Animal Rescues in Mahtomedi

Walking a dog in Mahtomedi

Mahtomedi does something unusually helpful: it publishes a Dog Parks page whose first job is to tell you the city hasn’t got one. “The City of Mahtomedi does not have an off leash dog park,” it says, and then lists five within driving distance.

That’s the honest starting point, so here’s the list as the city gives it:

• Oakdale Bark Park — 4.6 acres, free, no permit required, with parking, a wood chip trail, a pond, fencing and waste bags. The nearest easy option.
• Bald Eagle-Otter Lakes Regional Park, White Bear Township — 10 fully-fenced acres.
• Andy’s Bark Park, Woodbury — around 70 acres.
• Battle Creek Regional Park, Maplewood — 35 fully-fenced acres. The city passes on a warning worth repeating: health officials advise people and pets to avoid contact with any foam in Battle Creek.
• Stillwater Dog Park — open 8am to sunset.

Locations, hours and current rules for all five are on the city’s page.

What Mahtomedi does have

Katherine Abbott Park is the good one. Seventy-six acres in south central Mahtomedi, with three miles of trails through tall pines and ponds, used for hiking, cross-country skiing, bird watching and picnicking. The city calls the terrain a unique, natural experience despite the urban setting, and that’s a fair description — it doesn’t feel like a suburb once you’re in it. There’s an ADA-accessible park centre with heat, water, toilets, a kitchen and a fireplace.

Wildwood Park is 21.6 acres with views over Lost Lake, a fishing pier, picnic shelters, a playground and courts, and two car parks totalling 51 spaces. The fishing pier plus a shady trail makes it the easier short walk of the two.

The city also names Chautauqua Park, Mahtomedi Beach, Southwest Park and Wedgewood Park, and three trails: the Lake Links Trail, the Streetcar Trail — which the city describes as scenic and historic — and the Gateway Trail. They’re all on the city’s Parks, Trails & Facilities page.

The Gateway connection

The Gateway State Trail runs immediately south and east of the city. The DNR gives it as 18 paved miles from St. Paul out to Pine Point Regional Park northwest of Stillwater, generally level and wheelchair accessible, with an adjacent unpaved trail east of I-694 carrying ten miles of horseback riding and carriage driving. Trail parking includes the Mahtomedi Athletic Fields Green Lot north of Highway 12 — designated trail spots only.

That’s the long walk here. Level, paved and effectively endless in one direction, which suits an older dog or anyone who’d rather not deal with roots.

Leash rules and seasonal closures change, so check the city’s park pages and the DNR’s trail page before you go.

On adopting

Mahtomedi sits close to White Bear Lake, Stillwater, Oakdale and the wider east metro, and essentially every Twin Cities rescue will adopt to a household here regardless of where the organization itself is registered — so search the whole metro rather than the city line. Browse the full directory or all Minnesota listings.

We’re an independent directory and aren’t affiliated with any organization listed on this page. A listing isn’t an endorsement, and details change without telling us — check anything that matters with the source directly.