Mounds swim beach
Sanborn, Minnesota
Verified · 3 independent sources
- WATER
- reservoir
- FALLS
- Waterfall on site
- ACCESS
- Designated swim area
- FEE
- $20
- SEASON
- April 15 through October 15 (posted day-use season).
About Mounds swim beach
Mound Creek Park is a Brown County, Minnesota park near Sanborn built around a 70-acre reservoir impounded by the Wellner-Hageman Dam, a flood-control project completed and dedicated in 1993. The county maintains an official sand swimming beach on the reservoir along with picnic, camping, and disc golf facilities, making the reservoir both a local swimming hole and an easy lake to swim in.
The park sits in southwestern Brown County along Mound Creek, where the Wellner-Hageman Dam impounds a 70-acre reservoir. The grounds include a picnic area with a small waterfall (the dam spillway/outlet), open grassy areas, and a wooded shoreline typical of the rolling farmland-and-creek-valley terrain of this part of southwestern Minnesota.
Swimming at Mounds swim beach
The county operates a designated sand swimming beach on the reservoir, suited to casual, family-style lake swimming rather than a wild or scenic swimming-hole experience; the reservoir also supports fishing and canoeing alongside the beach.
How to get to this swimming hole
Located at 10453 450th Ave, Sanborn, MN 56083, in southwestern Brown County; nearest towns per county records include Sanborn and Lamberton.
Parking: Gravel parking lots on-site (confirmed via OpenStreetMap mapping of the park grounds); the official park page does not itemize parking capacity.
The hike in
- Time on foot
- Under 5 minutes from car to water.
The swim beach is a drive-up amenity adjacent to the on-site gravel parking, reachable in roughly a 1-2 minute walk with no elevation gain. The park separately lists 'hiking trails' among its facilities and references a 'Trail/Creek Map PDF' on its official page, but this trail network is a recreational add-on around the reservoir/disc-golf grounds, not something you need to walk to reach the water.
Could not retrieve the county's Trail/Creek Map PDF to get names or distances for the separate on-site hiking trails; treat those as optional extra walking, unrelated to swim access.
Plan your visit
Bringing kids
OK with supervision
Official sand swimming beach designed for casual family use, but no lifeguard presence is confirmed anywhere in county materials and the beach sits on a dammed reservoir (Wellner-Hageman Dam) where depth near the dam/spillway is unknown, supervise kids closely.
Parking
Free
Two gravel parking lots on-site (confirmed via OpenStreetMap mapping of the park grounds). No day-use parking fee is mentioned anywhere in official Brown County materials, only picnic shelter rental ($20, tax included) and camping (tent $10, trailer $25) carry stated fees.
Restrooms
Yes
Restrooms and a handicap-accessible facility are listed on-site at the park by the official Brown County park page; exact location relative to the beach (vs. picnic/camping area) is not itemized.
Hours
8 AM to sunset, April 15 through October 15 (day-use season), per the official Brown County park page.
On the water
The official Brown County park page states the reservoir behind the Wellner-Hageman Dam provides 'excellent canoeing opportunities' and lists a boat launch among on-site facilities. No source specifies motor-size limits, no-wake rules, electric-only restrictions, or explicitly confirms kayaks/paddleboards, so those are left off the allowed list rather than assumed.
Backstory
The park is built at the site of the Wellner-Hageman Flood Control Dam, a project that grew out of local farmers' efforts in the 1960s to address watershed flooding; the park was dedicated August 15, 1993.
Mounds swim beach: FAQ
Does Mounds swim beach charge a fee?
Day-use entry is not stated to require a fee; picnic shelters rent for $20 (tax included); camping fees elsewhere in the county system are listed as $10 (tent), $9 (primitive), $25 (trailer) but a park-specific camping fee page could not be retrieved.
Is Mounds swim beach kid friendly?
Official sand swimming beach designed for casual family use, but no lifeguard presence is confirmed anywhere in county materials and the beach sits on a dammed reservoir (Wellner-Hageman Dam) where depth near the dam/spillway is unknown, supervise kids closely.
Do I need to hike to reach Mounds swim beach?
No significant hike is required. The swimming area is close to parking and access.
Where do I park for Mounds swim beach?
Two gravel parking lots on-site (confirmed via OpenStreetMap mapping of the park grounds). No day-use parking fee is mentioned anywhere in official Brown County materials, only picnic shelter rental ($20, tax included) and camping (tent $10, trailer $25) carry stated fees.
Can I bring a kayak or paddleboard to Mounds swim beach?
The official Brown County park page states the reservoir behind the Wellner-Hageman Dam provides 'excellent canoeing opportunities' and lists a boat launch among on-site facilities. No source specifies motor-size limits, no-wake rules, electric-only restrictions, or explicitly confirms kayaks/paddleboards, so those are left off the allowed list rather than assumed.
When is the best time to visit Mounds swim beach?
April 15 through October 15 (posted day-use season).
What are the rules at Mounds swim beach?
Day-use park hours are 8 AM to sunset, seasonally April 15 through October 15, per the official park page.
