Photo: Brooke Schmitz
Nestled on 70 acres, Valley Creek Park had its official grand opening in August 2022. The park hosts a destination playground with three trail sections that connect different places to the park. Two of the trail sections, approximately 3/4 mile, connect the park to neighborhoods with one connecting the park to Valley Creek Road and the greater trail system. In addition to the paved trail sections, there are soft surface trails through the trees and prairie in the northeast section of the park that allow for exploration and a different experience. The park also has self-service trails running through prairies and evergreen forests.
“The playground includes unique features that allow it to fit into the Minnesota landscape,” says Michelle Okada, City of Woodbury Parks and Recreation director. With “more features than your average neighborhood park,” Okada says the playground is divided into sections for kids ages 2–5 and ages 5–12. “There are smaller features for the littles and bigger features for the older kids,” she says.
The Miller Barn, dating back to the 1920s, is the city’s only historic barn that’s preserved thanks to certain partnerships and jurisdictions—and is nestled right inside Valley Creek Park. With the interior now closed to the public, it functions as a fixture that is especially popular with photographers. “It serves as a neat feature for dimension,” Okada says. “It’s newly painted in a classic barn red, and it allows people to reminisce.”
The Headwaters of the Valley Creek Trout Stream, a high-quality trout stream with a naturally reproducing brook trout population, sits near the entrance of the park. Stormwater is treated before entering the stream, and additional infrastructure is in place to further reduce impacts.
Valley Creek Park
1150 Valley Creek Road
