Shady Oak Beach

This place is simply a gem in the west burbs. At least I’ve fallen in love with it. It’s relatively quiet on the water (as they don’t allow large motorized boats) which makes it perfect for paddle boarding or kayaking. The beach area seems super «family friendly». Expect to see lots of sandy beach shoreline here and some great amenities too. There is a large newer playground area that seems suitable for most ages. The swimming area is marked off and monitored by life guards. The high dive and large platform dock seems to be a very popular feature and there is also a sand volleyball court.
I mostly enjoy paddle boarding ($ 10) here and staff are always so friendly. The nice thing is that if you rent something they waive the park entry fee ($ 6). When I’ve been on the water it’s exceptionally clear but if you travel away from the swim area to other parts of the lake you will find it fairly weedy. Nothing though that doesn’t stop me from coming back!

Lake-​swimming is milfoil-​laden activity that makes me shudder– hey, what’s that touching my leg, HOLY SHIT. Oh wait, it’s more milfoil. However, Shady Oak Beach is clear, relatively milfoil free, and overall a nice experience.
Only 9 miles from Minneapolis — an easy ride right off the Greenway bike path, might I add — this is definitely a family-​oriented type of place. So please put away your beers and crude manners; this is a nice beach!
Unlike most beaches, it does cost $ 5 to get in. However, the lockers/​bathrooms don’t smell too bad — toilets flush automatically so no touching anything! — and they have some bomb-​ass playgrounds. I was impressed by the ones that have faucets so you can recreate erosion patterns in the sand.
The water quality is also outstanding. Very clear and little to no plantlife to scare the bejesus outta ya. They also have some docks built out, one end with a diving platform and the other a springboard. Pretty neat. The rest of the shoreline is devoted to private residences which makes me glad the chain of lakes in Minneapolis are largely open to the public. Go MPLS.
They closed the 2011 season this past Sunday, which made me a little sad since it means summer is at an end. But I know where to go next summer when the mercury rises!