Wood Lake Nature Center

Woodlake has awesome paths, very peaceful. My son attended a summer program here and went to a birthday party, great for kids and adults. I hear they have candle lite walks/​snowshoeing /​crosscountry skining in the winter, I need to do this! Lots of wildlife.

Check out this gem within the city. Really amazing old style walk and nature within the city. I loved it. Smells great. A little nature without leaving the city. Beautiful city park with lots of walking space and nature. Take a deep breath. You don’t have to leave the city to get back to nature. Visit here. Very close, no highway driving. Lots of nature! Bring your dog on a leash. Fun!

Pure serenity! Peaceful walking trails and boardwalks meander throughout the varied habitat… tall grasses, woods, a couple of ponds, and the lake, of course. Absolutely idyllic! No bikes whizzing about, just pedestrians seeking a natural respite from the throes of daily life. One of my favorite parks in the Twin Cities!

Wood Lake Nature Center is a hidden gem! This park is easy to access from some main streets and highways and there is ample parking out front, so I’m surprised it doesn’t get more use. On all my visits I feel like I’ve got the place to myself — which is a good feeling.
When visiting my grandma, I take nightly walks here and thoroughly enjoy all the various routes offered for walkers, bikers, runners and skiers in the winter. There are short paths that are less than a quarter mile, and the longest loop is nearly 2 miles. There is a boardwalk path that gets you out in the middle of the lake to see ducks, birds, turtles and fish. The sunsets are also pretty spectacular as they reflect off the water.
There are bathrooms and a nice area for weddings and events. I believe there is a neighborhood theater group that puts on performances here.
There a few geocaches hidden in this park, the biggest being the one on the outer loop.

The Woodlake Nature Center in Richfield is a very beautiful and unique place… Once you are within the center and hiking the trails you will forget where you are… that you are right in the middle of a urban suburban city of Richfield/​Edina area. The trails are lovely and it is so cool to observe wildlife in the animal’s natural habitat. During a hike it’s so much fun to see the birds, turtles, flowers and plants that abound in its natural setting. There is outdoor recreation too — like snow shoeing at this time of year — which I still need to try! Although my preference to hike is during the warmer months within the greenery or the colorful autumn leaves, a beautiful winter day with no wind is an awesome hike as well. Love Minnesota’s fresh air. The indoor section of the center, is educational and interesting too, with friendly and helpful volunteer staff. It’s open year long and it’s free admittance.

This is the type of place I’m hesitant to review bc right now it feels like my little secret. I’m not selfish, but I am a bit crowd averse.
Check out the events and classes online. They are all awesome. Fun for all ages. The people who work (and volunteer) here are amazing.

So, now that I am getting close to moving away from Minneapolis, I’ve been trying to explore more and more. Friday night, after happy hour, my boyfriend and I were at a shortage of ideas of what to do next. We really didn’t want to go home yet, and we sure as hell did not want to continue sitting at the bar!
On the drive home, we stopped at a red light and noticed something to the right of us. We decided to drive over and take a look. Good thing we did, we were pleasantly surprised with finding this place! I had no idea that this even existed and I’ve lived pretty close to it for about a year now.
We got out of the car and explored. It was really beautiful! Tons of birds, loons, and swans everywhere! Tons of trails to explore, and a swampy marsh to check out! I would say, this is perfect for anyone who wants to go to a park area, or just simply get away for an hour or so with out leaving the city!
I was really impressed, even on a cloudy day, it still made for the perfect little adventure. They keep this place pretty clean too! We didn’t see too much garbage on the trails or in the water… but like any park, we did see some.
I got some good pictures of the place, it’s a perfect spot for nature pictures or a perfect spot to have a little picnic or take the kids to educate them about Minnesota’s lakes and wildlife!
This made for the perfect little walk, we got here around 6:30(ish) and walked around until about 8pm. Also, there weren’t really that many others there at that time too! I can’t wait to go back, now that I know this place exists, I will be back at least a couple more times before I leave. I wish I would have found it earlier in life.