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

It's an amazing view must bring spotting scope great for kids and puppies and you can see a lot of…read morestuff

As a previous campground host, this was THE # 1 place I recommended people check out while here…read more It's only a 5 minute drive up. It is SPECTACULAR. I cannot imagine why anyone would give it less than 5 stars. While there are only swings here ( marked down by a previous viewer for this reason) there is lots of grassy area for kids to run around far away from the cliffs. Be aware, there are no guardrails at the viewing point... so watch kiddos closely . Enjoy the views of the Minnesota bluffs across the water as you gaze upon the Mississippi river down below and the Alma dam to your right ! You might get lucky and see a barge coming through. There is a steep hiking trail @ the north end of 2nd St in Alma to start your way up. Otherwise, you drive up from the far South end of town. Well marked. Don't miss this "beautiful view"!

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.

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!

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?

Merrick State Park is on the Mississippi River and is a great campground to stay at. There are…read moreplenty of trails to walk on and you can walk down by the river. Great scenery to be discovered here. Be advised there is a racetrack nearby so you'll be hearing that for a few hours on weekends. It stopped around 9pm so not too bad. There are plenty of facilities on site (water hookups, sewage, bathrooms, showers, fire wood). You are not too far away from Fountain City which is a nice little town with a few bars and restaurants and about 20 minutes from Winona.

Merrick was a State Park chosen on a whim as late plans to go somewhere to get away from all the…read moreFourth of July noise that irritates our dog to no end came together. We have never been to this area and were pleasantly surprised at how awesome it was! Merrick was the perfect gateway to this area by the Mississippi that I will call a gem of the north! Our campsite was clean, quiet and proved to be one of the best, in my opinion, spots we could have happened upon. We landed on booking site 14 in the North section of Merrick. It was well shaded large site that gave us a lot of comfort as the days we were there were hot. We really got lucky and enjoyed our entire stay. Wood was close, bathrooms with showers were close so couldn't really ask for much more. We found the location to be prime to get to all the stuff we wanted to do around that area.

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.

This was unexpected. Like, really unexpected. We drove here after camping at a state park nearby,…read moreand the roads made us think we were headed towards someone's backyard and we might be the only ones there. We could not have been more wrong! Buses full of field trip kids! So many granny nannies! Plenty of older kids, including a few groups of teenagers! This is a legit nature center, quality playground, and perfectly nice little zoo. I don't know what it's like to live down here, but apparently the locals love this place. That said, it wasn't too crowded at all, and the bathrooms were clean. Parking was easy. We stayed for about an hour, but plenty of people looked like they had packed lunches and intended to stay all day.

An absolutely lovely early fall experience! I was looking to see some fall leaves, and while I was…read morea bit early coming the final week of September, I was still entranced by the beauty of this place. (For sure going to have to come back again some time in late October for more of the brilliant colors, but I got some!) I hiked a total of 7.6 miles over the course of the afternoon, and I have to say that hiking the majority of this park is possible in one visit if you have the time and stamina. I went up Hidden Falls Trail first to visit the waterfall, which I would say is an absolute must-see if you visit here. It's close and it's stunning. Great for photo ops. From there I kept going northwards along the Fawn Trail to the Hope Trail Loop, then resumed Fawn Trail to Beaver Trail which took me to White Oak Trail. All of these were lovely, traipsing through the lush woods. I found myself stopping frequently to look up and admire the leafy canopy far above my head. If I paused, I could hear the breeze moving through the branches. This place is far enough away from it all that you don't hear any road noise or human city noises, which is wonderful. I chose to go a bit further, crossing the road so I could also try out the trails on the southern end of the park, including Maple Trail Loop, Basswood Trail, and Fox Trail. These lower routes had a different vibe to them... more grasslandy; there were still trees, but there were fewer of them and some were bare/dead. So if you're seeking a bit more sun/less shade, these trails might be preferable. It looked like there was some restoration going on in this area, as I noticed many young saplings that were protected by a giant straw-like device. While many of the northern trails had a gravel path, the southern trails seemed more like mowed grass. Before leaving, I also enjoyed the playground up by the parking lot. There's cute nature play "equipment" made of wood as well as a bunch of swings. These swings are pretty high off the ground... I had no issue with scraping the ground even with my adult-length legs, lol. In this area is also a gazebo with many picnic tables under it, as well as a sink and electrical outlets. This is also where the restrooms are located. They were still open late September! (But I also noticed a pit toilet further up that's likely open year-round.) There are also plenty of additional picnic tables and barbeques, as well as a water fountain, spread out in the grass under the trees in this area, so there's lots of places to select from. I was unfortunately there when the Visitor Center was closed (Tuesday) so I did not get to go inside to check it out. Perhaps next visit I'll be able to go, because I often like to purchase a patch or pin as a memento (and to support the park system). I'd read on the website that the parking lot for this place was small and thus they advised arriving early to ensure a spot. This turned out to not be an issue on a Tuesday. They have camp sites and group camp sites. I didn't check them out on my day hike, but I'll admit to being curious about camping here in the future.

Such a pretty hidden nature spot and honestly worth wandering around. The waterfall itself is…read morereally cool, but what I loved most was exploring all the little details around it--flowers growing by the creek, dripping mossy rock walls, interesting trees, and just the peaceful feeling of being tucked away in the woods. We definitely climbed around and explored more than expected The waterfall is beautiful from different angles, and if you like taking photos, there are a lot of fun spots and textures to capture. Depending on the time of day, the sun makes the water sparkle which looked really pretty. It felt peaceful, relaxing, and like a nice little escape without needing some huge hike. Definitely bring decent shoes if you plan to explore near the water or rocks because it can get slippery. Would absolutely recommend if you enjoy nature, photography, or just finding quiet pretty places.

The CVT is a rail-to-trail (the historic railroads story is interesting here too). Wheel Passes are…read morerequired on the trail ($7 daily/$30 season passes)-pedestrians, wheelchairs & strollers are exempt. Lots of nice hiking & biking on this trail along the Cannon River. The CVT extends from Cannon Falls to Red Wing, with great connections to other trails (Goodhue Pioneer Trail, Mill Towns State Trail, Cannon Falls City Trail). No pets are allowed on the trail (but I have witnessed dog walkers there).

Gorgeous trail. Ran here after work on a Wednesday and essentially had the trail to myself! The…read moreleaves have just started to change down there, and the views were really beautiful. I'd like to come back soon to try biking it, since it is a very long trail and I can only get so far running (it's a taper week so I didn't go far). So if you're a biker and are looking for a quiet, pretty trail, this seems to be the place!!

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.