Sunday’s Site – French Park & Medicine Lake

French Regional Park is a great family destination! Wrapped around the northwest corner of Medicine Lake, the second largest lake in the Twin Cities, it is located in the western suburb of Plymouth, Minnesota, inside the I-494 corridor. 

Medicine Lake’s sandy, gradually sloping beach within the park is great both for sunbathing and for kids playing in the water. A curtain encloses the swimming area so the water quality can be managed. A boat launch and rentals are also available.

We started visiting French Park years ago because of its spectacular creative play area. It is unique because it is great for kids of all ages, interconnecting a pre-school area with a huge cargo-net play area for older kids. The play area includes picnic tables and is conveniently located right next to the visitor center with both concessions and rest rooms.

The park also includes miles of trails, both paved and unpaved, including winter cross country ski trails. When we were there recently the trails were busy with runners and bikers, as well as families out for a stroll.

French Regional Park is part of the Three Rivers Park District, the only “special park district” in the state of Minnesota. It is responsible for over 27,000 acres of land in 20 parks throughout seven counties in the Twin Cities Metropolitan area. It is named ‘Three Rivers’ because all of their facilities are located within the watersheds that flow into three significant Minnesota rivers – the Mississippi, Minnesota and Crow.

As the second largest lake in the Twin Cities area and located only about 10 miles to downtown Minneapolis, Medicine Lake is popular with those seeking to live on or near a recreational lake but still have easy access to the city.

Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results – Email – Website