Big Island Nature Park: Access, Rules & History

Big Island Nature Park is reached by private or otherwise arranged water transportation because it has no road access. The City of Orono lists two docks, including a public dock and one historically described for Minnehaha stops, but the Steamboat Minnehaha is dry-docked and not operating in 2026. Visitors should arrange both arrival and return without relying on Minnehaha service.

The City does not describe a land route to the park. Park hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., so build the return leg into the day rather than treating the dock as overnight access.

The rules prohibit overnight docking. Check the City of Orono facility page and rules before you go, especially if weather or lake conditions could change your plan.

Big Island Nature Park is a 56-acre municipal nature preserve owned and operated by the City of Orono. The preserve at 100 Big Island provides trails, two docks, and toilets for public day use from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Because it has no road access, visitors arrive by water and should confirm current City rules before leaving.

The property became the Big Island Veterans Camp in 1923 after its amusement-park era. The City of Orono says veterans and their families continued using the camp until 2003, and the City completed its purchase of the property for parkland in 2006.

The City's 2011 management plan contains older descriptions of the park. This guide does not treat those older trail or beach figures as current conditions; use the current facility page and rules when planning a visit.

The Big Island Amusement Park operated on the present nature-park property from 1906 through 1911 under the Twin City Rapid Transit Company. Visitors arrived by steam-powered ferryboats after taking streetcars from Minneapolis to Excelsior. The six-season attraction closed after the 1911 season and was later dismantled, but the City of Orono says entry stairs, foundation remnants, and some paved paths remain.

The City of Orono's management plan describes a family-oriented park with picnic facilities, a 1,500-seat music casino, aquarium, aviary, Ferris wheel, carousel, rowboat rental, baseball diamond, roller coaster, and other rides. The 186-foot central water tower was illuminated at night and visible from around the lake.

The management plan says the amusement park closed abruptly at the end of the 1911 season, likely for financial reasons, and was dismantled after World War I began. Today, the surviving entrance and foundation remnants are part of the cultural history within the nature preserve, not an operating amusement park.

Yes. Big Island Nature Park is a public City of Orono preserve, open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Visitors reach the island by water through the park's docks and must treat it as a day-use destination because the current City rules prohibit both overnight camping and overnight docking.

The City lists toilets at the park. It also asks visitors to follow the posted rules and take care of their waste, which matters more on an island site than at a roadside park.

At Big Island Nature Park, visitors may not fish, lounge, sunbathe, dive, or jump from the docks, and overnight docking is prohibited. Swimming is at your own risk and no lifeguard is provided; dogs may not enter the designated swimming-beach area.

Dogs are allowed only on a leash no longer than six feet, and their waste must be picked up. Motor vehicles and bicycles are not allowed in the park.

The City prohibits alcohol, glass, fireworks, open fires, charcoal fires, and overnight camping. Propane is allowed. These are park rules, so check the City's current document before your visit.

Before visiting Big Island Nature Park, plan a water arrival and departure during the 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. hours, bring what you need for a day visit, and read the City of Orono rules. The preserve is public, but its island setting and no-overnight rules require more planning than a drive-up park.

For people considering a Lake Minnetonka home, Big Island is a useful example of how water access changes the practical rhythm of lake life. I encourage buyers to ask how they will actually use the water, not just how it looks from the shoreline.