Golden Lake Park is the City of Circle Pines' main lakefront park, set on the south shore of Golden Lake in southern Anoka County, about 15 miles north of downtown Minneapolis. The city runs the park and its sand swimming beach. Golden Lake itself covers about 57 to 58 acres, reaches roughly 25 feet at its deepest point, and is a flow-through lake: water from a drainage area of more than 6,500 acres passes through it on the way to Rice Creek.

The park entrance is at 53 West Golden Lake Road (the city's summer concert listings give 67 West Golden Lake Road for the same park), just north of Golden Lake Elementary. There is a paved lot inside the park. The beach sits on the shoreline just northeast of the parking lot and playground, a short walk across the lawn.

The swim area is a small sand beach facing north across the lake, with a separate water play area by the beach listed among the park's amenities. The city does not list lifeguards, so plan on swimming unguarded and keeping children within reach. Like most Twin Cities metro lakes, the water is cold into June and warms through July and August. Outside the beach, much of the shoreline is soft-bottomed, with reeds and lily pads, so stay in the sandy area.

There is no entrance or parking fee. Minnesota DNR's listing for the lake states plainly that there is no park entrance fee, and the city charges only for reserving its two picnic pavilions. Park hours are sunrise to sunset. A concession stand runs 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily during the summer.

Water quality has improved a lot. Golden Lake was on Minnesota's impaired waters list from 2002 for excess nutrients and algae blooms. After years of upstream stormwater filtering projects by the city, the Rice Creek Watershed District and the Anoka Conservation District, phosphorus fell enough that in 2024 the lake was proposed for removal from that list. Because so much stormwater drains into such a small lake, skip swimming for a day or two after heavy rain, and stay out if you see a green scum or a posted advisory. There is no published bacteria testing program for this beach, so check with the city at 763-784-5898 if you want current conditions.

The rest of the park has a small boat launch (the lake is restricted to electric motors, which keeps it quiet for canoes and kayaks), a fishing pier where kids catch bluegill, crappie and bass, playgrounds, a sand volleyball court, a tennis court, half-court basketball, and picnic areas with grills. On summer Thursday evenings the city and Centennial Community Education put on free concerts in the park.