https://www.minneapolisparks.org/activities__events/water_activities/classes_lessons__clubs/


check out the open water swim club on this page.....


also, I used to swim at Christmas lake in Excelsior....also Square Lake nearish Stillwater....

schedule of open water swims also....

https://www.minneapolisparks.org/_asset/mhrm19/open_swim_schedule_2018.jpg

Ditto on what Steve-OH posted...

Nokomis is good
Carver Lake in Woodbury
Square Lake
Lake Elmo (if you have a buddy)
St. Croix River
Literally any lake up north

Are you in Minneapolis proper or a suburb somewhere?

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Live in Maple Grove. It would be nice to find someplace close, but definitely willing to drive a bit too.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

Weaver Lake in Maple Grove is decent if you swim just beyond the beach designated swim area (in the deeper sections near the caution bouys so boaters won't take you out). Same with Fish Lake in Plymouth (nearby city). Most lakes here are muddy so it is not so clear. Only caveat is those lakes you can only get a 100-200 yards before you should probably turn around and not venture too deep into the lake....because a lot of recreational stuff goes on (paddle boarders, paddle boats, etc can be rented at Fish Lake; for Weaver just more the boaters out there).

Otherwise, there are plenty of other lakes to check out too just avoid Minneapolis as they will give out tickets if they catch you swimming in non-designated areas on keep out days.

What are the rules for swimming at Weaver lake? I know they have a swim area and lifeguards there sometimes. I assume you could swim along the perimeter of the beach area, but I have no idea how big that is.

On a related note, where to you do your pool swims? I'm in Brooklyn Park and I'm trying to find a good pool to swim at. Finding quite a few with 3 1/2 foot depths and very sparse lap swim times, but I'd rather not swim in something that shallow or have to fight to get lane space in the 45 minutes dedicated to Adult Lap Swim if I can avoid it. The pools are something I miss about Vegas, which had plenty of pools, $3-4 entry fees, lots of lap swim times, and 5 foot depths at a minimum.

I swim at lifetime in Maple Grove. They have 5 lanes and decent open swim hours. One end is very shallow. It was great when I could go in the middle of the afternoon and have the pool to myself... But now with work I go right when they open at 6 and almost always have to share lanes. It's usually not bad though.
Maybe this will help, but it'll be awhile until it's open.

https://www.lifetime.life/...aple-grove-swim.html

That sounds almost identical to the Maple Grove Community pool. Does the lifetime in Maple Grove just use the same pool as the Maple Grove Community center, or do they have their own pool?

That new Lifetime Swim center looks awesome, but I'm not sure I'm ready to plop down $89/month to go swimming.

If you're ever up in Duluth in July or August, check out Brighton Beach. It is Lake Superior so I would recommend swimming with someone but the only boat traffic you need to worry about it kayaks. Water in late summer is low-mid 60s and is very clean as it's a ways away from the harbor.

http://www.duluthmn.gov/parks/parks-listing/brighton-beach-park-kitchi-gammi/

Thank you!! Definitely going to check out Fish Lake this weekend 🙂

Yes it's shared with the community center. I'm sure it will be crazy now with school out.. hopefully not in the mornings.
I hadn't looked at prices yet, but yeah doesn't sound like I'll be a member there either ha

I'm also in Brooklyn Park and when I used to swim laps would just go to the LA Fitness in Brooklyn Center near Walmart. Pool there is not nearly as busy as the Brookyn Park location (off of 610). But that is only a 25yd pool but open to whatever except the occasional aqua fitness classes.

I've heard that the Brooklyn Center Community Center has a 50m lap pool with designated lap times. Never checked it out myself as the times weren't always convenient for me but I've always wanted to try an Olympic sized pool (there aren't too many in Twin Cities area actually, the only other one I know of is the U of MN in Minneapolis Aquatic Center but that is closed to the public and even most regular students I believe).

I've swam in Weaver Lake before and don't know of any restrictions (at least the times I've open water swam there). Just swam near the deep end of the swim area near the edge of the buoys or just outside it. I walked across it once to get a gauge of how "long" it is with my 310xt and it showed roughly 50-60 yards(?)...I forget exactly as it been more than a few years ago I did this but wanna say 75 yds but that doesn't seem right either.

Taking a break from Tri's so cut out swimming for family time so I don't have a gym membership for lap swimming or go to the lakes (besides playing with the kid at the beach) for now.

Hi. I live in CA now. But, grew up in that area. Dad just sold his lake place on Eagle lake in Maple Grove. As far as lake swimming goes, I went all the time with a boat escort; best way to go for lots of reasons. I wouldn't venture out too far on any lake that allows access to power boats, jet skis, etc. without an escort. So, if that's not an option, than the other suggestions might be good.

For pool swimming, if you've got a reason to commute in the direction of New Hope, in the summer they open a nice 50m pool.

Hope you like the area.

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Unfortunately New Hope closed their outdoor pool until 2020 and are building a new pool facility.

Highland park pool in st paul. 50m and sometimes no lane lines but this my favorite

https://www.facebook.com/highlandaquatic

You might check out Little Long Lake in Mound, (off of Gun Farm Rd). I swam with a group out there some years ago. As I remember, water was clean and there is very little boat traffic.

That's even on my way to work. Too bad they don't open until 7:45AM.

There is a regular group that swims at Lake Elmo Mon/Wed/Fri at 6am (or earlier).

I grew up in Maple Grove. Fish Lake is decent, however that lake is incredibly busy on the weekends and evenings. I lived on the lake for a few years, not the greatest for OWS due to all the commotion. I'm pretty sure Weaver has some specified times that one can swim, but not 100 percent sure.

Lake Anne in Chanhassen has a facebook group where people post when they are heading for a swim. Its nice as you don't have to swim alone. There is usually at least two people swimming on any given weekday evening. I can't remember the last time I swam there on a Saturday or Sunday morning and there was not somebody already swimming or arriving to swim. It is also a non-motorized lake, so you don't have to worry about any boat traffic, just the occasional kayak/canoe or the troll motor fishers. There are two beaches. Swimming from one to the other is about 700 yards, 750-80 yards if you are like me and cant swim in a straight line :) It's kind of a haul from Maple grove, but would be well worth it if you plan on doing a lengthy swim, knowing you wont have to worry about lake traffic. It's also a perfect location if you need to run or bike after.

For what it's worth, I think open water swimming in training isn't worth all the additional hassles unless you happen to live on a pristine lake or are a very timid swimmer and need the confidence boost. Just get in a 50m pool with dark googles and practice sighting there. Pretty much the only open water swimming I do is in triathlons with the occasional open water swim race. That said, I'm a fairly strong swimmer (1:10-1:15/100).

In open water, I'd recommend an orange cap and swim buoy, just in case you panic or cramp or something, especially if you train alone. Something like this.... https://www.swimoutlet.com/...ts-swim-buoy-8164908

I'm over in Plymouth and I typically will OWS at Weaver as suggested above. Every once in awhile you'll have boats on the lake, but it works. As the summer progresses though, you will run into patches of floating weeds and so forth. Gear West also has OWS on Wed mornings (I think it's Wed) on Lake Minnetonka. They swim out of Wayzata at sun up. You can swim any distance you'd like there. Not much traffic at that hour/day so that's a nice swim. All free parking too.

I've never had any issues on Weaver. No idea if there's restrictions but I just swim outside of the beach area and do my own thing. Lifeguards just watch but have never said anything. Maybe ignorance is bliss? I would definitely recommend a bright colored swim cap and also a bright colored buoy just to try to make yourself as visible as possible to boaters.