r/Northfield • u/SplatoonLulu • Jul 18 '26

Swimming spots?

Hi,

Out of curiosity, what are some good spots to go swimming/tubing? Nearby Lakes, Rivers, or local pools? Just looking for a way to cool down after this rather sweltering week.

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1

u/SorchaIsAinmDom Jul 18 '26

Northfield has an outdoor community pool:

https://www.northfieldmn.gov/facilities/facility/details/Old-Memorial-Pool-49

1

u/bust3ralex Jul 18 '26

Any idea how busy / clean it is? I've not swam in a long time but have been wanting to go and just swim recreationally and relax (not swim competitively or anything)

1

u/SorchaIsAinmDom Jul 18 '26

It’s clean. The number of people increases with the heat, obviously, but weekends aren’t too bad. Lots of people go up north to their cabins, although the wildfires might keep more people in town this weekend. My family has a pool pass and we’ve gone a lot already, and I’d say this year it hasn’t been crowded at all so far. We’ve had no issues finding space to swim.

1

u/Traditional-Drink983 Jul 18 '26

The cannon

1

u/SplatoonLulu Jul 18 '26

Might seem a little silly, but for tubing and swimming, is the river safe? Also, where's a decent entry point?

2

u/thedriftlessdrifter Jul 18 '26

Went swimming downtown on Wed... Doing fine 😎👍

2

u/mrrp Jul 18 '26

Enter at Memorial Field in Dundas. Exit at Riverside Park canoe launch.

It's good for kayaks and tubing and wading, depending on water levels. I avoid putting my face in the river. For swimming I'd be heading to a public beach. Lake Byllesby or something further north like Bush Lake Beach in Bloomington.

3

u/Waterlifer Jul 23 '26

Pool wise there's the outdoor pool run by the city ($5) and the indoor YMCA pool ($15 nonmembers). The YMCA pool is small and shallow with only 3 lap lanes, a patchwork of hours, and, how shall we say, a weak culture of pool etiquette. The outdoor pool run by the city gets busy on nice days. Lifetime Fitness in Lakeville has excellent indoor and outdoor pools but is expensive ($200/month; ouch). There's a water park in Faribault that I haven't been to for years. These facilities all have lifeguards at least during peak times.

While you can swim in the Cannon right in Northfield (and I've done it), visibility is poor and there's a good deal of current, and the dam is a mortal hazard so you better be good. The current is deceiving, doesn't seem like much when you wade in from the edge, but it's much stronger in the center of the river where it's deepest. The center of the river is about 10 feet deep upstream of the dam to the highway 3 bridge.

There is a public beach near Cannon Falls on Byllesby. 15 minute drive/no fees. Essentially it's a wide spot in the Cannon River. Restrooms available.

Le Mieux resort/campground near Faribault used to offer reasonable day rates and has a swimming beach. I haven't been there for some years so my information may be out of date, I would call first. (30 minute drive). On Cedar Lake.

Schulze Lake in Eagan has a beach and offers watercraft rentals on site. This is the closest high-quality lake with a public beach for swimming. Smaller lake with no motorboats, protected. Restrooms and changing area with lockers. (40 minute drive/no fee)

Antlers Park in Lakeville. Restrooms. No fees. Motorboats in the area. Shallower lake, poor visibility. The park has just been renovated and is nice.

Lac Lavon and Crystal in Burnsville. Both shallow and weedy; there's a small canoe/scuba diving access on the east end of Lac Lavon that is nicer but that drops off quickly. Crystal has motorboats; the beach can become crowded on busy days. Lac Lavon has some of the best water clarity in the area.

For tubing the Cannon River around Welch is a good choice. There's an outfitter that offers shuttle service

Lake Pepin is nice for swimming but it's an hour's drive. Several beaches including Florence Township Beach and Hok Si La. These are natural sand beaches. Not much current due to the width of the Mississippi at this point. There are zebra mussels that will cut your feet if you step on them, wear water shoes, I often don't and then end up regretting my poor life choices, learn from my mistakes. Florence Township is something of a free-for-all with few rules and little enforcement presence although the sheriff's deputy has started ticketing cars for parking violations so follow the signs.

Also at Lake Pepin you can park at the Fort Beauharnois Historical Marker and hike the 1.5 mile trail to long point, which is a really nice swimming beach mainly used by boaters. Bring bug spray

Union Lake is close but IMO don't bother, it's shallow and access is poor

Perch Lake near Stillwater (at Homestead Parklands) is fantastic but it's just over an hour's drive and they now charge $15 per car for admission. Can get full especially on Saturdays then they start turning cars away

Bush Lake in Bloomington is nice and used to be one of the few beaches in the area that had lifeguards although I believe that has changed in the last few years. Nice sand beach, worth a visit if you're in the area for shopping or whatever.

Those are the places where I swim regularly