Lake Ann Beach is the public swimming beach in Lake Ann Park, a 102-acre community park run by the City of Chanhassen Park and Recreation Department. The beach sits on the south shore of Lake Ann, a 119-acre lake in Carver County where motors are not allowed and the city describes the shoreline as entirely undeveloped, so the view from the sand is mostly woods and water. The city built the park in the 1970s as its first city park, and it is still the main summer gathering spot in town.

The park entrance is at 1456 West 78th Street, north of Highway 5 and a short drive west of downtown Chanhassen. Paisley Park sits just across the highway to the south. Several paved lots spread through the park, and the closest ones to the beach are near the Kinglehutz Pavilion and the boat launch. Parking is free. On hot weekends and around the Fourth of July the lots fill, so come early. The park, and the beach with it, is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the city lists no entry or parking fee.

The swim area is a short strip of sand facing north into the lake, with a small playground beside it and restrooms a short walk away near the pavilion. There are no lifeguards. The city's contracted lifeguard service ended in 2024, the city could not staff its own program, and the beach now stays open as an unguarded beach during normal park hours. Lake Ann averages about 17 feet deep and reaches 40 feet, so the water drops off once you leave the shallows. Only Coast Guard approved flotation devices are allowed on Chanhassen beaches, and pets are not allowed on the beach under city code (leashed dogs are fine on the trails). Beach season runs roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day, and the water is coldest early in June.

Take the lack of lifeguards seriously. On July 4, 2026, a 36-year-old man drowned after going into the water from a kayak just past the marked swim area, and the park was closed that night during the sheriff's search. Zebra mussels were found in Lake Ann in July 2023, and a section of the lake is fenced off by a yellow floating silt curtain for treatment, so stay out of that area and wear water shoes, since mussel shells can cut feet. The watershed district says the lake has met state clean-water standards for about 40 years. Its fish carry a mercury advisory, which matters for anglers, not swimmers.

The beach concession stand also handles watercraft rentals from Memorial Day weekend to about the third week of August. You can rent canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, paddleboats and rowboats, first come, first served, and renters must be 18 with a photo ID. The rest of the park has two picnic shelters, two playgrounds, six lighted ball fields, a soccer field, a tennis court, volleyball, a fishing pier, a non-motorized boat launch and paved trails through the wooded western part of the park.