Baker Park Reserve Long-Range Plan
Baker Park Reserve, Three Rivers’ first park, has successfully served the needs of park visitors for generations. To ensure the park and its offerings remain relevant to future generations and the broader changing community, and comply with the Metropolitan Council's Thrive MSP 2040 Regional Parks Policy Plan and funding requirements, Three Rivers Park District commenced a long-range planning process in 2018. The planning process was paused in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently was restarted in 2022 with new engagement efforts with targeted populations, stakeholders and the public. Those additional engagement efforts have helped further refine the draft plan, which is now ready for public review and comment.
Baker Park Reserve is a fully developed and popular park reserve that offers something for everyone. A goal of the long-range planning process focused on continuing to support and enhance the current outdoor recreation and education offerings, as well as the natural resource restoration efforts.
Some of the key highlights of the long-range plan, including the significant recreation development ideas, include:
- Campground: Add winter camping and recreation offerings, add more camper cabins, redesign vehicular circulation at the campground entrance/exit, upgrade/expand electrical sites, and add a nature play exploration area.
- Lake Independence Recreation Area: Add an accessible fishing pier, improve shoreline fishing, and add reservable and non-reservable picnic pavilions.
- Outdoor Learning Center: Enhance nature-based programming offerings and facilities at the Outdoor Learning Center and Campground.
- Park-wide improvements: Add trail spurs to scenic overlooks, improve the West Trailhead, add bathrooms and a fishing pier at the Spurzem Lake boat launch, add flush toilets and a shower to the Marshview Group Camp, and potentially increase parking at the Public Safety area.
- Continue natural resource management and investment at current levels.
At its June 20 meeting, the Three Rivers Park District Board of Commissioners authorized the release of the draft long-range plan to the public for review and comment. The public comment period will remain open through July 30, 2024. To comment on the plan, submit comments in the box below, email them to Stephen.Shurson@ThreeRiversParks.org or mail them to Three Rivers Park District, Baker Park Reserve Long-Range Plan, 3000 Xenium Lane North, Plymouth, MN 55441.
Following the review period, and assuming no significant changes, the plan will be forwarded to governmental partners, including the Metropolitan Council, for approval. Upon approval from all partners, the Three Rivers Board of Commissioners will be asked to grant final approval to the plan.
Share your comments about the Baker Park Reserve Master Plan
Please don't expand structures or development. We have enough of that in our world. What we don't have, what is rare and getting rarer by the moment, is our natural resources. Please protect them and in this time of climate crisis, ensure we don't lose one more inch. In fact, add more land to the park. Protect more. Keep man made in its current footpath and only replace or make more environmentally friendly. Thanks.
I love the Baker Park multi-use winter trail. It is one of the few places skijoring, bikejoring, and dogsledding are allowed. Please keep the multi-use winter trail as a part of the future updates.
Thanks,
Sarah West
Winter trail walking is important to many people. Expand the west parking lot to add capacity and plow. Also plow two miles of the trail adjacent to the parking lot.
I would love to see a mountain bike space. It does not need to include all the challenges of Murphy-Hanrehan, ort Elm Creek. More like Lake Rebecca. Just a a few short diversions from the existing paved 6 mile loop would be nice.
Greetings,
I appreciate the continued efforts of the TRP to continue to improve Baker Park for the enjoyment of recreation in all seasons for all people. I am interested in the equestrian trails. Is there a way to add more trails? Make another loop trail?
I am not sure of the land boundaries that the park owns.
Thank you for your consideration,
Pam Farmer
We live in Greenfield and use Baker Park all seasons. As a family, we are particularly excited about the increased. Fishing options proposed in the plan. Would love to see a fishing dock on the end of the beach where the boat launch is.
Please add Swings. Great Park my favorite part is the zip line.
Elke, Age 8
I love you baker park
Sigourney, Age 3
I do support adding trail spurs to more scenic overlooks. That would be helpful for birding the Park especially along the Lake Katrina loop trail. As far as increasing interpretive signage, I would error on the side of less is more. I think signs may have the best of intentions but they are man-made structures that compete with the simple beauty of nature and natural vistas. They also mentally clutter one's impressions at these sites. Sometimes we don't need to know, we just need the experience. If we have to know, we can go to our mobile phones - have the info on the Baker Park website - not in the viewshed.
Bring back the Festival of Lights weekend.
The kids and grandkids all loved the festival of lights.
This is the Rosman we were in G-15 this summer there is a root of a tree right past our door on the camper. I stumbled over it many times during our stay. I still have problems with one of my legs. We have reservations for the same spot in 2023, I hope this is taken care of.
Add water hookups at camp sites, add more electric sites !
Step up and fix all the campsites that tend to be muddy. They need to be class 5 all the way. The grass is never going to grow in this areas for various reasons mostly too much shade. Make the camp pads to the fire pits less muddy and messy. You have fixed some of the campsites but not all. It would benefit campers to not have all this mud
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