Lac Lavon Park

Burnsville, Minnesota · on Lac Lavon Lake · Lac Lavon/ Fisher Fields

Verified · 4 independent sources · top-verified

WATER: lake
ACCESS: Designated swim area
FEE: $66/year
SEASON: Varies by conditions

About Lac Lavon Park

Lac Lavon Park is a 71-acre City of Burnsville park on the shore of Lac Lavon Lake, offering an unguarded swimming beach along with softball fields, tennis and volleyball courts, a playground, and paved trails. The swimming hole sits about 2.7 miles from Apple Valley and 4 miles from Savage, giving Minnesota's south metro a convenient lake to swim in.

The park occupies the east side of Lac Lavon Drive about 1.5 miles south of County Road 42 in Burnsville, MN, on the shore of Lac Lavon Lake, a natural lake described by local residents as the clearest lake in Dakota County (about 12 feet of water clarity). The grounds include a six-field softball complex, tennis and volleyball courts, a picnic shelter, and paved walking trails alongside the lakeside beach area.

Swimming at Lac Lavon Park

Swimming happens off a sandy, unguarded beach on Lac Lavon Lake, there is no lifeguard, so it is swim-at-your-own-risk. The lake is described locally as unusually clear water for the area, and it also supports recreational fishing (sunfish, crappie, bass) and canoeing, with canoe storage racks available for annual rental.

How to get to this swimming hole

Park entrance and beach are at 15501 Lac Lavon Drive, Burnsville, MN, on the east side of Lac Lavon Drive about 1.5 miles south of County Road 42.

Parking: Off-street parking is available at the park (per local family-activities guide); the official city page does not itemize a parking lot separately.

The walk in

No real hike here. The water is a short walk from where you park. This is a drive-up city park: off-street parking sits within the same 71-acre grounds as the beach, connected by a short, flat, paved/hard-surface walking trail described as stroller-friendly. No dedicated hiking trail or meaningful distance separates parking from the swim area; it's a short walk, not a hike.

Plan your visit

Bringing kids

OK with supervision

Locals describe a sandy beach with easy, shallow-looking entry, and the park is otherwise very kid-oriented (playground, sand-floor play area, stroller-friendly paved path). However, the beach is officially unguarded (no lifeguard on duty per the city facility page), so caregivers need to supervise directly rather than relying on staff.

Parking

Free

Locals describe 'off-street parking'; the official city page does not itemize the lot (size, surface, or capacity) separately. No fee for parking or beach entry was found anywhere.

Water clarity

Clear

One local swimmer cited roughly 12 feet of Secchi-disk water clarity for Lac Lavon and called it the clearest lake in Dakota County. No additional independent clarity reports were found in this pass.

Hours

5:00 AM - 10:00 PM daily (same hours Mon-Fri and Sat-Sun), per the official City of Burnsville facility page. A 2026 notice on that page also warns of possible temporary closures/limited access to playground and other amenities during ongoing construction.

On the water

Canoes

The city itself runs an on-site annual canoe rack storage program ($66/yr resident, $83/yr non-resident), confirming canoe use is normal and sanctioned on the lake. No official rule text on motorized-boat restrictions, no-wake zones, or explicit kayak/paddleboard allowances was found, so those are left unconfirmed rather than assumed; given the lake's small size (public info search on MN DNR LakeFinder for exact acreage/motor rules did not return usable content in this pass) it plausibly sees light kayak/canoe traffic but this is not documented.

What regulars say

Visitor reports are limited to two firsthand accounts: one local singled out Lac Lavon for unusually clear water (roughly 12 ft Secchi depth, calling it the clearest lake in Dakota County), and one angler described it as a real, actively fished lake holding sunfish, crappie, and bass. Extensive additional searching for crowd levels, rental options, and further commentary did not surface more first-hand visitor reports, so no new insights beyond these two are included.

Backstory

In May 2024, an 18-year-old Bethel University student working a summer job for a commercial aquatic-weed-removal contractor drowned while diving in Lac Lavon; the resulting Minnesota OSHA investigation produced a $730,369 fine, reported as the largest such penalty in state history at the time.

Lac Lavon Park: FAQ

Does Lac Lavon Park charge a fee?

No entrance fee found for the park or beach itself. The city charges an annual fee for the on-site canoe storage racks: $66/year for Burnsville residents, $83/year for non-residents.

Is Lac Lavon Park kid friendly?

Do I need to hike to reach Lac Lavon Park?

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

Where do I park for Lac Lavon Park?

Locals describe 'off-street parking'; the official city page does not itemize the lot (size, surface, or capacity) separately. No fee for parking or beach entry was found anywhere.

Can I bring a kayak or paddleboard to Lac Lavon Park?

What are the rules at Lac Lavon Park?

Park hours are 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily per the official city facility page. The beach is explicitly unguarded (no lifeguard on duty).

What water body is Lac Lavon Park on?

Lac Lavon Park is on Lac Lavon Lake, a natural lake verified in USGS hydrography data.