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Kerber Park is a small community park in Maple Grove. Family-friendly amenities include a playground, sports courts and fields, space to picnic, walking paths and outdoor ice rinks in the winter.

8 Ideas for Family Fun at Kerber Park

Sometimes we look at the playground and forget all the other activities available at parks. Here are eight ideas for ways to have fun together at the park. Don’t forget you need to bring your own balls and gear.

1. Try to beat your time on the playground equipment. It is built in a linear fashion, making it ideal for an obstacle course. My kids call equipment like this “ninja course equipment.” While not on the scale of Schaper Park in Golden Valley, it will be fun for your kids without the crowd.
2. Practice baseball skills – running, batting, catching – on the baseball fields or bring a playground ball for a family game of kickball.
3. Basketball Drills. Play one of these kid-friendly basketball drill games on the half-court. Tired of me recommending HORSE? That’s the game I played the most with my own siblings, but Squad Locker has a few more to add to your coach’s toolkit.
4. Play tennis or pickleball. The courts have both types of lines painted. If your kids are too small to play, let them be your ball chasers.
5. Explore the Pond – Carefully. Parents, obviously, should be involved with any near-water activities, and I would avoid the tall vegetation as there are thistles and who-knows-what-else growing in it.  However, pond life can be interesting, and to get you started, Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge has made a series of videos about pond exploration aimed at kids in grades 2-3 (my kindergartner also found them fascinating).
6. Practice skateboarding or biking. The concrete paths at this park are smooth enough for beginners to learn on and it is not a particularly busy park. It would also make a nice walking path with a stroller.
7. Pack a picnic. There is a small 4-person picnic table near the shelter and plenty of green space where visitors could spread a blanket.
8. Play hockey in the winter. This park has two hockey rinks with a staffed warming shelter.

Turtles at Kerber Park

We visited this park in early June and discovered a sign and stick-border marking a turtle egg nest buried on the playground. We then went to see if we could see any turtles sunning themselves in the pond, but didn’t have any luck. The pond at Kerber Park appears to be the perfect environment for turtles, including the grassy border that was full of thistles, making it unwise for people to approach. We were able to find one area where we could get a little closer on the west end of the park, but still had no luck spotting turtles.

After going home, we did some research and learned a little more about turtles. A snapping turtle hunts in its pond the way a crocodile hunts — floating quietly until it snaps on its unsuspecting victim. Maybe with a little more time and patience, we could have observed a turtle in action. However, we also learned that they are nocturnal, so visiting at dusk with a pair of night vision binoculars might help. June is the best time to see turtles because that is when they lay their eggs.

• Learn More About Snapping Turtles
• Types of Minnesota Turtles

Outdoor Ice Rinks at Kerber Park

This park is one of eight in Maple Grove that has an attended shelter building and rink lights. Outdoor rinks are weather dependent, but are usually open from mid-December through mid-February. The shelter is attended during the following times.

• Monday-Friday: 4pm to 8:30 pm.
• Saturdays (and most school holidays): 12pm to 8:30 pm.
• Sunday: 1pm to 6pm.

It is always wise to check ahead before heading out for outdoor skating. Call 763-494-5959 for updates, recorded at 4pm each day.