A big deal at Big Marine

One of the metro area's finest recreational lakes is about to get busier, with this weekend's grand opening of Big Marine Park Reserve.

The Washington County park, located off County Road 15 in May Township, had a soft opening over Memorial Day weekend but it officially raises its curtain Saturday after decades of planning.

"It's exciting for a lot of people just because it has been so long," said John Elholm, director of the Washington County parks. "This is 20 years in the making."

Phase I of the park's development is complete and features a swimming beach, a boat launch onto Big Marine Lake and a state-of-the-art playground.

But the main attraction is the lake and the surrounding natural landscape. The rolling hills, wetlands and glacial deposits made it an ideal choice for a regional park, county officials say. The county owns 635 acres of land near the lake. When the park is fully developed it will rest on 1,800 acres and 80 percent of the land will have been set aside for preservation.

Just off County Road 4 near the park's main entrance, new homes are popping up, a sign of encroaching development.

"It's moving closer," Elholm said. "We tried to acquire this land before the development comes in. We're trying to protect this for the public."

Dennis Hegberg, a Washington County commissioner, said the county started acquiring land for the park in 1989. The plan to establish a regional park drew opposition at times over the years. Some people disagreed with the county's master plan for Big Marine Park Reserve.

"A lot of people thought it was too big of an endeavor because they couldn't envision us ever needing that kind of land," Hegberg recalled. "They thought, 'You can get by with a couple hundred acres' instead of what was proposed."

Eventually, the county was able to move forward and acquired the last parcels of land needed for the park's first development phase.

Natural and man-made beauty

On a recent sneak preview of the park, the sound of Bobcats hauling dirt and the smell of varnish on new buildings filled the air as workers put on the finishing touches.

"We're thinking it will be good for kids," Elholm said, noting that the water is only four feet deep at the far end of the swimming area.

Two lifeguard chairs tower over the 350-foot long, sandy beach. Behind the beach is a building with changing rooms, a family bathroom and a lifeguard station. There is also a picnic area with tables and grills.

The new park also has a public boat launch with two floating docks and a parking lot with 33 spaces for cars with boat trailers. The lake is well-known for bass fishing, said Hegberg, who has fished there many times

Big Marine Lake, he said, is also one of the best recreational and scenic lakes in the Twin Cities. "It compares to Minnetonka as far as [water] clarity and beautiful scenery," Hegberg said.

One particular feature of the new boat launch worth noting, Elholm said, is that it tips away from the lake so the water drains into nearby rain gardens, thereby protecting the water from pollution.

He said he expects the park will draw 80,000 to 100,000 people a year once it's fully up and running. In time, it will become a year-round park, but this year it will close for the season in October.

County officials plan to add a fishing pier next year and more trails and a camping area in several years as more development phases are completed.

"It's obviously not done yet," Elholm said, "but it won't be too long."