Take a hike up and take your time. For an extra challenge, try not to look at the view on the way…read moreup until you reach the top. The view gets 5 times better.

Me and my wife recently came here to see what this place had to offer since we were in the area. It…read moreis $7 to get a permit to park here and don't think about driving in without one. If you're there for hiking the very first trail upon driving in is what people like to go for. We were there for a short Trail and to see an overlook. Please be very cautious and watch out for where you walk there are rattlesnakes on this trail and I nearly had an altercation with one if my wife hadn't saved me. Overall, this place does have great views as an ideal spot for camping since it has many amenities. Overall, I thought it was a fair Place worth checking out.

Such a lovely beach a few minutes out of Rochester!! Visited this area before but didn't realize…read morethey had a whole beach (only saw the areas where boats would go in) The water was pretty clear considering there was plenty of people there. Also saw some small fish. The sand does have rocks in it, so just be aware. They have showers, restrooms and a place where you can rent gear. The campground seemed clean (just drove by it), and they had a playground for the kiddos. There are trails nearby too but didn't explore them. So happy to revisit this place and will definitely be visiting again!

Watercraft (canoe, paddle board, kayak) rentals are affordably priced and in good condition. The…read moreriver was beautiful to paddle on and the birdwatching is excellent. I only wish they were open later than 6 during the summer!

What a beautiful place to visit! I found myself driving through La Crosse with some extra time on…read moremy hands and someone recommended I check out this park. I am so glad I did! A beautiful walking path along the river, with plenty of benches to sit on to enjoy the view. There are boat tours daily during the warm months (beginning in May) and currently there are some "Hear Here" tours that were fun to listen to - call a number, plug in the location number and story number, and hear someone tell a story about that location. I don't know if this is always around, but as an out-of-towner it was fun to listen! As you stroll along you will eventually come to the Friendship Gardens - a beautifully put-together space of gardens inspired by different countries (and sister cities of La Crosse). It was such a nice place to quietly walk through and enjoy the flowers and sculptures. They had many sculptures that included flowing water - unfortunately at the time I was there none of them were running. I bet they are so beautiful when they are!

They have a cute little ROTARY LIGHTS event going on for Christmas right now. You can either take a…read morestroll at night time in the cold and freeze your balls off like I did OR take your vehicle and drive around to see all the Christmas lights! choose your poison. They had a cute little place for us to make s'mores got me all giddy. They also sell hot drinks and it was pretty crowded when I went. You can really see the effort La Crosse put into this event. There's also an ice rink that they are working on. Might have to come back and try it out.

Wonderful escape into nature! We were in town visiting family and looking for something fun to do,…read moreand were so happy to have found Quarry Hill. We got out of the heat exploring the nature center - lots of fish and reptiles, and other educational exhibits to explore with lots of opportunities for kids (and adults) to learn. Then we ventured out on the trails and were surprised by the diversity in gardens, terrains, and environments that you could enjoy in such a small area. This place has something for all ages and fitness levels. Depending on the season, this would be a lovely spot to enjoy blooming wild flowers or fall foliage. Unfortunately, we were not able to explore the quarry/cave. If that is something you want to do, make sure to call ahead - I was told the tours only happen on certain days and get booked weeks ahead.

Quarry Hill Nature Center has a nice assortment of picnic tables, trails, and local animals. It…read moreeven has a small nature center within. Tip: The signage here is sorely lacking, which is why I couldn't find the paved bike trail, and ended up totally on the wrong side of the park :-( Once I discovered that I was almost hopelessly lost, I wandered aimless in the woods for close to 40 minutes before I found a trail sign that set me back on the right path. Despite the major signage problems, this is a nice place - if you can figure out where to go....

My furry friend group chose this spot for our big annual camping trip! There were 86 of us total,…read moreand we utilized the Group Site that has several cabins available, plus a main cabin that serves as the place to gather and eat with a full kitchen and walk-in fridge. I really enjoyed the cozy feel to the cabins, which have wonderfully rustic wooden paneling and floors. Our cabin had two wings with four bunk beds each, plus a center room with a large bed (ideal, no doubt, for scouting purposes). The cabins are heated by thermostat and there are a few electrical outlets, but no other amenities that I was aware of. The main cabin had a large center fire pit that made the whole place wonderfully cozy. Also included are several long tables with benches to sit at, as well as additional chairs with backs to gather around the firepit. There are electrical outlets too. Flooring was a mix of wood and tile. There are also restrooms nearby, which include toilets, sinks, and showers. Separated by gender, male and female. The designated parking lot for the Group Site was able to accommodate around 40-45 cars, which served our purposes well. There is also a small roundabout that leads up to the main cabin for ease of unpacking/dropping off gear. All these amenities made the long-weekend very enjoyable! This isn't a huge park by any means, but even in the icy snow, I was able to enjoy a few of the trails while there. The alphabetical trail markings confused me a bit at first, but then I realized it was how the park was indicating "you are here" without customizing each sign. At the trailheads are large informational signs that give you the distance, difficulty, and features you'll see on said trail. The river that cuts through here is really gorgeous. It was partially frozen over during our visit, and we got some flurries while we were camping, which covered everything in a beautiful fresh coat of white powder. Got some great photos and great memories. I was a bit bummed that the Nature Store wasn't open (it's seasonal), because I am a sucker for souvenirs on sightseeing trips to parks and such.

Whitewater is a gorgeous park with some varied scenery. There are a lot of neat formations to check…read moreout such as the bluffs, forests, rivers, and more. There are some easy to more challenging hikes available. There are also a lot of nice amenities and a beach area.

Loved this park. Some short, moderate hikes to get a gorgeous view of the river. I do wish that the…read moretrails were a little better marked, however, It is worth visiting when heading down to Southern Minnesota. The driftless region is amazing. However, it was my second favorite park today. We headed into effigy national monument immediately after, and that was even more breathtaking. They are a great one-two punch if you're driving down from the Twin Cities.

This was a nice spot for a hike. There is a series of trails throughout the park. I did the King's…read moreBluff and North and South Overlooks. There is no shortage of beautiful views and there were plenty of spring wildflowers to make the walk even more stunning! Parking is available at the trailheads, there are some nice picnic spots, and the vault toilets were well kept.

Mystery Cave is an experience! This cave has been in the works for millions of years and has so…read moremany interesting stories around it. The tour is an hour long with a knowledgeable tour guide that shares info along the route and takes questions at every stop. This is a must see!

What an experience! We did the 4 hour Mystery Cave wild cave tour (the longer 4 hour one). Mystery…read moreCave is not only a super cool place to see (being 450 million years old, having fossils, being rather "untouched", etc) but the tour itself was amazing. Jake was a friendly, knowledgable, and engaging tour guide. He was very willing to answer questions (and I had a lot) and had lots of knowledge to share. His genuine interest and energy, along with the cool-ness of Mystery Cave made this unforgettable experience. If you're physically able (and do read the disclaimers/etc on the website), I highly recommend doing the wild caving tour!

We loved discovering the trails at the little gem! There were really interesting historic…read morebuildings, a terrific museum with great artifacts that tells the stories about the settlers in this area and the young man that was working was really friendly and helpful. The trails are well marked and maintained and there was a variety of difficulty levels for all ages and abilities. On top of all this, it was beautiful!

Great historical site with well groomed hiking trails. Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. Great…read moreway to spend a few hours.

Was in the park to go on the Mystery Cave tour and see Historic Forestville. We decided to go on a…read morehike and walked along the a river trail. The park is a perfect way to spend a summer day!

This review is about the park area only not the Mystery Cave which is further down the road…read more Start with the unfortunate news, the walking bridge to the historic town of Forestville was closed. I did read about that in the state's info about the park ahead of time. I picked up a map at the office and was told there is a stone walking bridge at marker 8. More bad news on the trail. The field and location maps show markers on the trail but the numbers didn't correspond with the ground signs as many were missing. I just couldn't find the temporary bridge, or marker 8, but took a decent hike on the other trails. The park isn't as scenic as others but there is a variety of trails from easy to difficult, which is what I like. Some steep hills will test your true endurance. Driving out about another 1/2 mile I see more trails I missed, lo leads to marker 8.

I can't believe I hadn't heard of this place before starting to research a spring break trip…read more Effigy national monument is super close to Minnesota and should be a must see, must visit for anyone living in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa or Illinois within three hours. There's no entrance fee, but there's still several friendly and helpful rangers at the station as well as the museum explaining the significance. It is a very culturally important site to come up with mound stating back more than 1000 years. The scenery is outstanding. Is it the confluence of two rivers, you can see far and either direction if you hike to several of the scenic landing spots. We put in a good 5 mile hike and didn't even reach all of the places. It's great for history, cultural, and hiking. Highly recommend.

As my first Yelp review in the state of Iowa, Effigy Mounds National Monument was created in 1949…read moreby a proclamation from President Truman (National parks have to be created via an act of Congress, while a monument can be done with just the President). Its original size was about 1,000 acres, with historians believing Native Americans started building them in the shape of animals during 750 to 1200, well before European contact. The visitor center and museum is open daily from 9 - 4:30, with plentiful parking along the large circular driveway. Volunteers at the visitor center were friendly and helpful, giving us a brief history of the site. There are long hikes emanating from the visitor center. We didn't go very far, instead walking on wooden land bridges to get close to nearby mounds. and then turning back to the parking lot.