The Anoka Nature Preserve

The Anoka Nature Preserve is Anoka’s newest and largest “park”, a wild treasure right in the city for all to enjoy!   The Friends of the Anoka Nature Preserve is an association of citizens working in partnership with the City of Anoka for the preservation, protection, and quality of one of the last and finest oak savannas in Anoka County and in Minnesota.

The Anoka Nature Preserve (ANP) is 200+ acres protected under conservation easement by the city of Anoka, and consists of forested oak savanna, meadow and grassland suitable for prairie restoration, wetland backwaters, and almost a mile of Rum River shoreline (a federally-designated ‘Wild and Scenic River‘). The ANP comprises the northwest boundary of the City of Anoka, bordered by the Rum River on the west, County 7 (7th Avenue) on the east, and County 116 (Bunker Lake Blvd) on the south.

It’s always interesting in the ANP–birds migrating through the woods and along the waterways, raptors/accipiters scanning for a quick meal, and that silvery color to the treetops..  Take a walk in the ANP with a friend or your family, and keep your eyes open–you never know what you’ll see!

Any season of the year, the City maintains the trail system through the Nature Preserve. It’s a fantastic place in winter to ski, walk, snowshoe, or even fat tire biking– the trails are groomed for activity (although no tracks are ‘set’ for classic skiing, it’s fabulous for skate-skiing!)