Welcome to Big Island Nature Park
Boat or ice required. Once on the island, the terrain is 2 at most.
Lake Minnetonka has many islands, but only a handful are publically accessible. Even fewer have geocaches placed for the residents and visitors of this beautiful lake. This series strives to add recreational opportunities to the handful of public islands through the placement of simple traditional geocaches.
Big Island has a very colorful history, notably housing Big Island Amusement Park from 1906 to 1911. Following this, the island briefly hosted a pheasant game farm and most recently a Veteran's Camp from 1921 to 2003. Following the closure of the camp, the City of Orono worked with various organizations to meet the high asking price of $5.7 million for the 56-acre eastern portion of the island. The purchase was completed in January of 2006, opening this section of Big Island to the public for the first time in over 80 years. It is now a public nature park open to passive recreational and educational uses. There is no cost for admission.
All caches in this series are in winter-friendly spots. If you're visiting in the summer, you will likely be dodging muggles. There are numerous shelters and picnic sites on the island, but no camping is allowed. Park hours are 6:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.
