and also has a dog area.

We participated in the Luminaria Loped by cross country skiing around Lake of the Isles with the trail marked with luminaries made of ice. It was a beautiful way to spend a winter evening.b

We arrived in July 2022 for our first trip to Minneapolis. Bc of the July 4 holiday weekend, all shops in the St Paul and Minneapolis area were closed for the weekend. The Center City Tourist Center recommended we spend the afternoon w our dog at Lake of the Isles. What a wonderful afternoon that was!! My husband and I would highly recommend it!!

Picture perfect. A beautiful location to walk or bike ride in the summer and fall. The walk is easy enough for a beginner and has plenty of places too stop and rest along the way. They have a pages path and offer some canoe rentals.

I frequently walk around this lake and really enjoy it! The houses surrounding are gorgeous to look at. Parking is not at all difficult to find. Very safe area--have never felt unsafe here even after dark. Of course, looking out at the islands in the middle of the lake and the canoes and kayaks going through is really heartening! Overall high quality run/walk here!

4/5 because most of the year it’s good but it freezes in the winter