With over 180 acres of rolling hillsides and open green spaces, Columbia Park provides year-round recreational opportunities for everyone to enjoy. Located on Columbia Parkway next to the Columbia Golf Club, the park offers a totlot playground, tennis courts, horseshoe pits, archery bales and a field for soccer and rugby. In winter the park’s golf course offers a 2.2 mile cross-country skiing trail and one of the best sledding hills in the city.
Columbia Park’s picnic grounds are a great location for gatherings both large and small. The picnic shelter, available for reservation, is equipped with grills, tables, water and electricity and accommodates up to 200 people.
Part of the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, Columbia Park is connected to the biking and walking trails of St. Anthony Parkway, which were renovated in 2008. A popular destination for dog owners, the St. Anthony Parkway Off-Leash Recreation Area can be found on the park’s south side across the parkway from the Columbia Learning Center and Driving Range.
Though acquired in 1892, the park took several decades to develop. The unique location provided as many possibilities as it did challenges. Chief among them was Sandy Lake, a 40 acre body of water that relied on storm water runoff to keep from drying out. The installation of city storm water management sewers in 1914 led to the lake going dry permanently, thus clearing the way to develop a golf course.
Historical Profile: More information about this and other parks is included in Parks, Lakes, Trails and So Much More, a richly detailed account of the histories of Minneapolis’ renown recreational system.
