Carver Lake Park is a gem, even in the dead of winter!

This park was really pretty, and was big enough for plenty of adventures. Being lakeside, it, of course, has exceptional summer recreational opportunities, including swimming, volleyball, grilling, and beach play.

Be advised the trails aren't marked very well, so I highly recommend taking a picture of the trail system or printing a copy prior to heading out on a hike or bike. These trails are fairly busy, even in the middle of winter, as we saw several people enjoying winter biking with the fat tires along the trails. I'm told this park is also great for snowshoeing. In fact, the main Carver Lake Loop Trail, which is 3.6 miles long, is reserved for cross-country skiers, snowshoers, and fat tire mountain bikers exclusively in the winter months. Some hikers come to this park in winter and are disappointed to discover most of the trails are non-hiking during the cold weather months. Of course, during the rest of the year, the trails are great for hikers of all kinds and don't include crazy elevation changes or other difficulties.

We had brought our snowshoes, actually, but had such a great time at the playground that we never actually got to the snowshoeing part! This playground was really nice. It was set back from the parking lot, just slightly, and up a little hill. It had many equipment choices to choose from, including the usual suspects like swings, slides, and climbing equipment, and also some surprises, like a rolling log-type item you stand and walk on. But the most exciting surprise for the girls (especially for little one) was a little kids picnic table and benches hidden, tucked underneath one of the playground pieces. The girls actually didn't even see it, so I had to point it out. They were delighted and talked the rest of the day about how mommy could have packed a little picnic so we could have eaten it down in the secret playhouse.

We had a lovely time together at this park and would definitely recommend it in any season. After enjoying some family time here, head over to Woodbury Cafe for some amazing, fresh eats!