Small, quiet park. Nice area with benches, sculptures, and pretty landscaping. Free parking all…read morearound. Nice views of Saint Paul.

In the 1880's this site used to be a hotel. It burned to the ground, but before it did, can you…read moreimagine the views? Not too hard to imagine, because you can walk to the ledge over Grand Hill and look down at the river, the bluffs, the bridges and trees and wonder if they look back. The park has been all kinds of tore up for some time as they installed a GIANT statue of an eagle killing a snake, some grand gesture of Americaness or some such that was salvaged from some razed building in St. Paul then moved to a parking garage and then moved to the park for us to enjoy. There will be seating wall, a "plaza" and a drinking fountain, and hopefully coming this spring....GRASS.

I strongly recommend this Preserve - with its boardwalks through the wetland and paved woodland…read moretrails - for light hikers and nature lovers. Check out and participate in the iNaturalist project, featuring nearly 300 species of flora and fauna, at www.tamaracknaturepreserve.org (Also look at maps beforehand, as trail signage is minimal. Some muddy spots may be present after wet weather.)

Kind of a hidden gem. I loved walking the boardwalks and soft loam paths along the wetland banks…read more Saw a lot of silly ducks and admired the treetops (fall is coming and a few of the trees are just beginning to change color). Only shame is that the northern edge has housing with property lines that run right up against the preserve. It kind of messed with nature immersion to have a lovely wetland to one side and peoples' backyards on the other. Also some of the loud road noise from the west was annoying. Overall a small park. I went around the entire thing in an hour and a half, and it probably would've been faster if I hadn't stopped to take lots of photos. Almost entirely flat, so it's a nice light hike. Good signage with maps so you won't get lost. The playground at the trailhead is top-tier. Modern and lots of fun obstacles, slides, swings, etc. The tallest slide is very fun, even for adults (I would know because I went down it twice) because it's a steep drop. Wheeee! No indoor restroom here, but they had a port-a-potty out, which is good enough for me. I don't need fancy, I just need a place to go, y'know? Trash cans were available, but unfortunately nowhere to get water. So come prepared. Very minimal parking lot. Just ten spaces, one of which is handicapped.

Lovely little park. I walked on it on Labor Day Monday morning and was the only person…read morethere...peaceful (although you can hear highway noise, but that doesn't bother me). Although Google Maps claims it has a parking lot, I didn't find one. Parking seems to be residential on either 44th, 46th, or 48th Place North.

This park is lovely, with Stone Arch Bridge anchoring one point, large bathrooms, and several…read moretrails. The Saint Anthony Falls Heritage Trail runs through this park, and there is also a lower trail that takes you near the river and provides a lovely lower vantage point of Stone Arch Bridge - perfect for photos. The lower trail does have some stairs and the trail does get narrow/not paved. The park has plenty of benches and grassy areas. Lots of mature trees provide shade. Plenty of people were jogging and biking during my visit. Do note that Stone Arch Bridge closes on 4th of July to prevent people from unsafely congregating on the bridge. When I visited on the 4th, they had blocked off the bridge so I couldn't take photos on the bridge. A lot of locals were also surprised too. Lots of street parking here, as well as a paid lot nearby.

Hennepin Bluffs Park in Minneapolis is on the east bank of the Mississippi River, and is the north…read moreentry point to the Stone Arch bridge, letting one walk across to downtown. It is named after Father Louis Hennepin, who was the first to document the nearby Falls in 1680, and named it St Anthony (after his patron saint). I visited it on a snow covered day in March, entering it once I crossed the bridge from downtown. One can supposedly walk down to the river from here, probably a lot more accessible during non-snow season. Will give it a try the next time I visit.

An average park in Shoreview that seems to be geared for group gatherings and picnics. There are…read moretwo shelters for meets and scores of picnic tables throughout. Two parking lots as the park stretches along Victoria and then to a playground. There does not appear to be a beach or a boat launch. The waterfront has been left as natural.

This is a great place to come and take a walk as it has a super long trail. It has some of the most…read morebeautiful scenery as you walk along the lake.

Kind of a sleepy suburb, but an all around charming place. If I had to pick one or two things worth…read moreseeing, I'd say it's the RH Rooftop restaurant and Centennial Lakes Park.

It's much more beautiful in the summer time but is also nice to walk through in the winter time…read more Beautiful plants, fountain and a gazebo, Right now there's two area that are ponds due to this winters strange weather, rain and thaw. If you are looking for a neat place to walk around (in Spring, Summer and Fall), come check it out.

While driving in the area, looking for a business, we discovered this water front street and park…read more The name itself intrigued me as I love history, a quick google search, and I knew it was a place I had to return to and spend some time walking around. A gorgeous Sunday morning couldn't have been better to return. Early morning, hardly anyone around or cars on the bridge. Park and walk at my own slow pace, walking up and down the nooks and crannies of the beautiful Mississippi river, which, by the way, I had never actually spent actual time at before. It was peaceful, relaxing, and beautiful. There is something to be said about history and beauty still wrapping themselves together. It can be a 5 minute walk or a 2 hour walk... all enjoyable.

Great place to bike or run along the river! Has shaded spots on the trail too! Dog friendly…read more Enjoyed the designated lanes for walkers separate from bikers

We had a great time walking thru the historic mill district and over the Mississippi River. It's a…read morenice place to get exercise as well. The views of the city especially at night will last a lifetime

Flour Power…read more Located alongside the Mississippi River across the riverbank from Downtown Minneapolis is a 1.4 acre park that celebrates water power and the historic flour mills. It is the Water Power Park. Situated on Father Hennepin Island, this is a gift from Xcel Energy, the primary energy company in the Twin Cities. As part of a deal to renew Xcel Energy as the primary source they were mandated to create a park overlooking Upper St. Anthony Falls. The upshot is that the tallest flora are powerlines that tower above the park and a transistor station at the Gateway to the park at Main Street. Although I relished spending time in the home of the current largest mall in America (Mall of America), I was truly at home alongside the Mississippi River. This is my latest review sharing the parks and trails alongside the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. With that said, when I explored Water Power Park, it was one of a series of parks and trails alongside the Mississippi from the Plymouth Avenue Bridge at the north to the Old Stone Bridge at the south. Just like a member in a legendary band, Water Power Park would be part of a whole that would make the Mississippi River Band awesome. It was our last day in Minneapolis that my brother and I explored Water Power Park. We had just walked through Boom Island to the north and were bound for the Old Stone Bridge. Ideally this park goes great with the far more natural Hennipen Bluffs Park at the south. The reason why I did not explore this park earlier in the vacation when I did Hennipen Bluffs Park was that it gave a poor first impression. From Main Street the transformer station dominates the entrance. This is the main sight walking north. Walking south is a different story. From northbound Main Street, we turned onto a trail that reminds me of a dock. The beginning is a slight downhill elevation with ramps. On our left was the Xcel Energy transformer station that brought to life the power lines marching alongside and over the Mississippi River. It was at the end of the primary trail that overlooks the source of the power. If I was interested in the vast information explaining Upper St. Anthony Falls role in providing power there were several kiosks alongside the trail. In all honesty I'd leave the teaching to Google later on. I was interested in taking pictures. Making my way through a flat topography where interspersed trees shared the land with powerlines poles, I walked what was now an smooth unpaved trail to the edge of the Mississippi River. It was at the Mississippi River where I took in spectacular view of the Upper St. Anthony Falls under the Third Avenue Bridge. This is the closest spot to the Upper St. Anthony Falls which is the only water falls on the Mississippi River. There were two prime spots to capture the falls. They were here at the conclusion of the main trail and where the intersection of the main and spur trail. The intersection view provides a close up perpendicular view of one of the falls. It was a neat sight watching a close up water fall at a perpendicular angle. Especially when it is a view of the Mississippi River with the historic flour and lumber mills with the Minneapolis skyline. Heading back towards Main Street I enjoyed a nice vista of grass reaching towards the Historic Pillsbury "A" Mill rising above the transformer station. Instead of seeing the Pillsbury Doughboy, we'd take a short trip on the short dead-end spur trail. This leads to a view of Hennipen Bluffs Park and the Stone Arch Bridge. The later serves as a very popular St. Anthony Falls overlook. There you have it. This review is a representation of first hand experience in a park showcasing water power and flour mills. Hopefully this review has provided knowledge on the Water Power Park. Because when it comes to power, "Knowledge is power."