Bde Maka Ska — Attraction in Minneapolis

04/22/2025 - The Bde Maka Ska Lake (as of 2018. Pronounced: "b-day ma-KHA skah". Formerly known as Lake Calhoun.) located in the city limits of Minneapolis, MN at 3000 Bde Maka Ska Parkway Minneapolis, MN has a good length walking and jogging trail, and a separate trail for bicycles, rollerbladers, skateboarders, and single-wheel hoverboard users (like, OneWheel boards) each going around the lake. The length of the trails are: Pedestrian at 3.1 miles; and Bike at 3.19 miles. Both trails are paved. The Pedestrian and Bike Trails are adjacent to each other.

• Be Cautious when using the Pedestrian Trail to watch for Uneven Pavement! * --- The Pedestrian Trail has a few bad areas on the South end of the trail; and a lot of bad uneven pavement spots on the West side of the trail.

Unfortunately, our experience renting a canoe here about a month ago was very disappointing and unsafe.

My family (my parents, aged 67 and 68, myself, and my 18-month-old baby) rented a canoe even though none of us are swimmers. I clearly told the staff that we don’t know swimming, but they still allowed us to go without giving any safety instructions or warning. No one even suggested that we wear life jackets properly — not even for my baby. We had to put them on ourselves.

Within 5–10 minutes, our canoe flipped in deep water. It was terrifying, especially for my elderly parents and baby. We shouted for help, but staff on shore did nothing. My husband said they were watching but not acting. He had to run to the rental office and demand help before anyone came. By that time, two kind kayakers had already helped rescue my baby and parents.

Even after this traumatic experience, I emailed the company about what happened and later followed up regarding my ID, but never received any reply.

The lake itself is beautiful and peaceful, but the staff’s lack of professionalism, safety awareness, and responsibility completely ruined the experience. I hope management seriously improves their safety standards before allowing more families, especially those with kids or elderly members, to go out...

Bde Maka Ska (formerly known as Lake Calhoun) is a great place to go to if you're in the Minneapolis area. It has a couple beach areas that are great for not only relaxing and getting a tan, but also for taking a nice swim. It can get a little crowded at times, but usually you can find a spot and a lot of people stay on the beach rather than go in the water anyway. There is also a path that navigates around the entire lake which is super nice for running, walking, biking, walking your dog, long-boarding, skating, etc. There are areas for kids to play at (playgrounds) and lots of areas to park. There are even volleyball courts which are usually not being used too frequently. Highly recommend checking out the area considering there are tons of restaurants and attractions encompassing the area surrounding the...