The falls at this park are beautiful!…read more It's a short hike from the parking area ($5 fee to park) to the falls. The trails aren't labeled, but I believe most of them lead to the falls. With the water so high this year, you can hear the falls from the parking lot, so you can literally follow the sound. The trails are unpaved, and not flat and easy. We didn't find many hiking trails other than what led to the falls, but we were on the south side, so perhaps there are more on the north side?

What an amazing slice of nature. I love a water feature - always so calming and beautiful. The…read moretrials were pretty accessible and it was crowded with a diverse group of ages and physical abilities. Seriously a great park!

10/14/23 - we were in LaCrosse and saw that there was an overview of LaCrosse from the bluff. You…read moreneed to drive up a short distance to an overview that gives you a great panoramic view of the city below. In addition you can see the Mississippi River w/LaCrosse on one side & Minnesota on the other side. Such a beautiful overview of the town, trees, hills, Mississippi River, train tracks & an eagle soaring above the cities on the wind currents (so cool & majestic) Granddads Bluff is a short run uphill to an overlook going through a hairpin turn on the way to the overlook. Great way to spend a few minutes seeing the sights below w/the beginning of the fall colors. It would have been nicer coloration in a few more days

Pretty cool little excursion in LaCrosse. Easy drive up. Not a lot of signs alerting which…read moreparking lot is for the highest vantage point so my tip to you: drive through the open gates and drive until you see a parking lot with a gazebo-esque type outdoor building and that will be the highest point. Quick walk out to the edge. Some wild flowers added to the experience. It was a beautiful morning. Very clear and we were able to see the Mississippi river, Minnesota and of course Wisconsin. Worth taking the half hour to take in this view.

We were looking for a place to walk after supper and someone had told us about this park. It has a…read morelovely lake around it, some baseball fields, tennis courts, a great playground area for kids, a museum, picnic areas, fishing spots, etc. We had a nice walk, caught part of a jazz concert, and watched an inning of a baseball game. Lovely area full of green! Coming from the desert, the green was a treat!

Love this place and the surrounding park areas that I assume are part of Carson Park as well. I…read morelove being near the water and to be able to just sit on a quiet bench right at the edge is really nice, and to walk around the rest of the place is nice and peaceful too. Amazing it's in the middle of a big downtown, especially how quiet it is.

This has got to be one of the most fun parks I have taken my boys to in awhile!…read more There is free street parking and a small parking lot down the street. This park has all kinds of things to climb, swing and explore but it also has... TOYS!! What kind of a park has toys!? The best kind of course!! As far as what is surround the playground, it's wood chips and the vast majority of the playground it wood. The entire playground is fenced in with only one way in and out, truly a parents dream haha!! There is a big sand pit to the left and alllll kinda of trucks, push toys and things to ride! There are several benches and picnic tables as well! This was a clean and well maintained park! If you are in the area, it's definitely worth the stop!

I know this place as "Wood Park". As in "Can we go to Wood Park, please please please ...". After…read moreall, its made mostly of wood. But to the city of Rochester and the kind people that made it happen, its know as the Field of Fun. Its located just a hop and a skip from the Soldiers Field Veterans Memorial. This park is small, but is a great place to take younger children. The play area is enclosed so they cant stray to far. There is a separate area for the toddler set with toddler sized play gear. For the 4-8 crowd there are more advanced slides, poles, and other climbing do-dads (even a climbing wall). There are even some picnic tables up front. if you were 4, wood it get any better than this?

Another awesome Minnesota State Park! I spent one night here in June, 2021 at a drive-in campsite…read more They also have cart-in sites with carts available, and some backpacking sites. I also spotted a building that looked like a rentable event room. But if you just want to spend part of a day here picnicking or hiking trails, they have you covered as well. When I arrived, I went to the front office to check in and buy firewood. The staff were were really, really nice. Like, exceptionally enthusiastic about welcoming campers. And they provided a lot of useful information. There are a good number of drive-in sites, but they were mostly occupied even on this rainy weekend so definitely consider reserving in advance if you can. The whole park is right by the part of the Mississippi River that's wide enough that they call it Lake Pepin. You might spot that on the map and expect that you will constantly be seeing cool views of the lake, but in fact there are so many tall trees along the slopes that you have to go find lookout spots to see the water. It is totally worth finding those lookouts! There are some very gentle hiking trails through the pastures and woodlands, but the Upper and Lower Bluffs trails are definitely more challenging. Lots of nice lookout platforms along those trails, plus there are spots where you can walk down to the rocky beach. Overall I had a great time exploring this park, and I'm excited to return!

Best way to spend my birthday out snowshoeing with friends! The trails here are very scenic with…read moreviews of the Mississippi, and lots of wildlife to boot. Definitely worth the trip especially if you are visiting nearby Red Wing. My only criticism would be that the maps along the trail didn't have a "you are here" marker, but that went away once I figured out each intersection being assigned a letter. Will have to come back in the warmer seasons for a hike and/or camping trip!

Despite being in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Rochester has ZERO natural lakes. So strange, isn't it?…read moreSilver Lake is a man-made lake. I guess due to the scarcity of natural water, the Canada Geese here flock to this park to enjoy the water and the delicious, tender grass. Seriously, I've never seen this many geese swarming before. They're quite docile, unless they're nesting. Anyway, the trail to make a look around the lake is very nice. You pass by a playground, and a lot of benches to take in the view. Public washrooms are very near the walkway. If you're into something different, Silver Lake Boat & Bicycle Rentals will let you rent out paddle boats, kayaks, single person bikes, tandem bikes, child bikes and even child trailers so that you have multiple ways of enjoying this park. You even pass by multiple informational panels so you can get some learning in on the way.

Although this place is amazing, very beautiful, but this place is so shady and so insecure for…read morepeople last night when we went there with the family the moment we parted, there was a huge bunch of people who came in different cars mostly African-American. People are not US based Somalians or somewhere from that side of the country Because I could not hear them talk properly. They were dealing with illegal drugs and the park was so dirty and nasty that you could see used condoms all over the place. If you're going with the family I strongly recommend you avoid this side of the park because it's not very safe. We feel really insecure and left that place although the park is very pretty we could have stayed longer, but we didn't feel safe with the amount of people coming in there with the law-enforcement can make rounds in this area. They can have a good check on what's going on in there

We wanted a spot that offered outdoor fun with a nearby city for lunch, and this park delivered!…read moreIt's huge.... offering hiking, camping, biking, swimming, and even skiing in the winter. There's always something to do no matter the season. Parking is $8, and on busy days you might wait a few minutes, but it's worth it. At the entrance, you'll get a helpful map (also available online) that shows all the trails and recreation options. We parked near the boat launch and took the 1.5-mile loop to the waterfall, a beautiful, family-friendly walk with no complaints from the kids! The waterfall itself is stunning. We kicked off our shoes, dipped our feet in the cool water, and climbed around the rocks above the falls. There are more challenging hikes if you're feeling adventurous, and it's only about 10 minutes to great Hudson riverfront dining afterward. We left smiling and saying, "That was so fun maybe we should get an annual pass!

Tranquil hike with moderate trails. Keep in mind though that the paved path down to the falls is…read moreVERY steep and wasn't very accessible. We went on a busy day and even then, the park never felt over-crowded. Park entry is around $16 and you can get a pass online in advance.

I took my grandsons there and we had a great time at the Zollman Zoo. The park is free to visitors…read moreand houses over 30 species of wild animals native to Minnesota. Some of animals have physical injuries that prevent them from being released back into the wild, and are surplus zoo animals from other facilities. The zoo is clean and the animals seemed to be healthy and well cared for. We had a nice conversation with a man while he cleaned the porcupine cage. He was friendly and willing to tell us about the animals he cares for and the zoo.

Parking, cleanliness, presentation was 5 stars. However, the condition of some of the animals had…read moreme a little concerned. The bear we saw was pacing and panting back and forth. I'm not a zookeeper by any means, but considering the heat and kids screaming, maybe stress and hot! The same was for the mountain lion. He actually was pawing at his enclosure door to get out of the sun, but seemed unable to do so. Other animals were even seen pawing at empty bowls, which again, assuming this to be for water. I grew up on a farm, not a zookeeper, but the animals looked very uncomfortable.