Lake Hiawatha Park

Lake Hiawatha Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a scenic and versatile urban park, offering a mix of active recreation and natural beauty. Spanning 241 acres, including 54.5 acres of water, the park surrounds Lake Hiawatha, a 55-acre body of water formed through marshland dredging in the early 20th century. The lake is connected to Minnehaha Creek, which flows into and out of the southern end, enhancing the park's ecological diversity.

Key features of the park include a sandy swimming beach, a wading pool with splash elements for children, and a playground located conveniently nearby. During the winter months, the park transforms into a hub for cold-weather activities, with ice and hockey rinks and groomed cross-country ski trails available. A warming room and loaner skates add to the winter convenience.

Lake Hiawatha Park also caters to sports enthusiasts with tennis courts, basketball courts, soccer and softball fields, and groomed walking and biking trails. The park's eastern side is characterized by open, mowed spaces and picnic areas, while the shoreline supports wild, unmanaged growth, offering habitats for various wildlife species. Visitors can spot migrating waterfowl, resident birds, and mammals such as foxes and otters, as well as enjoying fishing opportunities with species like northern pike, carp, and bluegill.

The park also houses the Hiawatha Golf Course, which is open year-round for golf in the summer and hiking or snowshoeing in winter. A notable feature of the park is the interactive "Listening Vessel" sculpture, which amplifies sounds from the natural environment, inviting visitors to pause and engage with their surroundings.

Steeped in history, the park was named after the hero of the famous poem *The Song of Hiawatha* and remains a vital green space in the community, offering seasonal amenities and connecting visitors to the larger Nokomis-Hiawatha Regional Park system.