Paddling season is underway on Lake of the Isles, the sheltered lake that links by channel to Bde Maka Ska and Cedar Lake to form the heart of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board maintains a canoe and kayak launch at Lake of the Isles, with additional launches at Bde Maka Ska, Cedar Lake and Brownie Lake; storage racks for residents' own craft sit at each of those lakes. The channels let a paddler move between the Isles, Bde Maka Ska and Cedar Lake without portaging, and the chain bars motorized boats, which keeps the water quiet.
Paddlers without a boat cannot rent at the Isles itself. The Park Board's rental concession, run by Wheel Fun Rentals, offers canoes, kayaks and paddleboards at Bde Maka Ska, Lake Harriet and Lake Nokomis, a short paddle or trip away.
The Isles' irregular, planted shoreline reflects a deliberate Park Board choice to hold much of the bank in native vegetation rather than mown lawn, sheltering nesting birds and filtering runoff. The channel between the Isles and Cedar Lake was rebuilt in 2021, when crews removed decades-old wood retaining walls and naturalized the edge with stone, soil and plants.
The Park Board asks paddlers to launch only at marked access points, give the islands and their nesting birds a wide berth, and wear a life jacket. Water-access and safety guidance is posted at minneapolisparks.org.

The East Isles Neighborhood Association holds its annual Summer Social on Wednesday, June 14, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Joanne Levin Triangle Park, with a rain date of June 15.

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Maya Lindgren
Covers Lowry Hill, the Wedge and the lakes.
The Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association reviews apartment and land-use proposals in the Wedge through its Community Development Committee, the volunteer-led forum where the neighborhood weighs in before projects reach the City Council.

Land use is the recurring flashpoint in Lowry Hill, a neighborhood of Victorian and Prairie-style homes where even a modest multi-unit proposal draws scrutiny under the city's built-form rules and the 2040 comprehensive plan.