Beautiful little lake surrounded by trees and nice public sandy beach. The inflatables are…read moreincredible and staff is super friendly!! Highly recommended!

This is one of our favorite parks here in rochester. Very clean and well taken care of. Very close…read moreby to downtown too ( maybe about 5-10 min drive). It has two play grounds, one for little kids and another for bigger toddlers and adolescents. What we also really love is the volleyball sand court! We've had so many good games there. There's also a shelter for groups to eat and sit around. We used it several times with friends for birthday parties and potlucks. Have I mentioned the lake yet? Really nive Lake with a little sand beach. You can swim there too. They do hold several sport events there for swimming during the year. People also bring fishing poles and go fishing there. During the winter, the lake is frozen and people come here to do ice fishing. I just love coming there and reading or chilling around sunset time.

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.

I think it is great when there is a community park with so much to offer for free for families to…read moreenjoy. There are many trees, grills, tables available for shade, cooking, and eating. The office will even loan you a cart on wheels to haul the stuff you need from your car to the beach or picnic part. You can even change into your swim clothing on site as there is a men's and woman's bathroom. They also have water spigots available to wash off your feet or children after you come up from the lake.

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!

Beautiful area within hiking, horseback riding, Segway tours, camping and glamping. We glamped and…read morethe restrooms with showers were clean and easily accessible. The lake is really amazing at sunset. The team working throughout the park is friendly and members want you to enjoy yourselves.

We continued our quest to visit all of the Minnesota state parks. Lake Louise was a recent visit…read more The main trail was wide and well marked. It followed the water until we took an extra snow mobile trail that brought us out into the prairie. The prairie had lot of birds, butterflies, and grasshoppers. Most of the trail was smooth walking with a few areas of rocks and prairie uneven land. Overall it was a nice area. We saw a few people along the way but mostly it was quiet and l peaceful. Nice stop.

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

Back before this place was a park, it was all swamp land. Who knew that this place could have…read moretransitioned into such a beautiful area to bring the kids to run around, play, eat, or swim! The park has many different things to offer from playground equipment, a lake, many soccer fields, and a walking path that encircles the lake and then some (not sure of distance, but a couple miles at least), places to fish, and a large shelter with bathrooms. Some parts of the playground, like the plastic coating on the metal, is starting to come off and is starting to show some age. Some parts may be sharp, so make sure kids are wearing shoes. Otherwise it is a great place to occupy your time with all the different things you can do!

What an amazing park! Picnic tables galore, beautiful playground, beach, soccer fields. Benches…read moreeverywhere. We will be back!

Use to come here as a kid when we were in town. There is a nice beach, playground, gazebo, tennis…read morecourts, volleyball and basketball ball courts.

When I drive by in the summer the park looks very busy as there is plenty of parking room for beach…read moregoers to spread out. This beach is between Prescott and Hastings and has all the amenities you should expect. The rest of the year the area is open and a neat place to just sit around.

Great little beach with clean restrooms, garbage and recycling bins. We go during off times and…read moreit's perfect to enjoy the space when it's a little less crowded and we have space to spread out on the beach. There are plenty of picnic tables, shaded and grass areas if you prefer to stay off the sand.

This is the "beach" we grew up at. So many memories of my dad bringing me here whenever I wanted to…read morego for a swim. It's usually really nice and clean. The fishing area is separated from the swimming area. Area to wash off the sand when you are done for the day. Plenty of parking. Playground nearby for kiddos who don't want to swim. Bring your beach toys for a nice day at the lake. Great place for picnic too.

This is a smaller beach which has its pros and cons…read more Pros: family friendly, easily walkable, grills, dog friendly Cons: can get crowded, drinks are not permitted So, I believe it is perfect for a stroll and a family grill. However, if you are looking for a hang out with your 21+ friends to drink and lay out I would recommend another beach. They have a beautiful dock for some quiet reading and fishing. However, I have yet to go down there because it's always being used.