Day Tripping: Moose Lake park is a treat

The old saying goes that water holds memories, and if that is true, the beach at Moose Lake city park holds its fair share of mine.

Moose Lake was one of the campgrounds we would hit almost every year as I grew up. Now we bring our children to the same hallowed haunt where I spent many a summer day playing with my best friend, Kyle Burggraff, my sister, Hailey Graves, or any of the other family friends that joined us for the journey. If you are looking for a day trip or even to spend a few nights close to home, Moose Lake Park & Campground is just what you’re looking for.

Not to be confused with the Moose Lake State Park — which boasts an array of other advantages — Moose Lake Park and Campground is located off the main drag of Arrowhead Lane and is connected to the Moose Lake public beach and playground. As the name implies, this is open to anyone looking for a space to cool off in the water, get some energy out at the playground, or laze about at one of the picnic tables or covered dwellings.

Though we have yet to take advantage of them, they also offer rentals to a large city park pavilion, which would be great for grad parties or family get-togethers, or a band shell for you to take center stage. Bike trails and a boat launch offer other ways to enjoy the lake and surrounding areas with easy access to town.

The beach itself is wide enough to accommodate many families. The lake is fairly sandy and is shallow enough for the first 20 feet, so the little ones can venture out safely and still feel like they get some space from their beach-dwelling guardians. My girls get a kick out of how far out they could go before they got to our highly scientific and parent-tested measurement of “up to your armpits.”

Admittedly, the one downside we have come across is that the local goose population, of which there is a multitude, often live up to their digestive reputation and can at times detract from the otherwise very clean and inviting beaches. The playground is close at hand if the kiddos need some time to warm up and dry off, and the sand on the beach always seems perfect for sand castles.

If you are invested enough to want to spend more than the day, the campground seamlessly blends into the side of the public park and offers tent and RV sites as well as a shower house and its own playground. If you have young children, I would advise trying to rent one of the sites that overlook the playground so they can run off and play and still be within sight. The freedom we felt as kids with this was amazing: we would ride our bikes and scooters in the paved lot beside the park, play lava monster, kick the can or ghost in the graveyard on the playground (made extra spooky with the empty former school nearby) and lob water balloons at one another in those halcyon days of youth. With the beach nearby and two playgrounds to choose from, there are plenty of options.

Town is a few minutes walk or short drive and offers lots to do, even on those dreaded rainy days. This year we met with some family friends and took everyone out to Poor Gary’s Pizza. We toyed with the idea of going to the Historic Lake Theater to catch a show but opted out to make use of the beautiful evening. On our way out from our annual camping trip we try to grab breakfast at the Lazy Moose, boasting pancakes that would make Paul Bunyan proud. With shops scattered around town, an antique mall and a convention center that usually has something fun going on inside, there is plenty to do no matter the weather.

I hope you consider taking the short trip out to Moose Lake before summer days are gone. It is more than close enough to go to just for the day if you are looking for something to do. We love it. Though the recollection of years gone by can be bittersweet for me, it is truly wonderful to watch my girls whooping it up on the same playground and splashing around in the same water as Kyle and I did, making memories of their own.

Cloquet’s Darrell and Emily Davey and their two 9-year-old daughters agreed to share their summer getaways with Pine Knot News readers. Look for more before summer’s end. Contact the Davey family at

[email protected].