Skiing in Minnesota

Skiing in Minnesota

Ok so Plymouth itself doesn’t have a ski resort. You do get a lift ticket when you cross country ski in french park but I still wouldn’t call it a ski resort. But if you’re like me when it comes to winter recreation nothing beats Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding. So in this post I will be handing out awards to our near and dear Minnesota Ski Resorts. In case there’s anyone who doesn’t already know, our state was flattened by glaciers back when Wooly Mammoths roamed, we don’t have “Legit Mountains” but we’ve got a lot of snow and a long skiing season so why not hit a ski hill or two!

The Gnarlyest Award: Hyland Hills

I refuse to refer to it as its updated name: Hyland Ski and Snowbard Area because Hyland Hills just rolls off the tongue so nice. You could basically call Hyland a skatepark on snow. The place is a urban snowboarders dream. You go into the park, hit some rails and jumps and without ever unstrapping your board you slide over and grab the rope tow, head right back up to the top and do it all over again! The sheer amount of time you spend on your board riding is unlike any other place I’ve ever ridden. The ability to just take hit after hit after hit on HUGE jumps and crazy rails allows snowboarders to perfect their craft and really perform some seriously impressive moves. The only things I don’t like about Hyland is other than the Board Park it’s a fairly boring ski hill. The average ride from top to bottom lasts about 15 seconds, so if you just want to go and get some carving in, go elsewhere. But if you just wanna shred rails all day and never unstrap your feet from your board, it doesn’t get much better than just taking a short drive to the south metro to take on Hyland Hills. PS they’ve got that Olympic style ski jump on the corner of the street there… I’ve never seen anything else like that!

Hyland Hills: Small Hill, Good Board Park.

The Most Famous Alumni Award: Buck Hill

If what I hear is true, Lindsey Vonn, the great Olympian was raised up and taught how to ski right here on local Buck Hill! While I can’t really give much noteworthy opinion on the best place to train if slalom skiing is your thing, I would say you might as well give buck hill a try, it was good enough for Lindsey Vonn!

The Best in the Mid West Award: Lutsen Mountains

This is as close as you’re going to get to skiing in Colorado or Utah. It’s by far the best. They have four individual peaks, a gondola, beautiful scenery, and they are right on Lake Superior. Lutsen is probably the only Minnesota ski hill I could ride 2 or 3 days in a row. At Lutsen you don’t just get the best skiing in state but you get that whole ski resort experience because the whole town has the back woods outdoorsman feel. All the lodges are rustic and the land is wild and untamed. Lutsen has features that aren’t seen in the other resorts in state such as skiing on bridges over rivers, large stone cliffs, 1,688 ft elevation, and runs that can be as long as 2 miles. Lutsen offers a lot of fun, it’s a long drive but if you want a ski trip that will let you feel like you’re really skiing go to Lutsen. One time I was lucky enough to stay in a cabin that was actually on the mountain (were talking: put on your skis on the back porch and away we go!), and all I am going to say about that is if you have the chance, I highly recommend it.

Lutsen Mountains: Definately Minnesota's Best Skiing

The Closest award: Elm Creek Park

Elm Creek: a great park

I previously did a whole report on Elm, but it’s worth mentioning again that technically speaking there is a ski hill right in Elm Creek Park. All it has is a rope-tow board park, and a beginners hill, but its close, cheap and fun!

The Night Owl Award:  Trollhaugen

As far as I can tell this place gets the award for being open the latest into the night! 3am! Wow for those of you not afraid to ski till you drop come “roll the troll” all night long!

Most underrated: Spirit Mountain

While it is no Lutsen, It has the second largest Vertical Drop in State. It’s a little closer drive being only in Duluth and its great skiing! I don’t hear a lot of talk about spirit but I really have enjoyed every time I’ve been there. The scenery and ambiance are not quite a match for Lutsen but the skiing quality is there, 175 skiable acres to enjoy.  A side note: Its really cold there.

Shredding Minnesota's "Mountains" in blizzard Conditions.

Family Fun Award: Wild Mountain

Wild is the perfect family fun hill. A short drive out to Taylors Falls, Not super expensive ticket, a perfect balance of runs, 1/3 being beginner 1/3 being intermediate 1/3 black Diamonds. A Decent amount of vertical Drop (300ft). And as if to drive my point home I just noticed that the ski information site: onthesnow.com has them ranked as the most beloved ski spot in Minnesota for families.

Muddiest Parking Lot Welch Village

I got totally stuck in the Welch Village parking lot last year in my minivan, it was not pretty. So if you come here in March, be careful where you park.

Welch Village's Youngest Snowboarder at 1 Year Old.

Kick Field Goals

I’ll give you a great idea that’s totally free and totally fun: Kicking field Goals.

 

The following is a list of parks that have field goal posts, all within Plymouth or just outside city limits.

Armstrong High school

Wayzata High School

Cooper High School

Plymouth Middle School

Wayzata Central Middle School

Wayzata Oakwood Elementary

Maple Grove Jr. High

There you have it

or you can go anywhere where there is a soccer field and try to kick it over the goal, but you know its not quite the same satisfaction as watching it sail through the uprights... or sailing just barely wide left... Painful memories

Lawn Chair Skateboarding

Jamison P. Metzger, one of the original Lawn Chair Skateboarders.

 You know those days where you really want to go skateboarding, but you also really want to just sit in your garage in a lawn chair? Haven't you always wondered why you couldn't do both? Well its your lucky day! thanks to Lawn Chair Skateboarding you can have the best of both worlds!! This great new sport started here in our own Plymouth, Minnesota in the early 2000's when youths started to explore new ways to enjoy the leisurely ride of "Longboard"skateboards.

Speed wobbles!

 Please excuse the words all over the photos, the original footage is featured in the credits section of a snowboarding movie.

 As you can see the sport is simple put your chair on your board, adjust the seatback to achive your desired level of relaxation and let it ride!

Jamison shown here took his love of lawn chair skating to the western states.

 Heres a new twist on an old favorite: 2 longboards underneath an old plasitic and metal school chair! This is definately a riskier and more aggressive tactic, but its quite a rush.

Lawn Chair Skating, and to think that it all started in Plymouth Minnesota.

Fall Fun in Plymouth

Fall is possibly the most pleasant time of year in Minnesota. There is always a lot to do. The following is a brief list of fall activities with in reach of Plymouth.

Camping: There are thousands of options, my nearby favorites are Baker Park, Elm Creek Park Group Camp, and Taylor's falls Interstate State Park. The fall colors in Taylor's Falls will blow your mind.

Taylors Falls in Autumn

Apple picking: There are many great ones nearby. My personal Favorite is Minnetonka Apple Orchard, which is free on weeknights. Its not just apples, there are animals to pet and feed, lots of playgrounds and tractors for kids to play on, funny scarecrows a corn maze, awesome food including apple donuts, sometimes live music, its an overall good vibe. And then if you feel ambitious pick a million apples and make some homemade apple sauce. Its the old fashioned way to get your food!

Canning Applesauce with those Minnesota Apples

Pumpkin Patch: Very similar to the apple orchard vibe is the pumpkin patch vibe, and often times they can both be found at the same place.

Severs Corn Maze: Its a long drive but its the best corn maze.

Farmers Market: Get some fresh good grub. Maple Grove, open thru oct 24. Plymouth's is closed already sadly.

Red Wagon Riding: Just find a big hill and bomb it like you were Calvin and Hobbes. It'll let you know your alive! I recommend the hill on the backside of Petsmart grassy, steep and in plain view of a lot of cars! Classic.


Mostly just spend some time soaking up that crisp fall air because you know whats coming, all too soon...

Play some Sports

Another great thing to do in Plymouth, get some friends together for some sports! With plenty of fields and facilities get out and get start playing!

Michael Vick and Chad Lewis tossing the old pigskin

 Football: Plenty of room around here for football, it seems like every block has a park with reasonably decent upkeep. and if you really can't find any grass, theres plenty of roads that people dont drive on that much, for some street football (arguably my favorite pastime).

long live the Minnesota Moose

 Hockey: I went a little further in depth on hockey options earlier, which you can see here. But I would also note that hockey also plays well in the street, both in sneakers and on skates!

A league of their own

 Baseball/Softball: Baseball can be tough because you usually need big numbers, but don't let that stop you. Plymouth has some great baseball fields, especially Zachary Lane Park, and Bass Lake park. Another plug I would make is there are great batting cages at Zachary Lane Play field and at Armstrong High. Another thing I have heard of but never actually checked out is "The Cave." supposedly it's a sweet training facility for softball that is open year round. Also there are sweet indoor batting cages with pitching machines up in Brooklyn Park so you can practice your swing all year long. Check them out HERE.

hoop dreams

Basketball: Nothing like shooting some good hoops. If you haven't played "2 on 2" or "3 on 3" in your driveway for a while, go do it, odds are you've forgotten how fun it is to play on a 7 foot rim, and dust off your 360 Dunk. But if you want to go next level there are a lot of great options in town. Armstrong and Wayzata both have Gym's that I believe have open gym times. Lifetime fitness will let you hoop, for a price. And I know that the Mormon Chuch (2801 Douglas Dr. - Crystal, MN) Has a very nice gym and during the winter months often runs free leagues and open gym drop in nights.

And dont forget about bocce ball!

High School Football

Nothing like going to watch the youngsters toss the old pigskin around! Plymouth has 2 great high schools: Armstrong and Wayzata. Here are their schedules for the upcoming season.

Armstrong High School Football Schedule 2013

8/29 7pm @Maple Grove

9/6 7pm Blaine

9/13 5pm @Centennial

9/20 7pm @osseo

9/27 7pm Park Center

10/4 7pm @Elk River

10/11 7pm Totino Grace

10/25 7pm Playoffs

Wayzata High School Football Schedule 2013

8/29 7pm @Rosemont

9/6 8pm @Lakeville S.

9/12 7pm Anoka

9/27 6pm @Hopkins

10/4 7pm Edina

10/11 7pm @Eden Prairie

10/16 7pm Minnetonka

10/25 7pm Playoffs

Go for a Swim!

Calvin Wilks is ready for a swim at one of plymouth's beaches. You know you are too!

Summer is great here in Plymouth. One of the best ways to get out and enjoy it is swimming! Lifetime fitness has a great pool with big waterslides and an indoor pool too! But you do have to pay to use it 7.25 for adults and 3.50 for kids, that’s a special rate for Plymouth residents.  New Hope pool is also great with high dives and the classic outdoor pool vibe. However that pool closes on August 18.

The indoor pool at life time is sweet.

In my opinion swimming in one of Plymouths 8 lakes is way better anyways. It’s completely free of course and there are many well maintained beach areas.  The lakes are safe and clean, even though they’re real murky. 

The pavilion and beach at West Medicine Lake Park! A great place to swim, barbeque or pop wheelies on Radio Flyers

The best beach in Plymouth is West Medicine Lake Park. Its scenic and comfortable, the water stays shallow for quite a ways, there is a great playground, and a basketball court with a tall hoop and a short hoop so you can show off your best slam dunks. Another nice thing about this beach is it has an area where you can pull boats up and park them on the beach. You’ll always see plenty of fishermen at this park fishing both in the lake and on the little pond behind the park.

The Beach at West Medicine Lake Park, Nicest on the Lake.

Other good swimming areas:

French Park, good beach, but you have to park way up at the playground and ride a little shuttle train thing down to the beach, which is actually kind of fun.

East Medicine Lake Park: Nice but in a weird place by all these mechanical buildings, also windiest side of the lake.

Parkers Lake Park: This place is nice but last I saw it was completely underwater due to high water levels.  The Trick Water Ski Show by “Shockwaves” takes place at this park and its totally sweet.

Or Your Backyard:

Well there’s just a small sampling enjoy ‘em while you still can!

Storm Damage

This post isn't so much of a suggestion of something to do. Its more of an acknolegement that Plymouth weather is wild, and if you plan on spending any ammount of time in Plymouth: BE READY. If what I heard on the radio yesterday is accurate, the President delclared us a FEMA Disaster Zone due to our June storm. The following is a small documentation of what hit us last month.

...And this is why we had no power for days.

 This year we've seen it all, blizzards in late April, Tornados, Severe Thunderstorms, good times!

Part of the Plymouth lifestyle is dealing with severe weather. The people here are hearty and resilient though. Many were out of power for up to a week. But the really nice thing was the minute the storms were over I saw an outpouring of people out in the neighborhoods immediately helping out and pitching in to repair damage on their homes and their neighbor’s homes. It made me proud to be a Plymouth-ite.

French Park

French Park is Plymouth’s best Park. And it has Plymouth’s best playground. All you really need to know is they have the nets, aka the spider webs, aka the ropes, it’s fun for everyone. I included a few pictures to get you excited. But seriously not much has to be said, your right by a beach for swimming, there’s an indoor facility with taxidermied animals and ice cream treats and it’s the funnest playground equipment you’ve ever played on.  It’s the old kind of playground that’s not completely safe and made out of wood, therefore its more fun. So come play on it or bring your kids because they don’t make them like this anymore.

Part of it was under construction at this time, but as of last time I was there (5/8/15) all construction was complete.

Its free! and its located at: 12605 Rockford Rd  Plymouth, MN 55441
(763) 694-7750

Go There

Plymouth's Best Burger: Five Guys

When they finally shut down the old Blockbuster Video, I felt pretty sad, like a piece of my childhood had died, all the friday nights poring over all the VHS tapes and settling on raiders of the lost ark again. But then they put a Five Guys Burger Joint in where the Blockbuster store used to be and suddenly I wasn't too worried about all the videos I would not be renting anymore.

Five Guys is an excellent Burger and Fries fast food restaurant which originated in the Washington DC area. Since all my inlaws are from DC I'd known about Five Guys for several years, and I love it. There are tons of options for your burger, every kind of topping under the sun, but the menu is simple.

One thing thats funny at Five Guys is there are free peanuts all over the place, its pretty awesome, also they tell you exactly where their potatoes are coming from that day. (almost always Idaho). Every thing is super delicious and fresh. The standard burger comes with 2 beef patties, so you gotta specify if you only want one.

So go try one you wont regret it, perfect for a saturday lunch.

 4105 Vinewood Ln N - Where Blockbuster once was, right next to Target.

It's the best burger in town!! (till we get our In-n-Out burger, but that just wouldn't fly, would it Eric Fernelious of Simi Valley, California?)

Summer Time Activities for Kids in and around Plymouth 2013

Here are some Cool Community events that can be fun for the whole family, many are free! The list is created by Minnesota ECFE


June
13 - 16 - Brooklyn Park Tater Daze, Noble Sports Park 4701 Oak Grove Pkwy
14 - 15 - Missoula Children's Theater - Plymouth Creek Center
15 - 16 - Art in the Park 10am til 5pm Basset Creek Park, Crystal
15, 29 - Little Splashers Pool Time 10:30am - 12:30pm Crystal Cove Pool $3
17 - Three Rivers Naturalist 6:45pm Snakes and Turtles, Hilde Small Stage
21 - Water Day, 12:30-2:15 Sheid Park
27 - 29 - Earle Brown Days, Centennial Park, Brooklyn Center
28 - Happy Birthday America Parade, 10am Plymouth Hilde Center
28 - Annette Fragele, Magician, 11am Hilde Center, Plymouth

July
2 - Music in Plymouth - 5pm Hilde Amphitheater
9 - Kid Power with Rachael 7pm Music with live animals, Parkers Lake
11-14 - Whiz Bang Days Robbinsdale
12 - Water Day 12:30- 2:15 Scheid Park
12, 13 - Prairie Fire Theater (12th at 7pm, 13th at 2pm) Robin Hood
13, 20 - Little Splashers Pool Time 10:30am - 12:30pm Crystal Cove Pool $3
15 - Ice Cream Social 7pm Brookview Park
17 - Water Ski Show, 7pm Parkers Lake
18, 25 - New Hope Summer Theater, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, 8pm, NH City Center
19-21 - Duk Duk Daze New Hope
23 - Brooklyn Center Puppet Playhouse, 7pm Centennial Park
24 - Concert, "the Zinghoppers"  11am Parkers Lake
25 - 28 - Crystal Frolics
26 - Penny Carnival, 10:30am- 12:30pm  Brookview Park
27 - Splash Bash 11:15am-12:45pm Crystal Cove Pool $4

August
1 - Pet and Wheel Parade, 6:15pm Robbinsdale
2 - Wet and Wild Fun Day, 12:30-3pm Lions Valley Place Park, Crystal $4
3, 10 - Little Splashers Pool Time, 10:30am - 12:30pm Crystal Cove Pool $3
4 - Concert, "Miss Catherine", 11am Parkers Lake
5 - Zoo Mobile, 6:45pm Cool Animals of the North, Hilde Small Stage.
7 - Picnic and Music 11:15am-12pm Brookview Park
7 - Water Ski Show 7pm Parkers Lake
10 - Antique Car Run 2pm Crystal Community Center

Have a great day in Plymouth!

Go to Music in Plymouth

This years Music in Plymouth is  Tuesday, July 1, 2014. BE THERE!

When your talking about your "MUST-DO" things to be done in Plymouth, #1 on the list has got to be Music in Plymouth. If the state fair is the Great-Minnesota-Get-Together, this is the Great-Northwest-Suburbs-Get-Together. Its an all-day outdoor event at the Hilde Amphitheater focused on live music. There are performances from several musicians all day. Its all a big build up to when the sun goes down, and the Minnesota Orchestra plays the classics and the crowd goes wild, and of course the fireworks show.  They always finish the night with a righteous fireworks show and I'm proud to be an american is usually pumping in the background and the crowd goes wild when Lee Greewood sings the line: "From the Lakes of Minnesota, to the hills of Tennesee."

I've been going to this event since I was a youngster, and it has remained largely unchanged. You gotta get there early if you want good seats. The adults hold down the blankets and lawn chairs to save good seats, while the middle school and high school kids hang out back by the Port-a-Pot's mixing and mingling and trying to figure out who they're going to cuddle up with during the fireworks show, and the young kids go down in front to dance to the music. A Few nice changes have occured though, such as the addition of a nice fountain and steps in the back of the audience area, and the chopping down of that huge tree in the middle of the grass which was doing some serious fire work viewing blockage.

The sea of people staking their claims at the Hilde Amphiteater for Music in Plymouth.

A sweet Fireworks show caps off the night at Music in Plymouth

The only 3 things that can make music in plymouth a little tough are high heat, mosquitos and parking.  So be sure to bring a cooler of beverages on ice and bugspray.  But if you dont its really no big deal because odds are if you forgot someone else will get you covered. But as far as parking goes, I've ridden a scooter and bikes before and that worked awesome to weave through traffic.

Soaking it up

Well, Music in Plymouth only occurs once a year on the week of the Fourth of July so put it on your calander and don't miss it!

Plymouth Skate Park

Classic Ramp at the Plymouth Skatepark.

The New Plymouth skatepark is awesome. For many years the skaters of plymouth have suffering at the old plymouth skatepark which was stuffed in the back corner of the industrial part of town and it was all made of lame portable metal ramps. In 2012 they tore up an old hockey rink at Plymouth Creek Park and put in a really nice skatepark. Its all concrete pour and really well made. They call it the skate plaza, and mostly everything there is 3 feet or less. The one thing about it that really blew my mind was the ramp they put in which is in the shape of the city of Plymouth logo.  I’ve skated here a few times and the vibe is pretty good, not too many crazies. Its a great thing to do in plymouth.

There’s a great website here of the company who made the park packed with photos of the park under construction all the way to completion. http://actionsportdesign.com/project/plymouth-mn-wheel-plaza/

The park is totally free and open to the public 24/4 its located just south of Rockford Road(aka county road 9) on Fernbrook.

All in all I give a major thumbs up to Plymouth parks and rec for getting this park put in a family friendly park/playground in the neighborhoods, easy access and a well-made and creative skate park, perfect for a summers afternoon.

Sweet front boardslide at plymouth skate park. Photo Credit to ASD

Ride the Merry Go Round!

A true rarity! a legitimate Merry-Go-Round! (Known in some circles as the big spinner or the roundabout) When I first came to Timber Shores Park I couldn't believe my eyes.  I thought for sure that "The Man" had washed playgrounds free from all the fun play equipment in the name of safety.  But no! This park actually has a full fledged merry go round with no restrictions, no safety precautions. So come on down with your friends spin it as fast as you can and try to the last one to stay on, and the first one to toss his cookies!!

Location is Timber Shores Park: Just west of Zachary Ln N & 53rd Ave N
Plymouth, MN
55442

My favorite story of Merry-Go-Rounds is about my Dad who is one of 8 kids. When he was a youngster, they went down to their local park to play king of the mountain on the Merry-Go-Round. Well, him and his siblings got their Merry-Go-Round really cranking to the point where the centrifugal forces made it so my dad was just hanging on with his hands for dear life and the rest of his body was completely horizontal, spinning round and round and round. So his brother started peeling his fingers off one by one until he flew off the Merry-Go-Round, but only far enough that his face was still in contact with the metal bars as they spun past him, each time smacking him in the face rapid fire.  Needless to say his nose was broken, but it’s that kind of thing that you can tell you’re kids one day and they’ll think you’re the man. Because you are!

Elm Creek Park



After tying the knot, getting to elm creek park has got to be first priority! (Photo Credit John Sharpe)

 Elm Creek Park is a lot of fun for all seasons. It’s just about 5 miles north of us in Plymouth, and it’s on James Deane parkway (I’m assuming not named after the rebel without a cause).

 In summertime there is a lot of great space for playing with kids and running around.  They have a stellar Frisbee Golf (Disc Golf) Course. They have camping areas, swimming areas, mountain biking trails, the whole nine yards! I actually helped make one of the trails myself.  Last summer a good friend of mine had his wedding reception at the park, it was a beautiful Minnesota night and they got some great pics.

One of the most absurd things about Elm creek park is that they have a man-made, chlorinated, filtered swimming hole with a nice sandy beach. This strikes me as hilarious but hey if you hate lake weeds, fish, and other lake monsters this is your place. We’ve got 10,000 lakes, we might as well chlorinate a few of ‘em.

But I think my favorite activities at elm creek park are the winter activities. They have a great snowboarding hill. Its small, only a rope tow to take you from top to bottom, but its PACKED with ramps and rails. Check out the video to see what it’s all about.

They also have top notch cross-country skiing, with several miles of trails.  And you can’t leave out the classic snow tubing hill! If you like to sled but don’t like to walk back up the hill this is the place for you. Ride down on their groomed trails and ride back up on the conveyer belt. Pretty awesome.

Ride around Medicine Lake

A great picture of Medicine Lake from the path. Photo Credit goes to TwinCitiesRealEstateBlog.com

  

With the weather changing and summer finally coming biking season is on. Plymouth has no shortage of bike paths, but my favorite in Plymouth is the medicine lake loop. The ride is perfect for a summer afternoon. Its about 8 miles long and there are good sidewalks for most of the way.  The course is slightly hilly but not terrible.  It’s a highly populated path and you see people running, biking, skateboarding, rollerblading, and even doing those crazy cross country skis on wheels.

Plymouth Locals enjoying a ride around the lake on bikes and blades.

A few highlights on the course:

You pass by 3 great parks: East Medicine lake Park, West Medicine Lake Park, and French Park all of which have beaches for swimming playgrounds for the youngsters.

You can travel up into the “City of Medicine Lake” if you want to take a quick detour. This is a fun area that is a peninsula completely surrounded entirely by the lake. There is a park and some interesting homes.

You get to go over 2 really long bridges through the wetlands and swamps. They are really fun to ride over but tough on rollerblades and skateboards. Also the gnats are pretty thick on this part of the trail.

The famous turtles of East Medicine Lake Park

The portion of the trail that conincides with East Medicine Lake Boulevard is super nice. There are no homes in between the road and the lake and you really get a nice scenic view of the lake from here, especially at sunset.

The trail is easy to find. It’s a loop so it doesn’t really have a start or finish but I always kind of think of the starting point as 36^th ave and Zachary Lane. From there I usually head in a clockwise direction following east Med Lake BLVD to South Shore Drive and then to West Med Lake Road. Then you head around the horn to Northwest Blvd and either around or through French Park. If you get confused just follow the shoreline.