ST . LOUIS PARK COMMUNITY GUIDE 2024
Parks provide space to enjoy nature
With more than 50 parks , green spaces from small neighborhood plots of land to regional destinations have helped define the suburban town of St . Louis Park .
Located next to Excelsior & Grand , Wolfe Park is home to Veterans ’ Memorial Amphitheater . Its eight terraced tiers offer seating for up to 300 people . The park , 3700 Monterey Drive , features basketball and sand volleyball courts , a year-round pavilion and a walkway around Wolfe Lake .
Near the northwest part of St . Louis Park , Westwood Hills Nature Center offers a 160-acre nature preserve devoted to outdoor enjoyment , environmental education and wildlife observation . The nature center , 8300 W . Franklin Ave ., features a interpretive center with environmental displays and meeting space . The grounds contain more than three miles of hiking trails , including paved , boardwalk , wood-chipped and crushed concrete surfaces . Trails lead along a wooded hillside , through a cattail marsh and around Westwood Lake , offering anything from a short quarter-mile stroll to a 3-mile hike . A picnic pavilion sits atop a hill overlooking Westwood Lake while picnic space is also available near the interpretive center . Visitors can check out a GRIT Freedom all-terrain wheelchair for free to use on the nature center trails . This manual , all-terrain wheelchair has a chain drive system that allows users to operate it independently or assisted by a caregiver with handlebars . St . Louis Park ’ s two off-leash dog parks offer an opportunity for residents and their dogs to get out and enjoy the outdoors . The dog parks are located at Cedar Knoll Park , 2541 Nevada Ave . S ., and Dakota Park , 2643 Dakota Ave . S . Hours are 7 a . m . to 8:30 p . m . To use the dog parks , residents must have a current city dog license .
Another notable park is Oak Hill Park , 3201 Rhode Island Ave . S . The park offers a splash pad in the summer months . The city typically commemorates Independence Day with a celebration at Aquila Park , 3100 Xylon Ave . S . A list of parks is available at stlouisparkmn . gov / our-city / thing-to-do / parks .
Recreational activities are offered through the city ’ s Parks and Recreation Department . For more information , visit stlouisparkmn . gov / government / departments-divisions / parks-recor call 952-924-2540 .
St . Louis Park is also home to numerous regional trails . The Cedar Lake Regional Trail , which runs along the Southwest Light Rail Transit route , has been closed due to construction . The North Cedar Lake Regional Trail is open in St . Louis Park but is impacted by construction . Both regional trails are part of the Three Rivers Park District . Visit www . threeriversparks . org for more information .
Other trails of more than a mile in length are at Wolfe Park , Bass Lake Preserve and Louisiana Oaks Park . Other trails of less than a mile are at Aquila Park , Dakota Park , Oak Hill Park , Lamplighter Park , Park Otten Pond , Shelard Park .
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