Summer Activities in Minnesota

Minnesota is a sportsman's paradise in the summer. I've hit the highlights below. Most of these activities are good from June through August. Many of them have a wider range, perhaps late April or mid May until the end of October.

Outdoor temperatures in Minnesota in the summer will typically be below 90 degrees F, but it tends to be humid. We get about 2 or 3 weeks a year where the temperature will be mid-90s to maybe 100. Nighttime temperatures will tend to be 10-20 degrees cooler than daytime highs. By October, highs will typically be 45-60 and lows touching near freezing. August is typically warm but can also be chilly with highs only in the 70s.

We do not have a "rainy season". Spring is more likely to bring rains than summer. Rain in the summer tends to be storms -- which can be quite dramatic. But you have no guarantee of a sunny day here.

Activity	Comments
Swimming	We have 15,000 lakes in Minnesota varying in size from Lake Superior (the largest freshwater lake in the world) to ponds 10 acres in size (the definition of "lake" has a minimum size). Swimming in Lake Superior is brutal -- very very cold water. But from June to August, most of the other lakes can be nice to swim in.
Water Skiing	See comments about swimming.
Fishing	From shore or in a boat. A relaxing activity, and you can eat what you catch.
Camping	You can go camping at the regional parks around the Twin Cities or head to more remote places.
Canoing in the BWCA	The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is a very very large area of Minnesota as it borders Canada. You drive about 5 hours, then unload your car and toss the canoe in the water. Most of the lakes in the BWCA do not allow motors, so you end up with a relatively remote experience.
Sports	We have nearly every imaginable outdoor sporting activity available here. Bicycling, team sports, running, hiking, tennis, etc, etc, etc.
Picnics	No summer is complete without a picnic.
Indoor Activities	Please see my writeup on winter activities for the sorts of things you can do here. Everything you can do indoors in the winter you can do in the summer.