Clifton E. French Regional Park

Plymouth, Minnesota · on Medicine Lake

Verified · 2 independent sources

WATER: lake
ACCESS: Designated swim area
FEE: Free
SEASON: Beach is officially open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, 9 AM-8 PM daily.

About Clifton E. French Regional Park

Clifton E. French Regional Park is a Three Rivers Park District regional park in Plymouth, Minnesota, with a free, unguarded public swimming beach on the shore of Medicine Lake. The 886-acre lake also supports boating, paddling, and fishing, alongside the park's trail network and picnic facilities.

The park sits along the northern shore of Medicine Lake, an 886-acre lake in the Minneapolis western suburbs, with the beach and swimming area set within a larger developed regional park that also includes a visitor center, boat launch, fishing pier, picnic shelters, and multiple trail systems.

Swimming at Clifton E. French Regional Park

Swimming is at a designated sand beach on Medicine Lake, a large suburban lake rather than a secluded natural swimming hole. The beach is free to use and unguarded (no lifeguard on duty), suiting casual swimmers and families who bring their own supervision; changing rooms and restrooms are located nearby.

How to get to this swimming hole

The park is located at 12605 Rockford Road, Plymouth, MN 55441, on the north side of Medicine Lake.

The hike in

The swim beach is a drive-up destination directly served by the park's main lot; no hike is needed to reach the water. The park separately offers a paved 1.1-mile 'Trail at Your Pace' loop near the visitor center and a 4.6-mile paved biking/hiking loop connecting the visitor center and beach, but these are optional recreational trails, not access routes to the swimming area.

Parking is adjacent to the beach; walk from car to sand is minimal (exact minutes not stated on official sources).

Plan your visit

Bringing kids

OK with supervision

Designated sand swim beach on a lake, but it is unguarded (no lifeguard on duty per official park page), so parents must supervise directly. District-wide policy provides free loaner life jackets at some Three Rivers beaches and requires swim diapers for children not yet toilet-trained. No data found on beach entry slope/depth specifically.

Parking

Free

General car parking at the beach/visitor center lot is free. A separate daily or annual trailer parking pass is required only if launching watercraft at the park's boat launch (not needed just to swim).

Restrooms

Yes

Changing rooms and restrooms are located near the swimming beach; additional restrooms are at the park's visitor center.

Water clarity

Often murky

No first-hand clarity report (e.g., Secchi depth) or visitor account was located. However, water-quality monitoring summarized on Medicine Lake's Wikipedia entry (citing the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission) states chlorophyll-a (algae) levels have risen significantly over 20 years and the lake fails to meet state pollution-control standards; the lake also hosts invasive curly-leaf pondweed, Eurasian watermilfoil, and starry stonewort. These point to algae- and weed-prone, likely turbid conditions in summer, though this is inferred from water-quality data rather than a direct clarity observation.

Hours

Park grounds: 5 AM-10 PM daily. Swimming beach: officially open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, 9 AM-8 PM, unguarded.

On the water

KayaksCanoesPaddleboardsRowboatsPaddleboatMotorboats

Medicine Lake (902 acres) has a park boat launch requiring a daily/annual trailer parking pass; no horsepower, no-wake, or electric-only restriction was found in official sources (absence of a stated restriction is not confirmation none exists). Boats are launched away from the designated swim beach.

Rentals nearby

Three Rivers Park District Watercraft Rental (on-site at French Regional Park)

Canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, rowboats, and paddleboats for rent directly at the park on Medicine Lake

On-site at French Regional Park, Medicine Lake, Plymouth, MN · Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day (specific daily hours and prices not published on the pages reviewed); online reservations open up to 7 days ahead via https://go.threeriversparks.org/ThreeRiversWeb/

Clifton E. French Regional Park: FAQ

Does Clifton E. French Regional Park charge a fee?

The swimming beach itself is free to use. A daily or annual trailer parking pass is required for launching watercraft at the boat launch.

Is Clifton E. French Regional Park kid friendly?

Do I need to hike to reach Clifton E. French Regional Park?

No significant hike is required. The swimming area is close to parking and access.

Where do I park for Clifton E. French Regional Park?

Can I bring a kayak or paddleboard to Clifton E. French Regional Park?

When is the best time to visit Clifton E. French Regional Park?

Beach is officially open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, 9 AM-8 PM daily.

What are the rules at Clifton E. French Regional Park?

No lifeguard is on duty at the beach; swimmers are responsible for their own safety. District-wide rules (likely applicable here) require swim diapers for children not yet toilet-trained, and dogs must be leashed and are not allowed to swim in the designated beach area (leashed wading in adjacent water is permitted).

What water body is Clifton E. French Regional Park on?

Clifton E. French Regional Park is on Medicine Lake, a natural lake verified in USGS hydrography data.