Banning State Park was one of our favorite outdoor stops during our Hinckley getaway. The park is…read moreknown for its scenic hiking trails, sandstone cliffs, and the views of the Kettle River, making it a great place to spend a few hours exploring. Our goal was to find the waterfall, but like many first-time visitors, we ended up taking a wrong turn and wandered a little longer than expected. Honestly, it turned into part of the adventure. As we explored, we spotted deer quietly moving, squirrels darting between the trees, and plenty of birds and caterpillars along the way. We discovered quiet trails, beautiful overlooks, and peaceful stretches of the river that we might have missed if we'd gone straight to our destination. The sound of the water, the surrounding rock formations, and the forest scenery made it one of those places where you naturally want to stop and take it all in. If you're visiting Banning State Park for the first time, don't stress if you get a little turned around. Give yourself extra time, wear comfortable shoes, and enjoy the journey.

This is a beautiful state park that offers so many opportunities to commune with nature. Lush…read moretrails, flowers native to shorelines and wet soils, and a waterfall are among some of the many joys here. It is located off I-35 near Sandstone, and 90 miles away from the Twin Cities (about an hour and a half away). It is worth making a day trip to visit. The park stretches along 10 miles of the Kettle River, and has 1.5 miles of churning class IV rapids for those daring kayakers.

Great park with really nice scenic walking routes. Great little bridge to over the water. Very…read moreclean and lots of parking. Definitely a beautiful spot to visit.

A fantastic little 1.1mi loop around a lake in Eagan. This park also features an impressively sized…read moregazebo with picnic tables, fire pit, restrooms (seasonal), grills, trash/recycling, and even concrete cornhole. There is a children's playground as well with a wide variety of features like swings, climbing walls/ropes, diggers, slides, spinners, and more-- you and/or your kiddos are gonna have lots of fun here. The playground is on gravel. There's also a volleyball court with sand, and lots of open grassy space to kick or throw about a ball. Seriously excellent amenities. The trail has inconsistent surfaces-- some of it is paved, other parts are dirt and gravel. Just something to be aware of (it wouldn't work well for skateboarding or rollerblading, for example). There are a couple docks you can fish off of or just sight-see from. A wooden bridge across the lake makes for excellent photographs. There is also a boat ramp (walk to, not drive to). The parking lot is pretty large with many spaces.

Nice park, back of a winding road and nestled between the Mississippi River and the Rum River. Easy…read morepave paths to. Alena tour of the space. There's a playground, some picnic areas and a building the has restrooms and rental space too.

Residing between the great Mississippi River and the Rum River meet lies Peninsula Point Park. This…read morewas the first stop on my Anoka Adventure Day and it did not disappoint. STAR #1: The've posted a ton of information throughout about the park and its rich history. I really enjoyed learning about its significance to the indigenous peoples and trappers that settled in the area. STAR #2: Tons of grassy space for picnics, frisbee, and more! So go ahead and stay awhile! STAR #3: There's a small play area nestled back from the shoreline - so be sure to bring the littles! STAR #4: With docks and boat ramps aplenty, Peninsula Point Park seems to be a place fishermen flock too. STAR #5: There's abundant parking, though I'm sure it fills up fast on the weekends! Peninsula Point Park was definitely a hit and made for an excellent place to stop and catch some rays. I'll gladly make my way back next time I'm in Minnesota.

I brought my family to this park for their annual triathlon and the whole place is just incredible…read more Second tri ever for me, and the park offers so much for kids and families. Beautiful lake, ample parking, AWESOME playground for the littles. I only live half an hour away and I'd never been here before, but I'll be back! Always great to find a new place.

This park is a total gem! Lots of slides and things for the kiddos to climb. My 5 and 12 year old…read moreboth had fun finding the hidden animals throughout the playground. Looking forward to coming back again in the Spring!

Nice camping spots on the Mississippi River. Sites have plenty of room in between them. Each site…read morehas a grassy yard that the maintenance mows regularly. Bathrooms are clean. The only negative is that a lot of the campers don't pick up after there dogs, so you have to watch out when your walking by the pond grass area. PICK UP YOURS DOGS POOP!!!!

Great campground lots of trees and flowers two large decks to relax and enjoy the beautiful…read moreMissippi river . Nice playground . Nice little camp store . Close to everything but like your a million miles away lots are large and have large trees . Nice folks . We have decided to come here every season .

On our quest to visit all MN State Parks, this was number 31. We did a 3+ mile hike through lakes,…read morewoods, and prairie. Loved the lookout hill to be able to see the colors highlighted by the sun on a beautiful fall day. Trail was well marked, wide, and well maintained. Watch out for horse droppings as you share the trail. There were quick a few cars in the parking area but we didn't see a ton of people on the trails so nice to be able to spread out. Easy hike for most. Enjoyed the day here.

This is a nice state park to hike. The natural trails are well marked. They had clean bathrooms and…read morea place to refill your water bottle. Fall colors at peak this year were disappointing.

Prarie Park is a nice place to spend time with your family. It has everything here. There is a…read moreplayground, half basketball court, a skate ramp, baseball field, soccer field, sand volleyball court, splash pad, picnic tables all around, and covered areas to eat. There's portapotties all around the area, but no actual bathrooms with plumbing or anywhere to change. The splash pad is just water spraying from the ground, there are no fun water tables or anything. The playground is pretty nice and there is a smaller one for smaller kids as well. There is also a fairly big parking lot so finding space should be easy. The park is very nicely maintained, the grass is cut and there's pretty flowers planted everywhere. There's no graffiti on the playground and there's no garbage thrown around.

This place is great! The water is cold in the water park which makes it good to cool off in heat!…read moreThere is a big and small park both for certain ages. There are water things that shoot out of the ground in the splash pad. There is one bucket that dumps on you in the splash pad. There is a soccer field and a gagaball pit! There are also pickleball courts that come WITH SUPPLIES! (Balls and rackets.) There is a full-court for basketball! (Even though it doesn't come with a ball it is still fun to bring a ball!) There is a lot of open space to like throw a football or play a game! There are picnic tables and portapotties! The playground isn't the most fun playground, but because of everything else this is 4 stars!!

Great place. Nice pic nic, great concerts, very clean. Will be back to rent a paddle boat.read more

Since retirement, my wife and I would bring our young grandchildren here for a stroll every…read moremorning. Very peaceful here and I truly enjoy the scenery. The kids love the playground here.