At 905 Triumph Trail NE, on the east side of Isanti, the city has been building a playground made of logs. The plans call for a hollow log to crawl through, a maze of logs, a line of stepping stumps, a shallow wooden cave, a wooden boat, and a teepee. An embankment slide comes with a rock scramble and a rope pull-up, and a net climb leads to a tree deck. The City of Isanti calls it a "natural-based park" and has set the ribbon cutting and grand opening for Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Woodland Park matters for more than being new. It completes a split in how Isanti's parks are set up. Bluebird Park is turning into the town's place for wheels, paddles, and skates. Woodland Park takes on the other job: climbing, hiding, and make-believe, for kids who would rather crawl through a cave than ride a ramp. Seen that way, a list of amenities starts to look like a plan for where your family spends Saturdays.
What the plans put on Triumph Trail
The full feature list on the city's Woodland Park page splits into three groups. Each one serves a different part of a family outing.
For climbing and crawling
- Hollow log and log mazes
- Stepping stumps and a notched log stepper
- A shallow wooden cave
- Net climb up to a tree deck
- Embankment slide with a rock scramble and rope pull-up
For pretend play
- A large wooden boat
- A wooden teepee
For everyone else
- Classic swings plus an ADA swing set
- Picnic tables and slab benches
- A gazebo for resting or small gatherings
Nearly every item on the list is made of wood, rope, or rock. The tallest thing a child climbs to is a tree deck reached by a net. The city describes the park as "an immersive natural experience built for discovery, laughter, and making cherished memories," and the equipment matches that description. Toddlers can stay busy on the stumps and in the cave. Older kids get the rope pull-up and the embankment.
The gazebo, picnic tables, and slab benches also make it an easy place for a birthday party or a playdate with snacks for the adults.
The name came from a school contest
The park was named before it was built. Isanti ran a park-naming contest for the parkland inside the Fairway Greens North development. The Parks & Recreation Board went through the entries over three meetings and recommended "Woodland Park." City records list the winning entry as coming from ISS-STEAM School. The City Council made the name official by resolution on April 15, 2025.
When the city first announced the park in June 2025, it said only that the park would be finished sometime in 2026. The fall 2026 newsletter set the target at October. About a year and a half passed between the name and the opening, and the timing lines up with the end of the season. The first full months of use will come in late fall, before snow covers the stumps.
Bluebird Park took the other job
If Woodland Park is for imagination, Bluebird Park is where Isanti's money for active recreation has gone this year. The City Council approved a two-phase skatepark upgrade there, designed by Ramparts Skateparks. According to the city's skatepark upgrade page, Phase 1 includes:
- A precast concrete quarter pipe, 3 feet 6 inches tall and 20 feet wide
- A beginner fly box, 1 foot tall and 8 feet wide, with grind boxes at several heights
- A galvanized plaza-style grind rail
- A bank ramp up to 5 feet tall with an integrated hip
- A longer pyramid, with fresh skating surfaces where needed
Phase 2 adds what the city calls the "Boomerang Bowl," with its own budget of $32,426. The whole skatepark project comes to more than $103,000. The city lists the source as the Park Dedication Fund. The fall newsletter describes the skatepark as finishing soon and credits volunteers, donors, developers, and a community build day.
More is planned at Bluebird Park. The same newsletter lists an 8-court pickleball facility, a better outdoor skating rink, more skatepark features, new lighting, and more ADA-accessible walking paths. It ties that package to a Minnesota DNR grant, with construction described as happening "this spring." In March 2026, a Parks and Recreation Board report described staff applying for a DNR Outdoor Recreation Grant to fund pickleball. For now, the courts are a planned project, not a finished one.
Here's how the two parks compare:
| Woodland Park | Bluebird Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | 905 Triumph Trail NE, east side | Existing city park with skatepark |
| Built around | Logs, stumps, a cave, a boat, a teepee | Concrete and steel skate features |
| Best for | Younger kids and pretend play | Skaters, with pickleball and a rink planned |
| Seating and shade | Gazebo, picnic tables, slab benches | Lighting and ADA paths planned |
| Status | Grand opening Oct. 27, 2026 | Skatepark finishing; more amenities planned |
A family with a 5-year-old and a 13-year-old now has an obvious place for each.
Who is paying for it
The fall newsletter is open about how these projects get funded. Mayor Luke Merrill writes that he and Aaron Zdon started a fundraising group called Play Isanti to pay for some park amenities and long-term maintenance through business partnerships, donations, and advertising. On June 16, 2026, the City Council approved a park donation and sponsorship policy with the Play Isanti community group.
The newsletter also says the city has made more than $1.1 million in park improvements over the past three years. It credits that work to grants, park dedication funds, donors, and volunteers. In practice, a local business logo on a park bench or sign may be part of how a feature got paid for. If you own a business and want to sponsor something at Woodland Park or Bluebird Park, the council-approved policy and Play Isanti are where to start.
The evening of Oct. 27
The city's Woodland Park ribbon cutting announcement invites the public to come at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The fall newsletter lists the event from 5 to 7 p.m., with the ribbon cutting at 6 p.m. For a Tuesday after school and work, here's one way to plan it:
- Arrive around 5 p.m. so kids get time on the log maze and net climb before the crowd builds.
- Plan to stay through 6 p.m. for the ribbon cutting.
- Bring a layer. It's a late-October evening, and the event runs until 7.
- Check the City of Isanti website or the city's Facebook page that day for any changes, since the park page says updates will be posted there.
After Woodland Park, the calendar turns to lights
For families, the next big event on the city calendar comes in December. Illuminate Isanti, the Christmas light show, is listed for Thursday, Dec. 10, 2026. The newsletter says it's run by volunteers and donors, the same way much of this year's park work got done. The newsletter also says The Creamery restaurant downtown plans to reopen before the end of the year. If that happens, December could bring a new place to eat on the way to the lights.
Our team lives and works in these communities, and we pay attention to what Isanti is building, from a log playground on Triumph Trail to new skate features at Bluebird Park. If you're curious how projects like these add to the appeal of your own street, Team Lundeen is happy to talk it through. Let's Find Your Way Home: request a free home valuation whenever you're ready.
