Banning State Park was one of our favorite outdoor stops during our Hinckley getaway. The park is…read moreknown for its scenic hiking trails, sandstone cliffs, and the views of the Kettle River, making it a great place to spend a few hours exploring. Our goal was to find the waterfall, but like many first-time visitors, we ended up taking a wrong turn and wandered a little longer than expected. Honestly, it turned into part of the adventure. As we explored, we spotted deer quietly moving, squirrels darting between the trees, and plenty of birds and caterpillars along the way. We discovered quiet trails, beautiful overlooks, and peaceful stretches of the river that we might have missed if we'd gone straight to our destination. The sound of the water, the surrounding rock formations, and the forest scenery made it one of those places where you naturally want to stop and take it all in. If you're visiting Banning State Park for the first time, don't stress if you get a little turned around. Give yourself extra time, wear comfortable shoes, and enjoy the journey.

This is a beautiful state park that offers so many opportunities to commune with nature. Lush…read moretrails, flowers native to shorelines and wet soils, and a waterfall are among some of the many joys here. It is located off I-35 near Sandstone, and 90 miles away from the Twin Cities (about an hour and a half away). It is worth making a day trip to visit. The park stretches along 10 miles of the Kettle River, and has 1.5 miles of churning class IV rapids for those daring kayakers.

An Anoka County Park located in Oak Grove on Lake George. It offers a lake beach and swimming, a…read moreboat launch, fishing pier, trails for hiking/biking, many picnic pavilions (that can be reserved for a fee), playground, off-street parking, sand volleyball court, restrooms. It is a fee-based park (either daily rate/yearly sticker).

Love this place! Beach, paths, park- perfect family spot. Lake Access point for boats and canoes…read moreavailable too

Newly opened FREE regional park just north of the Elk River Golf Club, is 427 acres of dense woods,…read moreprairies & wetlands. It is called the crown jewel of Elk River Park system (with good reason). This park offers: archery & biathlon ranges, cross country skiing trails, paved & grass trails, picnic tables, benches, and the Glacial Ridge Nature Play Area (fort building sticks, log balance beam, boulder scramble, log climbing, tunnels, benches and water pump feature). We took an evening hike with the Elk River Park & Rec Department and explored a nice trail. They arranged to have a demonstration of the Biathlon at the shooting range.

This is a great trail park to take walks. I give it four stars though, because there is no…read moreplayground for kids to play, and the wood logs that they have set up for kids to jump around are not safe and I have seen kids fall and get hurt. That aside, there's a nice covered shelter there, the trails are nice and clean and paved, they have plenty of maps everywhere along the trails and the nature is beautiful.

We did a quick walk down to the falls. It was impressive and pretty. There were a few people around…read moreso I didn't get the greatest nature only picture but it was worth the 100+ steps down and back and only took maybe about 15 minutes.

So beautiful. Worth the stop. You can either make a quick…read moretrip down the stairs or take the trails. The waterfall has a picnic area for family to hang out. Keep it clean cause it is so beautiful. You can get up behind the falls or play in it.

I am not from around and already a huge fan of this trail. I am visiting friends for a weekend and…read morethis is right opposite to where they live. On the first glance you'l know right away that this is a huge forest reserve. This one had a very big bike trail(I was told something around 15 miles), Ofcourse shared by people who is here for a run/hike/walk/picnic etc. Guessing by the signs, looks like there are few spots where you can actually ski. Consists of multiple loops/small trails if you want to walk or hike, both paved and unpaved. I've also located few picnic spots and the scenery at places is quiet refreshing and amazing. A very pleasant get away from the everyday noise, surprisingly you won't even hear any traffic once you are inside(depends how far you are away from the road). The main trail splits into small loops, you'll be fine if you can keep track of these. There's also a dog park as well multiple parking spots across the way based on which side of the trail you are accessing it(I used the one at intersection of Territorial and Fernbrook).

Love this place! Tubing, snowboarding, skiing, cross country skiing! We did the snow tubing and…read morethey had 10 nicely groomed lanes and even at max capacity there was not that long of a wait. Easy to go online and reserve your two hour time slot which is plenty of time. Staff was friendly and helped give a push to start off if needed.

This review is only regarding the cliff jumping you can do at the park into the water- this review…read moreis not meant to discourage others to go to this beautiful park - just to make people aware of the risks. If you plan to cliff jump - please read!!! I have been to this park many times in my life, and jumped off the high cliff into the water at least half a dozen times. Last Memorial Day, I went with my friends to enjoy the park. I went to the highest cliff jumping spot and I jumped off into the water. I immediately knew something was wrong with my spine when I hit the water as I could barely breathe and my back exploded in pain. As the signs state at the park - you jump at your own risk. It was clear they do not have a protocol for when people get injuries. It took about 10 minutes to get a ranger to come over and help, who did end up calling an ambulance, but they did not offer anything else. They didn't clear the area, and people continued to climb up and jump around me. My friends had to kick me across the whole quarry to get to the shore to get to the ambulance. At the hospital they did an x-ray and a vertebrae in my spine had compressed due to the angle I hit the water and fractured. It was about a 5-month recovery with a back brace full time. If you go for the cliff jumping just be aware that there is a risk jumping into the water, and the risk gets greater the higher you go. All this to say - the park is beautiful and it is still a lovely spot for swimming and hiking. Just know the risks before you go cliff jumping into the water.

Definitely a gem in this little town. The walking trails are pleasant and go for miles. Wear…read morecomfortable shoes. There's a quarry with cliffs to dive from. Parking fee's vary $5 Sep-May and $10 during the summer.

On our quest to visit all MN State Parks, this was number 31. We did a 3+ mile hike through lakes,…read morewoods, and prairie. Loved the lookout hill to be able to see the colors highlighted by the sun on a beautiful fall day. Trail was well marked, wide, and well maintained. Watch out for horse droppings as you share the trail. There were quick a few cars in the parking area but we didn't see a ton of people on the trails so nice to be able to spread out. Easy hike for most. Enjoyed the day here.

This is a nice state park to hike. The natural trails are well marked. They had clean bathrooms and…read morea place to refill your water bottle. Fall colors at peak this year were disappointing.

White Sand Beach is a true hidden gem of a beach in the cities, especially for those who like to…read moresit back and take in the beauty of the Mississippi River that flows by the beach + nice hiking/walking trail before you find yourself at the beach and enjoying the spectacular views and soft natural sandstone sand! Bear in mind there is quite a few old firewood chips scattered all over the beach. A little annoying how they are scattered everywhere, but luckily it's not a huge issue, but just don't be surprised or disappointed when go. Seems like it's a popular spot for locals to host intimate bonfires, which I love this spot for a fun summer night bonfire with friends. Just make sure to "Leave No Trace" practice by cleaning up all bonfires and throwing away left over trash. Love that there's a few trash bins down by the beach! Overall great place to check out!!

Beautiful views any time of the year. A parking permit (yearly or day pass) is needed to park in…read morethe lot or you can try to find free street parking on the Main Street. There are plenty of easy hiking trails and some very cool views! The river walk is a nice walk with a picnic table available too. There are a few park benches available to rest and lots fun shops and cafes/restaurants to eat at on the main strip. Great place to take a day trip!

Oh, what a gorgeous park! Last Saturday, my friends and enjoyed a lovely hike walking the trails…read moreand enjoying the beautiful scenery. We saw rock formations and potholes, eagles, sparrows, unique pretty flowers, along the gorgeous St. Croix river. After the hike, we enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch on the benches surrounded in all the beauty. No, there is no water fall, but who cares...it's gorgeous and just an amazing place to visit.

Nice Wright County Regional Park on the bicycle trail. Free park that offers a nice swimming…read morebeach, shelter, picnic tables & grills, sand volleyball court, horseshoes, fishing pier, restrooms, playground, and 1.2 miles of hiking. Clean lake swimming beach with nearby shade.

Maintenance gentleman , Joe,, is very helpful and willing to…read moreassist . Rest room and park are very clean. And neat.