Scott County Announces Grand Opening Celebration for Spring Lake Regional Park

(The following is a release from Scott County.)

Construction of Phase 1 improvements at Spring Lake Regional Park are nearing completion and Scott County is planning a grand opening celebration for Saturday, October 13. The 373 acre park is located between Upper Prior Lake, Spring Lake, and County Road 82 in the city of Prior Lake.

Scott County started acquiring the park in the late 1960’s, and since that time the park has been used for informal recreation like hiking and fishing, as well as an important snowmobile trail connection between Prior Lake and Spring Lake.

Scott County was able to accelerate the $1.6 million project with financial support from the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy constitutional amendment that Minnesota voters passed in 2008, as well as Regional Park System capital funding through the Metropolitan Council.

The grand opening celebration runs from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 13. Free activities include:

• Ribbon cutting ceremony at 9 a.m.
• Bike checks by local bike shops for exploring the paved trails
• Nordic walking and geocaching with a naturalist
• Kid’s activities
• Activities for your dog and friends in the 10-acre, fenced dog off-leash area with wash station

Park Improvements

Improvements being made to the park in the first phase of development include trails, an offleash dog area, removal of a portion of Howard Lake Road, natural resource restoration, and support facilities.

The park’s 3.5 miles of paved trails traverse through the majestic maple-basswood-oak forests, wetlands, and prairie areas. The park’s topography provides trail users with long, gradual hills on some segments that feature vistas of large wetland complexes and Spring Lake. Trails will be plowed in the winter for year-round use.

The off-leash dog area is approximately 10 acres in size, or about 1/3 the size of the popular Cleary Lake Park off-leash dog area. The site is fully fenced and features a separate small pet area for smaller dogs. Vault restrooms, people drinking water, and a dog washing area complete the amenities.

In addition to the recreational amenities, Scott County is undertaking a 30-acre oak savanna restoration site and buckthorn removal. This work is a partnership between Scott County and Great River Greening, with financial support from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, and additional support from REI.

Park Access

Access to the park will be from Howard Lake Road at the intersection of County Highway 82 across from Dakotah! Sport and Fitness. Parking facilities for trails and the off-leash dog area are located at the end of Howard Lake Road, with a second trail access parking area off County Highway 12 on the south side of the park. Howard Lake Road from County Highway 12 has been permanently closed as part of this project.

Park Operations and Fees

The park will be operated under a partnership between Scott County and Three Rivers Park District. Entrance to the park will be free, although off-leash dog area users will need to purchase either a daily use pass ($5) or a seasonal pass ($35).

The daily use pass can be obtained at the park using an automated pay box (credit or debit card payment only), while the annual pass can be obtained at Cleary Lake Park Visitor Center, or online at www.threeriversparks.org. Annual off-leash dog passes can be used at both Cleary Park and Spring Lake Park in Scott County, as well as any other Three Rivers’ off-leash dog area.

Park hours are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and access to the park will be controlled by an entrance gate.

Volunteers Needed for Buckthorn Pull

Volunteer are needed to help pull buckthorn on Saturday, October 13. The buckthorn pull will run from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and includes lunch. Great River Greening will provide instructions for the pull, and volunteers are asked to register in advance at www.greatrivergreening.org, or by calling Josh Kriz, Volunteer Manager at 651-665-9500 ext 11.

Scott County is a regional park implementing agency of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Funding for this project has been provided through a grant received under the Minnesota Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Act, in which 14.25% of the funds generated from the 3/8% increase in the state sales tax will provide funding for regional and state parks and trails.