Photo Set

Cedar Lake

Shoreline, beaches, fishing piers, and parkland on Minneapolis's Chain of Lakes

Cedar LakeMinneapolis, MN

Cedar Lake sits on the west side of Minneapolis, connected to Bde Maka Ska and Lake of the Isles by channels and parkland that together form the city's Chain of Lakes. The lake is managed by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and remains one of the more natural-feeling bodies of water in the system, with wooded shorelines and a relatively uninterrupted edge compared to its neighbors.

Aerial view of Minneapolis downtown skyline at twilight with West Lake Street light rail station, Cedar Lake, and Bde Maka Ska visible.View full post: Downtown Minneapolis Skyline Beyond Cedar Lake and Bde Maka Ska
July 31, 2026 — Cedar Lake and Bde Maka Ska sit west of downtown Minneapolis, two of the city's Chain of Lakes connected by the Midtown Greenway and nearby bike paths. The METRO Green Line's West Lake Street station, built along the Kenilworth corridor, opened in 2023 to link this area to downtown and the University of Minnesota.
Kayakers and paddleboarders paddle through a tree-lined channel connecting Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis.View full post: Kayaks and Paddleboards Fill the Cedar Lake Channel
July 12, 2026 — The Kenilworth Channel joins Cedar Lake to Lake of the Isles, part of the Chain of Lakes in Minneapolis. Dug in 1913, it lets paddlers pass between the two lakes beneath a stone footbridge. Kayakers and paddleboarders move through the channel's lily pads toward the bridge.
Beachgoers and boaters gather at Hidden Beach on Cedar Lake with Minneapolis downtown skyline beyond.View full post: Paddlers and Sunbathers Crowd Hidden Beach on Cedar Lake
May 24, 2026 — Hidden Beach is an informal swimming spot on the north shore of Cedar Lake in Minneapolis, reached by a wooded trail rather than a paved parking lot. Cedar Lake itself covers about 170 acres and connects to Lake of the Isles through a channel dug in 1913. Canoes and paddleboards cross the water as sunbathers gather on the beach below the downtown skyline.
Beautiful sunset around Cedar Lake in MinneapolisView full post: Beautiful sunset around Cedar Lake in Minneapolis
June 11, 2025 — A spectacular sunset around Cedar Lake yesterday. Although probably made possible by incoming wildfire smoke.
Tall trees with golden autumn foliage mirror in the still water of Cedar Lake in Minneapolis.View full post: Fall Color Reflected Along Cedar Lake’s Shoreline
October 8, 2024 — Cedar Lake is one of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, about 170 acres and 51 feet deep at its deepest. A wooded shoreline of cottonwoods and other hardwoods rings much of the lake, turning gold and orange each October.
Beachgoers and a paddleboarder at Hidden Beach on Cedar Lake with Minneapolis downtown skyline rising beyond autumn trees.View full post: Downtown Minneapolis Towers Seen from Hidden Beach on Cedar Lake
September 26, 2024 — Hidden Beach is a beach on the east side of Cedar Lake in Minneapolis, with no lifeguards or city upkeep. Cedar Lake covers about 170 acres and is one of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, joined to Lake of the Isles by the Kenilworth Channel.
Memorial bench overlooking Cedar Lake in Minneapolis, Minnesota, surrounded by vegetation and trees.View full post: A Memorial Bench Overlooking Cedar Lake
September 20, 2024 — A memorial bench dedicated to Geoffrey Hellman sits along the shore of Cedar Lake in Minneapolis, part of a park program that lets people sponsor a bench for a decade. Its plaque reads, "for my husband Geoffrey Hellman who finds his peace here on the shores of Cedar Lake. Randi." Cedar Lake is one of the city's Chain of Lakes, managed by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
A person fishes from a bench on Cedar Lake's shore in Minneapolis with downtown towers visible across the water.View full post: Angler Casts a Line into Cedar Lake Near Downtown Minneapolis
September 11, 2024 — Cedar Lake is one of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, about 170 acres and 51 feet deep at its deepest point. An angler casts a line from the shore toward the open water.
An angler stands on a wooden pier fishing on Cedar Lake in Minneapolis at dusk.View full post: Fishing Pier on Cedar Lake With the Downtown Skyline Beyond
June 30, 2024 — Cedar Lake is one of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, a roughly 170-acre lake on the city's west side with a maximum depth of about 51 feet. A wooden pier extends into the water, giving anglers access away from the shoreline's reeds and trees. The downtown Minneapolis skyline rises beyond the tree line on the lake's far shore.
Cedar Lake in Minneapolis glows with orange and green park lighting during twilight hours in September 2023.View full post: Autumn Trees Reflected in Cedar Lake, Minneapolis
September 19, 2023 — Cedar Lake is one of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, about 170 acres and 51 feet deep at its deepest. The Kenilworth Channel, dug in 1913, joins it to Lake of the Isles.
A bench sits on the shore of Cedar Lake in Minneapolis, with dense green trees mirrored in the still water.View full post: A Wooded Shoreline Path at Cedar Lake, Minneapolis
June 14, 2023 — Cedar Lake is one of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, roughly 170 acres with a maximum depth of about 51 feet. A bench sits along its wooded shoreline near a sandy path leading down to the water.
Cedar Lake South Beach in Minneapolis offers a sandy shoreline with trees and calm water under evening light.View full post: Sandy Shoreline at Cedar Lake South Beach
May 25, 2019 — Cedar Lake South Beach sits on the south shore of Cedar Lake in Minneapolis, one of the city's Chain of Lakes. The lake covers about 170 acres and reaches 51 feet at its deepest point, with a sandy swimming beach on this side and a mostly wooded shoreline elsewhere around it.
Wooded trail along the north shore of Cedar Lake in Minneapolis with sandy path and lake visible through trees.View full post: Wooded Trail Down to Cedar Lake’s North Shore
June 10, 2017 — Cedar Lake is one of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, tucked between the Kenilworth corridor and the Bryn Mawr neighborhood west of downtown. It covers about 170 acres and reaches roughly 51 feet at its deepest point, with a dirt path cutting down through the wooded shoreline to the water.

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