Phalen Regional Park Beach is the City of Saint Paul's lifeguarded swimming beach on Lake Phalen, run by Saint Paul Parks and Recreation at 1400 Phalen Drive on the city's East Side. The sand beach sits on the south shore of the lake, next to the beach house and the sand volleyball courts, inside a large regional park that wraps the whole lake. Lake Phalen covers about 198 acres, averages roughly 24 feet deep and drops to about 91 feet at its deepest point. Its north end crosses into Maplewood. Gas outboards are not allowed on the lake, so the water stays fairly quiet.

The beach is about three and a half miles northeast of downtown Saint Paul. Drive in on Wheelock Parkway East and turn onto Phalen Drive. Free surface lots sit beside the beach house and by the Phalen Recreation Center just to the west. The paved Lake Phalen bike path, part of the Saint Paul Grand Round, runs right past the sand, so a lot of people arrive by bike.

Swimming is free, and so is parking. The city publishes guarded hours each summer. In 2026 the beach opened on weekends from May 23, then ran daily from June 13 through July 31, noon to 8pm, and from August 1 through September 7, noon to 7pm, all weather permitting. The free splash pad at the beach ran 9am to 9pm from June 13 to September 7. The season is now over, and the city's page says the beach is closed until next summer, so check the new schedule before you go in late May. Lifeguards clear the water for a ten-minute safety break at the top of every hour. Children under 12 must have an adult with them, and kids 12 to 14 can stay without a parent only after a parent checks in with the aquatics supervisor. The beach has changing rooms and restrooms. You can bring a cooler and a picnic, but no glass.

Lightning or thunder closes the beach until 30 minutes after the last strike or rumble, and staff may also close it when the air is below 70 degrees or it's raining. Inflatable toys, water wings and other floats that aren't Coast Guard approved are banned in the swim area. Coast Guard approved life jackets are allowed, and you can borrow one for free at the aquatics office. The water is tested for bacteria during the season, and the city closes the beach when results run above state guidelines, which is most likely after heavy rain. Weather and water-quality closures are posted on the Lake Phalen Facebook page. Eurasian watermilfoil has grown in the lake since 1997, so expect some weeds outside the guarded swim area.

Adults who want distance can join the city's Lake Phalen Open Water Swim, a buoyed course of about 500 or 1,200 yards that starts and ends at the beach. Lifeguards watch it, but it's a paid program for swimmers 18 and older, and you have to register online ahead of time. Kayaks and paddleboards rent from a self-serve kiosk on the beach, and the city rents storage racks for private canoes and kayaks. The rest of the park has a three-mile paved loop around the lake, fishing piers, a picnic pavilion and an island picnic shelter, the Phalen China Garden, a golf course, and a boat launch on the north shore.