Cascade Lake Beach
Rochester
Hike and Swim
Cascade Lake Beach is the designated swimming area inside Cascade Lake Park, a regional park run by the City of Rochester Parks and Recreation Department on the west side of Rochester, Minnesota. The lake is a former gravel pit. Mathy Construction mined it for years, and the city has been turning the land around it into a park in phases since the original master plan. The beach sits on the southeast shore of the lake, a short walk from the main parking lot, with the park's address given as 88 23rd Avenue SW.
You can see the lake from Highway 14 just west of Highway 52, but there is no access from the highway. Take 2nd Street SW, turn onto 23rd Avenue SW and follow it into the park. A paved parking lot built in the 2020 construction phase serves the beach, the playgrounds and the picnic shelter. The Cascade Creek Trail and the paved loop around the lake also connect the park to the city's bike trail network, so riding in is easy.
The swim area is a designated section of water off a sandy beach. The bottom slopes gradually from shore to roughly seven feet of water, which is part of why the city picked Cascade over its other beach for swimming in 2020. Cascade Lake is shallow and warms quickly in summer, and there is no current. No lifeguards are on duty at any time. The city asks swimmers to use the buddy system and says parents are responsible for their children. Swimming outside the designated area is not allowed.
Admission to the beach is free. For 2026 the city ran the beach season from May 23 through Labor Day. The season announcement listed beach hours of noon to 8 p.m. daily, while the city's beach page says the park and beach are open during daylight hours, so check the city site for the current schedule before you go. The beach closed for the 2026 season after Labor Day (September 7, 2026) and reopens in late May. Alcohol, smoking, glass containers and dogs are all banned in the beach area.
Water quality is the main thing to watch. The city tests Cascade Lake Beach weekly with three samples, in partnership with Olmsted County Public Health, and posts a green, yellow or red rating on its beaches page. Yellow means bacteria levels are elevated and swimming is not recommended. Red means a single sample topped 1,260 organisms per 100 mL and the beach is closed. E. coli has closed this beach before, including in August 2022, and the city links the spikes to heavy rain and hot weather, because the shallow water heats up and wildlife and runoff add bacteria. The last posted rating of the 2026 season was green as of August 28, 2026.
There is plenty to do around the beach. The park has nature-based playgrounds with water play features, a picnic shelter next to the beach, paved walking and biking paths, the Canfield Amphitheater for concerts, and the Cascade Lakeside building, which can be rented for events from April through October. The city and the Minnesota DNR also planned a fishing pier on the south shore west of the beach, and the lake is a popular spot for shore fishing. The park itself stays open outside the swim season, so the trails and playgrounds are usable well after the beach closes.
More Information
Beaches | City of Rochester
Plan your visit to Rochester’s beaches with details on swimming areas, rules, amenities and seasonal access.
https://rochestermn.gov/activities-parks-culture/beaches/Cascade Lake Beach - Rochester, MN
Cascade Lake Beach - Knowledge Base
https://rochestermn.qscend.com/311/knowledgebase/article/2776Cascade Lake Beach temporarily closed due to elevated bacteria levels
The Rochester Parks & Recreation Department announced it has been testing the water at Cascade Lake and found the bacteria levels were elevated.
https://www.kttc.com/2022/08/03/cascade-lake-beach-temporarily-closed-due-elevated-bacteria-levelsCascade Lake Park Facilities | City of Rochester
Visit Cascade Lake Park in Rochester for beaches, trails, playgrounds, picnic areas and year-round outdoor recreation for all ages.
https://rochestermn.gov/activities-parks-culture/cascade-lake-park-facilities/From gravel mine to city park: Cascade Lake kicks off summer with a splash
One of Rochester’s longest-running improvement projects is about to hit a major construction milestone, as Cascade Lake Park finishes development of its playground and trail system almost fifteen years after the original master plan was developed.
https://www.medcitybeat.com/news-blog/2020/cascade-lake-beach-to-open-this-weekNew Swimming Area, Park Now Open at Rochester's Cascade Lake
Just in time for the summer heat and humidity, there's now a new place to get wet in Rochester.
https://krocnews.com/new-swimming-area-park-now-open-at-rochesters-cascade-lake/Opening dates for beaches and pools in Rochester announced
The City of Rochester Parks & Recreation has announced its opening dates for outdoor water recreation facilities this summer season..
https://kttc.com/2026/05/20/city-rochester-announces-opening-dates-beaches-pools-this-summer/Pools, Swimming & Splash Pad | City of Rochester
Discover Rochester’s outdoor pools, beaches, and summer aquatics programs, including hours, locations, and seasonal updates.
https://rochestermn.gov/activities-parks-culture/pools-swimming-splash-pad/Rochester beaches close after Labor Day
Labor Day marks the final open day for Rochester’s two public beaches.
https://www.kttc.com/2026/09/07/rochester-beaches-close-after-labor-day/Be courteous, informed, and prepared. Read trailhead guidelines, stay on the trail, and don't feed the wildlife.
Read More
- Plan Ahead and Prepare
- Travel & camp on durable surfaces
- Dispose of waste properly
- Leave what you find
- Minimize campfire impacts
- Respect wildlife
- Be considerate of other visitors
Directions
From Rochester
- Head south on South Ave (0.1 mi)
- Turn right onto NY-31 W/
E Broad St (0.4 mi) - Turn right onto S Plymouth Ave (0.3 mi)
- Turn left to merge onto I-490 W (4.9 mi)
- Keep left to stay on I-490 W (17.5 mi)
- Take the exit onto I-90 W toward BuffaloToll roadPassing through PennsylvaniaEntering Ohio(217 mi)
- Keep right to stay on I-90 W, follow signs for I-271 S/
Cleveland (1.3 mi) - Keep right to stay on I-90 W, follow signs for Cleveland (3.1 mi)
- Keep left to stay on I-90 W (11.5 mi)
- Slight left to stay on I-90 W (signs for I-71) (3.2 mi)
- Take exit 170B for I-71 S toward Columbus (1.2 mi)
- Continue onto I-71 S (7.5 mi)
- Take exit 238-239 on the left to merge onto I-480 W toward Toledo (9.4 mi)
- Take the I-80 W/
Ohio Turnpike exit toward I-480 W/ Toledo Toll road(1.1 mi) - Merge onto I-80 WToll road(147 mi)
- Keep left to continue on I-90 WToll roadEntering Indiana(160 mi)
- Keep left to stay on I-90 WToll roadEntering Illinois(7.8 mi)
- Take the I-94 W/
I-90 W exit on the left toward Ryan Expy Toll road(0.3 mi) - Merge onto I-90Exp W/
I-94Exp W (4.8 mi) - Merge onto I-90 W/
I-94 W (10.7 mi) - Keep left to continue on I-90 W, follow signs for Kennedy Expwy/
O'Hare/ Rockford (4.7 mi) - Keep left to stay on I-90 WToll road(2.8 mi)
- Continue straight to stay on I-90 WToll road(23.1 mi)
- Keep left to stay on I-90 WToll roadEntering Wisconsin(196 mi)
- Slight left to stay on I-90 WEntering Minnesota(103 mi)
- Take exit 218 to merge onto US-52 N (9.2 mi)
- Take exit 55B toward 2nd St SW (0.2 mi)
- Merge onto E Frontage Rd (367 ft)
- Turn left onto 2nd St SW (328 ft)
- Turn left onto the US-14 E/
US-52 S ramp to Frontage Rd (164 ft) - Slight right onto W Frontage Rd (295 ft)
- Turn right onto 3rd St SW (0.2 mi)
- Turn right onto 19th Ave SW (371 ft)
- Turn left onto 2nd St SW (0.3 mi)
- Turn right onto 23rd Ave SWDestination will be on the right(0.4 mi)
