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    Empire Fields Park

    4.0 (1 review)

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    9 years ago

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    Whitetail Woods Regional Park

    Whitetail Woods Regional Park

    4.4(14 reviews)
    3.3 mi

    Whitetail Woods is such a great park system tucked near the University of Minnesota agricultural…read moreresearch farm. It's one of my favorite nature spots close to the Twin Cities. Even though it's not far from the metro, once you're out on the trails it really feels like you're deep in nature. It's quiet, peaceful, and you can't hear any city noise. There are plenty of trail options with different lengths and scenery. You'll find trails around the lake, wooded paths, prairie areas, and a mix of paved and natural surfaces. It's also very dog friendly, which is a big plus. They've done a great job with the amenities too. There's a nice play area for kids, restrooms, and well-maintained paths. One of the best things about this park is that it rarely feels overcrowded.

    I love this park! Whitetail Woods is a relatively new part of the Metropolitan Parks System, but…read moreit has quickly become a favorite. It is close to the cities, yet when you're walking/hiking/snowshoeing, or whatever, it feels very isolated. Part of that in nature feel is because it is primarily surrounded by federal or state wildlife area and a U of MN researh farm. We first discovered if for snowshoeing and it continues to be one of our favorites for that activity. There's hiking trails you can walk on, or you can explore your own path. The terrain is varied with flat plains, lots of hills, plus swamps. Though we love it best in Winter, it is beautiful for hiking during any season. There's enough variation in terrain that you can get a good workout. Though it has become more popular as people have discovered it, it is still large enough that you do not feel overrun. There are also camper cabins if you would like to stay overnight. Highly recommend as an outdoor escape.

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    Whitetail Woods Regional Park
    Whitetail Woods Regional Park
    Whitetail Woods Regional Park

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    Cliff Fen Park - Rental info for gazebos

    Cliff Fen Park

    4.7(3 reviews)
    11.7 mi

    If you're looking for a great spot for you and/or your kids to run around and climb stuff, this is…read moreit! Really great playground structures with plenty of different types of equipment, including things like balance beams, teeter-totters, and spinners, in addition to more standard playground fare like swingsets and slides. There's also a splashpad that you can activate for playing around. Water squirts or dumps from various water features. A lot of fun. It was even still running in October when I was there! Lots of gazebos (which can be reserved, if desired) with picnic tables and grills and trash/recycling cans. An ice cream truck swung by while I was there, much to the delight of the kids there. Massive parking lot. Only port-a-potties. Nearby is also a large grass field for soccer. If you go a little deeper in, you'll see it also connects with the Black Dog Trailhead. Be aware however that this is a "minimal maintenance" trail. I tried to follow it for aways after the railroad track but felt a little lost and ultimately turned back. Not sure how often or at what time of year they maintain it to make it easier to follow, but it's understandable that they don't because it is part of a specific biome of wet meadow known as a "fen". These are fairly rare and thus requiring protection, so tread lightly and respectfully if you do go! It's important nature be preserved as much as possible.

    There are not a lot of amenities at Cliff Fen but it could be educational as I learned what a 'Fen'…read moreis and realized I learned about this in 5th grade. It's too nerdy scientific to explain here so if you have a quest to know search away. I was looking for walking paths but none were to be found. Otherwise it's a nice family style park with a large playground and covered picnic area. There is a parking lot which is large for a park this size so they must plan to have events with the large open fields ready for different sporting events. I was creating my own walking area without a path until I tripped over a branch and went tumbling and decided that's enough Fen and lack of Zen for the day.

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    Cliff Fen Park - Map for Black Dog unit, accessible from the park.

    Map for Black Dog unit, accessible from the park.

    Cliff Fen Park - Fun climbing structure

    Fun climbing structure

    Cliff Fen Park - Fun play structures!

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    Fun play structures!

    Empire Fields Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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