Schaper Park — Fitness, Play, and Trail Access

Location

4824 Schaper Rd
Golden Valley, MN 55422

Schaper Park opened in September of 2017 and features Minnesota’s first outdoor fitness challenge course. Intended for ages 13 and up, the course sends participants over, under, around and through a series of obstacles while they race the clock—an ideal setting for budding ninja warriors. Visitors can also compete with one another in the 40-yd dash.

A fully inclusive play structure offers a less adventurous option and is designed for kids and families of all ability levels.

The park and its amenities came from a collaboration involving the City of Golden Valley, Three Rivers Park District, Golden Valley Rotary, Golden Valley Community Foundation, MN/WI Playground and Paul’s Pals.

Trails Through Schaper Park

Hikers and bikers can access the Luce Line Regional Trail directly through Schaper Park. A paved, nine-mile segment runs from Theodore Wirth Regional Park through Golden Valley and onward to Plymouth. The complete Luce Line State Trail covers 63 miles, continuing west through rural Minnesota before ending at Thompson Lake in Cosmos.

Heading west, Medicine Lake provides a backdrop for wooden bridges above the Bassett Creek marshlands. From there, the trail crosses suburban areas and wooded sections, passes wetlands and lakes, travels through tallgrass prairie remnants, and continues into the countryside across varying surfaces. In the eastward direction, it connects with the Minneapolis Grand Rounds Scenic Byway trail network and offers skyline views of Minneapolis.