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!

Loved this park. Some short, moderate hikes to get a gorgeous view of the river. I do wish that the…read moretrails were a little better marked, however, It is worth visiting when heading down to Southern Minnesota. The driftless region is amazing. However, it was my second favorite park today. We headed into effigy national monument immediately after, and that was even more breathtaking. They are a great one-two punch if you're driving down from the Twin Cities.

This was a nice spot for a hike. There is a series of trails throughout the park. I did the King's…read moreBluff and North and South Overlooks. There is no shortage of beautiful views and there were plenty of spring wildflowers to make the walk even more stunning! Parking is available at the trailheads, there are some nice picnic spots, and the vault toilets were well kept.

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"!

Buena vista park is nice little place with a terrific view of the Mississippi, the Alma lock and…read moredam and a lot of interesting scenery in between. There are some nice stair and benches, plus a restroom (that I did not go into, so no idea if it is a flush one or not) by the parking lot. Not any barriers between you and the bluff, but it isnt too bad as far as the fear factor. We had a nice little visit and the photo ops are GREAT!! It was an easy enough drive up to the park from Alma as well. Nice little place

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.

There are two things to do at this State Park. Have a picnic in one of the tables near the small…read moreparking lot. Climb the steps for a spectacular view of the area which is the Mississippi. The park is easy to miss along Hwy 61. There is a short drive into a small parking lot and keep in mind no rest facilities. If you are in shape take the climb which is 450 ft. There are a few rest areas and also some spots with no steps, just muddy rocks. The steps are listed as "difficult" with an estimated time of 1 hour. The actual stepping time was about 20 minutes, 10 minutes or so to look around the top and less than 10 minutes to descend. It's all for the view.

It's a tiny park, really just a lookout but totally worth the stop! A half mile climb up many…read morestairs but totally worth the view of the river valley and lock and dam.

Totally loved this Wisconsin state park that is nestled right on the waterways of the Mississippi…read moreRiver overlooking the Minnesota bluffs and a great sunset. The town is super cute for a bite to eat but this park is just 15 minutes north of lacrosse and totally worth it. I wish we had more time to explore the trails but it is one of my favorite state parks with new paved roads and so much wildlife to see with trains passing by too. Great camping spot to go to once a year and worth the drive!

The highlight of this park is the hike up Brady's bluff. Not an easy climb but the views are worth…read moreit. We climbed from the north and descended to the south. This was a good choice on this sunny and hot day since there was shade going up the stairs from the north. We followed the river side path back to the nature center from where we started. Be warned there is a lot of poison ivy along the river path. If we had kayaks or canoes they also have a very nice route through the nearby bay. Camping is available as are some picnic areas. A solid state park experience.

This larger park is between US-53 and the Black River which feeds into the Mississippi not far from…read morehere. Only one block wide but five blocks long, the park includes a set of tennis courts, baseball field, playground and a large picnic pavilion with a steam locomotive set. The train set is accessible and in very good condition for those who appreciate such things. There isn't an active or obvious decommissioned rail line here so it's interesting that a huge steam locomotive is here on display. The park is in reasonable condition with too much litter and dumping from people who should know better. This was a nice break from exploring the area and in the warmer months, I'm sure the place is packed. [Review 20709 overall - 278 in Wisconsin - 1690 of 2023.]

While staying in la Cross doing my rail fan thing I stumbled on this park that has an old steam…read morelocomotive and caboose next to a rail tower that looks like it was moved to the property. The steam locomotive has Burlington route markings and the tower has grand crossing which is a real railroad tower that that was moved to the park. Rail fair takes place on the third Saturday in July with $5 tours of the tower and locomotive.

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.