Minnetonka's two biggest park changes this cold season are happening at opposite ends of the city, and both move the same way. At Shady Oak Beach, a summer swimming spot becomes a reservation-only sauna site, and this fall it gets a second sauna. At Purgatory Park, off-leash dogs are moving from signed zones toward about 13 acres of fenced land, and the clearing work starts this winter. Both places are going from loose, drop-in use to defined spaces with set rules, and anyone who uses either park will feel the change.
Shady Oak Beach Now Runs on a Booking Calendar
The City describes Shady Oak Beach as "transformed into a sauna and cold-plunge oasis October-April." This season opens Friday, Oct. 23. Registration for the fall sessions, which run Oct. 23 through Dec. 6, is open now, and more weekday sessions start Nov. 18.
The setup is two Voyageur saunas named Horizon and Vista. Each has an IKI wood-fire stove, and there's an outdoor bonfire on site. Registered guests can also take an optional cold plunge in the lake. What you need before you book:
- Session length: 1 hour, 25 minutes
- Price: $28 per person
- Age: 18 and older
- Public session size: seven to eight people
- Private groups: $280 for up to 10 people, select hours on Saturdays and Sundays
- Cancellations: at least one week ahead for a refund
- Registration: required in advance, and the City warns that spots fill fast
A private group costs the same as ten public tickets, $28 a head at $280 for ten. A full group pays nothing extra to have the sauna to itself. A group of six pays about $47 a person for the privacy, so filling the bench matters if you're organizing friends.
The one-week cancellation window is the rule most likely to catch someone. A drop-in park visit can be dropped at the last minute. A sauna session booked on a Monday for that Saturday can't be refunded.
The Second Sauna Is the Real News
The program is no longer an experiment. The City says it ran a pilot in 2023, and public sessions began Oct. 4, 2024. This fall adds a second sauna, which the City sums up as "twice the offerings, twice the cold plunges and twice the heat." The changing facility has also been upgraded with better heat and bathrooms.
Public sessions cap at seven or eight people per sauna. With Horizon and Vista both running, the beach can hold roughly twice as many people at a time as it could with one unit. In practice, more of the people trying to book on a given weekend should get a slot. The extended weekday schedule from Nov. 18 adds more slots on top of that, so the late-fall stretch before Dec. 6 is when booking should be easiest.
The upgraded changing facility gets less attention than the saunas, but it may matter just as much. A cold plunge in a Minnetonka lake in late November is one thing, and a heated place to change afterward is what makes coming back realistic.
Purgatory Park Gets Its Lines Drawn
On the dog-walking side of the city, the change is bigger and more disputed. At its Aug. 31 meeting, the Minnetonka City Council approved two fenced off-leash zones in Purgatory Park, Areas 2 and 5. The motion itself names them North Area 5 and South Area 2.
The two areas differ a lot. According to the council presentation reported by the Sun Sailor, Area 2 covers about nine acres of high-quality woodland and oak savanna with a 3,000-foot perimeter. Area 5 is about four acres of weedy, low-quality woodland with a 2,000-foot perimeter. Both will be reached from the park's existing trail system.
For scale, Three Rivers Park District lists the fenced off-leash area at Bryant Lake at 9.3 acres. Area 2 alone comes close to that, and the two Purgatory zones together are larger.
The estimated cost is $218,000. That covers tree and brush removal, site restoration, fencing, signs, waste bag stations and trash cans. About $125,000 of it is fencing, using wood posts and welded wire mesh, the option staff recommended after Bolton & Menk's feasibility study weighed five fence types. Fencing is more than half the budget. The money is being moved from two older Park and Trail fund projects tied to the red barn site from before 2020, plus unspent funds from the 2023 park habitat stewardship plan.
The Sun Sailor said the decision followed community complaints asking for updated off-leash safety rules, and that the public response has been mixed. Two residents spoke against the plan at the Aug. 31 public hearing:
"My position is that I really think your putting up a fence is unnecessary. It's an unnecessary expense." Karen McGowen
"I think you're using a sledgehammer to attack a problem that doesn't even really exist." Craig Alciati
The council had doubts too. Councilmember Amanda Maxwell suggested trying daily leash schedules before designating fenced areas, and gave a 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. leash requirement as an example. Councilmember Deb Calvert objected to spending money on fencing. Councilmember Kimberly Wilburn opposed the staff recommendation altogether. The leash schedule was only a suggestion and is not a rule in the park.
How Purgatory Got Here
The fence vote came after almost two years of smaller steps:
- November 2024: The council adopts a revised off-leash dog ordinance for Purgatory Park.
- April 2025: Staff present an Off-Leash Dog Strategy and Guidance Plan.
- May 2025: Areas 2 and 3 in the south end are first considered for off-leash use.
- Aug. 25, 2025: The council directs staff to try Areas 2 and 3, plus an unleashed corridor to the main parking lot, to see how well the plan works.
- July 15, 2026: The City reviews fencing costs and a plan built on Areas 2 and 5.
- Aug. 31, 2026: Fenced Areas 2 and 5 are approved.
Area 2 shows up in every version of the plan. Area 3 was dropped from the final plan and Area 5 was added.
What Changes for Dog Walkers Between Now and Spring
For now, the City's park page says dogs may be off leash only in designated areas marked by signs or fencing. Purgatory Park is open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Look for signs at the trailhead instead of going by what last year's routine allowed.
City staff expect clearing and restoration to start this fall and winter. Brush and tree removal begins this winter and continues into early 2027, and fence installation and new signs are targeted for as soon as spring 2027. Before work goes ahead, staff have to get quotes from several specialty fencing contractors. None of the published coverage says whether any trails or sections will close during the clearing. Check the City's notices before walking into Area 2 or Area 5 on a winter morning.
If a fenced space is what you want before spring, Bryant Lake's 9.3-acre fenced area through Three Rivers is available now.
Minnetonka Boulevard Is Building Toward The Marsh
The same pattern shows up along Minnetonka Boulevard. The trail project from Tonkawood Road to The Marsh is moving along. The City's Oct. 1 update reported trail grading and asphalt patching, along with private utilities being relocated. The City's project page changes often, so check it for the latest status.
At The Marsh, 15000 Minnetonka Blvd., the City put out a request on July 23 for a café operator. No operator has been named. Taken together, a new trail and a possible café give the boulevard a set route and a stopping point at The Marsh, much like the saunas at Shady Oak and the fences at Purgatory.
Dates to Put on the Calendar
| Date | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Sauna in the Parks opens for fall | Shady Oak Beach |
| Fri., Oct. 30, 5 to 7:30 p.m. | Burwell Spooktacular, free, with games, crafts, performers, food vendors and house tours | Burwell House grounds, 13209 E. McGinty Road |
| Nov. 18 | Extended weekday sauna sessions begin | Shady Oak Beach |
| Dec. 6 | Last day of the fall sauna session window | Shady Oak Beach |
| Winter into early 2027 | Brush and tree removal for Areas 2 and 5 | Purgatory Park |
| Spring 2027 target | Fence installation and new signs | Purgatory Park |
The Burwell Spooktacular is the one item on the list that needs no booking and has no fence. Plan to go on Oct. 30 any time between 5 and 7:30 p.m.
If you live near Purgatory Park or Shady Oak Beach and want to know how changes like these could affect your street, our local agents at MOVE Real Estate follow Minnetonka park projects closely and are happy to talk them through with you. Let's Connect.
