The Watab Creek Park & Wading Pool is a must visit destination in Sartell, MN. In addition to the inground wading pool, you’ll also find tennis courts, playground, baseball field, sand volleyball court, shelter rental walking trails and green space.
Address: 7 Riverside Avenue North, Sartell, MN 56377
Park Hours: 7am – 11pm
Watab Creek Park Pool Hours: 12:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Website: http://www.sartellmn.com/parks
Cost: Free
Bathrooms: 1 Stall for girls and boys, no changing tables. Manual flush toilets.
Amenities: Wading Pool, 2 tennis courts, volleyball, softball field, playground, shelter (rental) and walking trails.
When it comes to parks in Sartell, MN, you’ll want to consider Watab park as a fun destination park. Located across the street from the Mississippi River, the Watab Creek Park offers a kids wading pool, tennis courts, flush toilets, rentable shelter, baseball/softball field, sand volleyball, playground and walking trails.
With plenty of space for a crowd, the Watab Creek Park makes for a great picnic, family reunion or work party location! Located on over 8 acres of land, you’ll find plenty of parking and things for the entire family to enjoy!
Sartell recently announced there will be a big remodel of the Watab Creek Park in the near future, so keep your eyes out for changes!
Sadly, in the next few years you’ll find the 18 inch wading pool removed along with the existing bathrooms and playground. In their place you’ll find a new splash pad, play ground and new bathrooms.
The existing tennis courts are showing their age and will also be transformed. One of the two courts will be resurfaced while the other will turned into a pickleball court and half basketball court.
It was recently voted that the existing wading pool be demolished and the city will be down a wading pool. This might not seem like a big deal, but the area is seriously lacking in community pools.
In fact there isn’t a single community pool (aside from wading pools) in all of St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids, Wait Park or Sartell. Instead the best any of the cities can offer are 18 inch deep wading pools.
Sartell is very much aware of this void and it is an active part of many meetings. The 0 – 7 year olds LOVE wading pools. However those who are over the age of 7 really struggle with a fun place to practice swim lessons or have fun during the summer months.
Hopefully the conversations and nudging from local citizens will help steer the conversation into action in the future.
The reason behind this is all related to cost. A new pool would cost double(if not more) than a splash pad. In addition to the savings on the pool alone, the city will also save money in having to hire life guards each summer to man the pool as well.
Another wonderful aspect of the Watab Pool is that it is a tobacco free area! I find this to be WONDERFUL as smoking IS ALLOWED at all St. Cloud parks and splash pads.
Wading Pool:
The Watab Wading Pool is one of our favorites in the area! Located across from the Mississippi river in Watab Creek Park, Sartell, MN, this pool opens right away during the summer season.
That means that this pool usually opens the first day the kids are out of school and closes on the last day before school starts again. This is FANTASTIC for families looking for something fun and free to do all summer long.
The children’s wading pool hours are from 12:30 pm – 7:00 pm daily and is FREE! It’s also open 7 days a week, unless the temperature reaches below 70* then the pool may be closed.
The other great feature is that you can bring your own floaties, toys and life jackets into the pool if you wish. Some small children may require a flotation device despite the pool only being 18 inches deep.
Know your children and their needs. Also plan to be IN THE POOl with small children. This isn’t just a baby wading pool, it’s for kids and parents alike.
On hand is a lifeguard during open pool hours. This is not a drop your children off facility, but one that requires you to stay with your child in or out of the pool. Swim diapers are required for babies.
Now that I’ve told you just how wonderful this pool is, please note that soon (in a year or two) this pool will be closing and demolished. There are plans currently in place to remove the pool, bathrooms and playground and install new bathrooms, playground and a splash pad.
The reason for this is the pool and bathrooms are in need of repairs and it is significantly cheaper for the city to maintain a splash pad than an inground wading pool.
Tennis Courts:
There are two tennis courts. We’ve seen people playing tennis while we’ve swam, which is impressive as most tennis courts in the area seem to be unused.
When the big remodel of the park happens, the plan is to turn the two tennis courts into 1 new resurfaced tennis court, 1 pickleball court and 1 half basketball court.
Volleyball:
Watab Creek Park Volleyball pit is a sand pit! Perfect for a great game of volleyball, the net is up all summer long and free to use. This pit is on a first come first serve basis and is located close to the shelter. You’ll need to bring your own ball as they are not provided.
Softball/Baseball:
If you want to gather a few friends up and start a game of softball, baseball or even kickball, Watab Park in Sartell, MN is a great spot to do so! Access to the fields are free and open to the community! There is plenty of parking and even a playground close by for children to play at if parents want to play sports!
Shelter Rental:
According to the Sartell website, the shelter rental is $50/hour (53.81 with tax) for residents and $100/hour ($107.63 with tax). This rate can be found here.
However also on their website it says that the shelter is (as of 8/1/17): $40/hour ($42.95 with tax) for residents and $80/hour ($85.90 with tax). I’m going to assume the higher rental rate above is the correct one and this one is not correct. This rate can be found here and here.
Having said this, the city clearly needs to pick one rate and delete the incorrect ones.
Trails:
At the back of the park there are several trails that will take you on a lovely nature loop or connect you into the neighborhood behind. This is a popular spot for family and senior photos.
Playground:
The playground is dated but still offers plenty of fun! Certainly not one to ignore. There are also sculptures around with plaques that will intrigues the young and the old. This playground comes with swings, slides, and a climbing structure. All of this equipment is located in sand so bring your buckets and have fun!
Green space:
There is plenty of green space at Watab Creek Park. This green space is perfect for a picnic, Bocce ball or any other outdoor game. If doing a family reunion or company party, there is plenty of space for sack races, 3 legged races and hoola hoops.
