The Three Rivers Park System is the regional parks system that replaced the Hennepin County’s program sites. While much of its region is still Hennepin County, it now manages some parks in other metro counties. It’s mission is to “promote environmental stewardship through recreation and education in a natural resources-based park system. It encompasses over 27,000 acres of parks and trails and serves millions of visitors annually.” It achieves this by providing outdoor recreation opportunities throughout its acres of park reserves, regional trails and natural areas. Three Rivers Parks have some of the best play areas in the Twin Cities. Parks with playgrounds include: Unfortunately, most are closed for the snow and ice season. Each spring park staff complete a thorough inspection prior to reopening each playground. We recommend checking the Open/Closed info on the Three Rivers site (link at the bottom of this page) if you are in doubt – especially in early spring and late fall. The playground pictures below link descriptions of each park: Named for the three big rivers that converge on the Twin Cities metro area – The Mississippi River, The Minnesota River and the Crow River, the combined acreage of the Three Rivers Parks is almost 27,000 acres*. These parks offer everything from winter activities like downhill skiing & snowboarding, to farm education, to horseback riding trails, to the largest playgrounds in Minnesota, and so much more. The parks managed by Three Rivers change from time to time. Three Rivers continues to acquire new parks and sometimes it helps manage parks in collaboration with other park districts for short times. For instance North Mississippi Regional Park used to be jointly managed by Three Rivers and Minneapolis, but eventually Minneapolis Parks took complete responsibility for that park. It currently works with the City of Robbinsdale to provide programming at Sochacki Park. Recently, the Hennepin County Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park changed its name to Mississippi Gateway Regional Park to avoid confusion with the Anoka County park on the other side of the river with the same name. Currently, Three Rivers manages the following parks. Follow the links to learn more about each park. Parking is free at most Three Rivers Parks. It does require fees or passes for some activities, but scholarships are available. Many of the Parks in the Three Rivers System offer Summer Camps from June through August. Camps can be searched and signed up for through their registration link below. Find more summer camp ideas in our annual summer camp guide.Related Articles
Ten Fun Things to Do With Kids at Three Rivers Parks
Three Rivers Playgrounds – What’s Open, What’s Not
List of Three Rivers Parks & Nature Centers
Use our Park & Playground Search to find parks by amenities and programs offered.
Three Rivers Parks
Three Rivers Nature Centers
Three Rivers Park System Fees
Summer Camps at Three Rivers Parks
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