Big Marine Park Reserve — Attraction in May Township

We recently had the joy of hosting the Forest Lake Nature School at Big Marine Park Reserve, and even a summer storm couldn’t stop the kids from laughing, exploring, and playing in the rain 🌧️🌿 It was one of those rare days where joy and nature meet effortlessly—muddy boots, wet hair, and big smiles.

As a local wellness business just south of Big Marine, we’re incredibly grateful to have this wild, beautiful space so close. The bees at Honeycomb Cottage MN seem to love it too—our hives thrive just down the road, and we often hear from visitors how peaceful and restorative the entire area feels.

It’s a gift to raise children—and bees—in a place where nature is still allowed to be this alive. Thank you, Washington County Parks, for preserving this treasure. We’ll be back (hopefully with more puddles!).

—Ruth + Austin Honeycomb Cottage MN (Air Bee & Bee + nature-based healing experience...

Big Marine Park Preserve has a lot to offer. However, you are required to pay in order to use this facility. There is a spacious beach to swim and cool off on a hot day. Additionally, if you have kids, their playground is absolutely massive. Several large slides, monkey bars, a pirate ship themed section, a climbing wall, and a totally separate toddler area. Super nice. If picnicking is your desire, there are several shelters and grills throughout the park grounds. The boat launch is well-maintained and has two docks. Nature lovers can view our Minnesota state bird, the loon. There is a mating pair and their two babies which seem to have made their home in the Lake.

Great park. Worth the money if you plan to make a day of it. The cost of a day pass is $7. The machine accepts...

This park was AMAZING! The beach and lake were beautiful as well. There were picnic tables and grass, and a nice sandy beach. It allows you to drive right up to it which is really nice. The facilities are very well kept and very clean. The kids favorite part was the park, which it looked like was manufactured by either Step2 or Little Tikes, it is very tall and a very beautiful playing structure. There is an area for big kids to have fun and an area for smaller children to enjoy. I could spend the entire day here easily, we purchased the year pass for this park and we plan to get our use out of it!...