lilydale regional park boat launch p2

[jwmiller33]

could someone tell me where the lilydale regional park boat launch is to get onto pool 2? i was looking at the boat launches for pool 2 on the mn dnr website and it said:

Quote:

Lilydale Regional Park: This access is on the south shore of the river between I-35E and Harriet Island Park. Turn off Olson Memorial Highway onto Lilydale Road just east of I-35. You may also reach this site by traveling west of Harriet Island Park on Water Street.

well i was trying to find it on the google satellite view and i could find where this boat launch is.

is it free to launch here? is there a dock there? how is the current here compared to the launch area at hidden falls? thanks!

[goblueM]

well i hesitate to give advice to a tommy (typical that you need it ) but it's pretty easy to get to actually

free to launch, its a much better launch than Hidden Falls, although there is a lot more sketchy activity down there - drugs, male prostitution, etc.

It's directly across from a small lake (Pikerel, i think?)

Here's directions from teh Mac-Groveland neighborhood

http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&q=lilydale+regional+park&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Lilydale-Harriet+Island+Regional+Park&hnear=Lilydale-Harriet+Island+Regional+Park&hl=en&view=map&cid=4299200876753327454&iwloc=A&ved=0CBkQpQY&sa=X&ei=yPaBS-nzPJ3MMemVlZII

[fishdale]

It is about a mile down stream from the 35e bridge. Free to launch. Current is not bad except in high water but even then I have never had a problem launching my boat alone. Not sure how it compares to the hidden falls launch as I have never launched there. But from boating past the HF launch there seems to be a lot less current at Lillydale.

[jwmiller33]

thanks guy i found it on google maps. is there a dock at this launch? it looks like a pretty nice launch with a good parking ramp.

more sketchy activity then hidden falls? thats a bold statement!

i'm hoping to get the boat out here pretty soon. does anybody know when they will open the lock on the ford dam? or how does one find out when that is going to happen? is there some place you can call and talk to the lock operators and see when they are going to open it?

[fishdale]

There is no dock at the launch.

[goblueM]

oh, if you ever have been to Lilydale you'll see that it isn't a bold statement.

Parade of cars that is almost non-stop some days. Sometimes you'll get harassed by guys... lots of interesting male activity in the brush surrounding the parking lot.

And there's almost always a coupla cars in the back end of the parking lot, waiting for drug deals and the like

[Shack]

oh, if you ever have been to Lilydale you'll see that it isn't a bold statement.

Parade of cars that is almost non-stop some days. Sometimes you'll get harassed by guys... lots of interesting male activity in the brush surrounding the parking lot.

And there's almost always a coupla cars in the back end of the parking lot, waiting for drug deals and the like

I just use Lillydale to launch a boat.

Have been using it since the early 90's with no problem(s). I do not hang around the parking lot enough to really see any issues. Besides hearing of one parking ticket being issues a couple years ago to a car parked next to a truck with a trailer on it (catfishing buddy), I have never, repeat NEVER had an issue and really have no clue as far as these allegations. IMO you have as much chance at any other Mississippi or Minnesota boat launch of issues occurring than you would at Lillydale. They had a murder down at the 35w launch on the MN the other year.

All we do is pull up in the turnaround area right above the launch, get boat ready, launch boat and park in the front part of the parking lot. Once and awhile while catfishing we will get a new park patrol that will pull up while loading, but never had an issue with anything else. Follow the above and you will be just fine.

I am sure if you hang around the parking-lot long enough, look the part, you might get some attention???? I advise against this though.

[goblueM]

haha. i suppose it depends on time of day - i've been working down there at the park quite a few times, and there is definitely a lot of sketchy activity.

I suppose that if you have a boat attached to your vehicle people know what is going on.

I've also heard personal accounts of a few guys being harassed by unsavory folks.

I've never had these issues at Hidden Falls. Just my .02

[jwmiller33]

does anybody know when they will open the lock on the ford dam? or how does one find out when that is going to happen? is there some place you can call and talk to the lock operators and see when they are going to open it?

[CarpKing921]

I don't know about the locks but the river looks pretty clear from the 52 bridge looks like decent boating conditions not sure if lilydale is ice free or not though.

[fishdale]

Miller you can try the below number which I found on the web.

Telephone: (612) 724-2971,

Mailing Address:

US Army Corps of Engineers

5000 West River Parkway

Minneapolis, MN 55417

My experiences with the lillydale launch are exactly like Shack describbed. I almost always am launching early morning and out by noon and ussualy weekdays. Maybe different at other times but not sure. Yes there are cars in the back of the lot but no buddy has ever bothered me down there.

[bobbymalone]

I have used the launch several times and I also shore fish the wingdams down there quite a bit. I think last year they did some work on the launch out there because it was starting to wash out.

Definitely some stuff going on down in the woods and the SPPD is aware of it.

I think it's a less about drug deals and male prostitution and more of some airport bathroom stuff between consenting adults. Car break ins and whatnot happen (judging by the few piles of broken glass i have seen), but I don't think any more than any other secluded parking lot in the metro. In fact, I wonder if it is a bit more "safe" down there than other places because the SPPD and Ramsey county regularly patrols the lot. Also, because there is usually a couple guys sitting in the lot it might help keep down the car break ins.

I park in the middle of parking lot and carry in a tackle box, net, and handful of rods. The guys sitting in the cars seem to know that I am not one of the dudes they're waiting for. Every once in a while I'll have a guy follow me and telling them to "buzz off", more or less, does the trick. Most of those guys are likely married with families and they don't want any trouble with you or with the law. Leave them alone and you'll be left alone. Say what you want on their lifestyle choices but I don't think they are the kind of steal/rape/murder types.

[jwmiller33]

Miller you can try the below number which I found on the web.

Telephone: (612) 724-2971,

Mailing Address:

US Army Corps of Engineers

5000 West River Parkway

Minneapolis, MN 55417

My experiences with the lillydale launch are exactly like Shack describbed. I almost always am launching early morning and out by noon and ussualy weekdays. Maybe different at other times but not sure. Yes there are cars in the back of the lot but no buddy has ever bothered me down there.

thanks a lot! I hear the fishing is great the first day they open up the lock so im going to try to be out there the day of.

So there are wingdams on pool two up this far north? I didnt think there were any wingdams up pool 2 cuz i had never seen them. Is there anyway online to get a map of the wingdams? I have seem them on maps of the river before... Does anybody know if the wing dams will be on my h2o with my lakemaster chip?

[bobbymalone]

there are definitely wingdams in pool 2. The ones around the lilydale launch are pretty visible except during high water.

Unless something changed in the past year or so, lakemaster doesn't have pool 2 on it.

There are some kinda simple maps with wingdams marked available from the DNR.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/boatwater/guides.html

This is an example of the map with the lilydale boat launch on it.

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/education_safety/safety/boatwater/metro_river_guide/metro_83.pdf

I have also heard the fishing is good in the spring up towards the lock... you'll see a LOT of boats up there.

[jwmiller33]

fishdale-i called that number you gave me and i talked with this guy for about 10 minutes about the river... he had a lot of useful information and he was very helpful and knowledgeable as well. he said that its looking like the lock will be opened around the 15th as of right now. however, he said the national weather service is predicting the river to flood this year, so if that is the case, the date will get pushed back farther

[goblueM]

"In St. Paul, there's a 90 percent chance the Mississippi will flood, with about a 2-in-3 chance that Harriet Island will be submerged. "

http://www.twincities.com/ci_14437501

that's some seriously high water!

[fishdale]

Miller - Glad that was helpful. Funny you would mention the 15th as I looked back at my records from last year and the first day I fished out of Lillydale last year was 3/15. Still a lot of ice chucks floating around at that time water temp was 35.

[Ralph Wiggum]

The newer Lakemater chips have P2 wingdams, but not upstream that far. I believe, on mine at least, it starts showing wingdams around the St. Paul airport area.

[Ralph Wiggum]

well i hesitate to give advice to a tommy (typical that you need it )

Go Johnnies!

[Shack]

The Nav. chip has them on it and is pretty spot on for being the river.

Mr. Wiggum. I think you busted some ice early last year on Pool 2?

[Ralph Wiggum]

Mr. Wiggum. I think you busted some ice early last year on Pool 2?

I didn't bust any ice, but I dodged a lot of ice and trees Kinda worried when I'll be able to get my boat from storage this year Hope there's not too much snow in front of the barn!

Parking lot launch, March 2009

Feels so good to open 'er up, March 2009

[Craigums]

Is that the Wakota bridge on 494? I always wanted to try fishing around there

[Ralph Wiggum]

Is that the Wakota bridge on 494? I always wanted to try fishing around there

Yup.

[jwmiller33]

I drove over the river on the hwy 5 bridge today and it looks very open! i'm getting my motor in to get tuned up and water ready and i should be out on pool 2 next week. hope to be on pool 4 in red wing if the weather is nice next weekend

here is a shot on the hwy 5 bridge looking north

here is a shot on hwy 5 bridge looking south.

[Palerider77]

has anyone been down to look at the lillydale ramp?

[skunked]

I picked my buddy up there in the boat yesterday and it was completely locked up. The launch up river by the dam is fine right now though.

[Palerider77]

So that is the hidden falls ramp then? No 4wd on my truck, so I need it to be snow free.

[goblueM]

no they are talking about lilydale.

i think Hidden Falls is completely open, the current is always fast there and it rarely ices over. I think someone actually mentioned there was a trailer there

you should be ok. especially with this warm sun, it'll melt most of the snow/ice

[GotOne]

Lilydale is locked up big time!! It's going to take a while for all that snow and ice to melt!

[JimBuck]

Any recent ramp conditions at Lillydale? This rainfall has gotta be breaking up that ice pretty good towards shore. Thanks guys.