Trying to be more intentional about exploring parks around Minneapolis this year, and Hidden Falls…read moreseemed like the perfect place to start. We usually default to Minnehaha Falls across the river, but I'd never actually explored this side--which looks to be really sprawling with new townhomes and modular single family homes. We parked near the dam and walked along the trail to reach the stairs leading down to Hidden Falls. Heads up: the walk down is a little precarious since there's no railing for most of the stairs, but it's not very steep and the trek itself is pretty short. The falls themselves were a bit disappointing at the moment--more of a trickle than a waterfall--but it is early in the season. That said, the forested park area it winds through was really nice, and made the visit worth it regardless. I can already tell this place is probably stunning in the summer when everything is green and flowing! Even with the lower water level, it was a great way to explore somewhere new and great to see there were so many people already exploring the park with it being chilly still!

Beautiful park near the city. Grabbed some take out and found an empty picnic table in the middle…read moreof the day - lots of parking! Watched a few boats launch, saw some geese, enjoyed watching people along the shore. Picnic tables near the water at the North Entrance. Check it out!

Great parks, grounds and community center! Tons of lovely options for kids and adults. Plus the…read morefarmers market is top notch.

What a great park for all ages! So many different areas to play, covered and shaded areas, access…read moreto water foundations. We did not bring our dog but saw dogs there. It is clean and well kept. Plenty of parking. We'll be back!

Small, quiet park. Nice area with benches, sculptures, and pretty landscaping. Free parking all…read morearound. Nice views of Saint Paul.

In the 1880's this site used to be a hotel. It burned to the ground, but before it did, can you…read moreimagine the views? Not too hard to imagine, because you can walk to the ledge over Grand Hill and look down at the river, the bluffs, the bridges and trees and wonder if they look back. The park has been all kinds of tore up for some time as they installed a GIANT statue of an eagle killing a snake, some grand gesture of Americaness or some such that was salvaged from some razed building in St. Paul then moved to a parking garage and then moved to the park for us to enjoy. There will be seating wall, a "plaza" and a drinking fountain, and hopefully coming this spring....GRASS.

A gem of a park in Roseville and it's bigger than it looks at first glance. Check both sides of…read moreVictoria street. Past the east end parking lot there is an open area with plant and flower types lightly explained with rock formations. There are walking paths circling the park. There is the better known area on the west end of the roadway with playground and picnic equipment.

Extremely peaceful and beautiful landscape to be able to walk around. Cute playgrounds with plenty…read moreof athletic fields.

We did an Urban Sketching event at this park. We were there to sketch the paper machete Mexican…read moresculptures. So colorful and lively. I was surprised at how many people were walking about enjoying this artwork. I parked off the island and walked over the bridge. Didn't realize there was parking right on the island. Either way, the walk was not an issue and the parking limit was 4 hours off the island so plenty of time. Definitely worth a trip to check out this outdoor exhibit.

This great little park on a small island in the middle of the Mississippi river offers, grave view…read moreof the magnificent river, and some easy walks around the island for relaxation. To get here, you have to come to the middle part of the Wabasha St. Bridge, and then come down the spiral staircases. Great photo opportunities all around the island. If you go north across the bridge, you will reach downtown Saint Paul, where there is a number of restaurants; to the south there is also a number of small eateries. So nice place to spend half a day with nature, but not going too far from the city. A great destination for out-of-town visitors to get a glimpse of the magnificent Mississippi river within walking distance from downtown Saint Paul. There are a few spots that look like they can use some cleaning and landscaping, but hey, it's a free public park!

Found this place on accident and very happy I did. The playground is very large and splash pad is…read moredirectly next to it. The location is clean and it has a very great story about why it was created. I highly suggest it

This is an amazing playground and one of our favorites...not only is this a playground but it also…read morehas a splash pad. Madison's is named after a little girl who passed away when she was young. The cool part of this playground is that it is accessible to those who are handicapped. Lots of fun ramps, slides and more modern playground fun stuff. Try to score one of the trees to put a blanket under so you can chill in the shade.

I'm going to have to return to this park again when I have a bit more time to explore. I stopped by…read morefor a quick hike and was a bit stymied when my GPS took me an unnecessary two miles over to the west entrance (past the unrelated marina) when I'd been intending to use the east one. The west entrance has a good-sized free parking lot nearby the gazebo. This structure has picnic tables, fire pit, water fountain, and restrooms (however, the latter two are seasonal... in November the fountain was shut off and the restrooms were locked, which kind of sucked for me who was in need of both... thus why I made my stay somewhat short). The trails for the most part are all paved, unless you take the unofficial ones beaten down along the riverway (which seem to be most utilized by fishers from what I could glean). So that's great for bicyclists or people pushing baby strollers or rollerbladers, but wasn't exactly the vibe I was looking for. Depends on what your desires are recreationally. There was one lake area under restoration that was therefore inaccessible for now; always nice to see when resources are being invested to keep our parks nice. Lots of trees, plenty of shade, even when most of the trees have lost their leaves in preparation for winter. I think I'll come back when some snow has fallen, because I'm sure it would probably be quite gorgeous.

Love this park! Beautiful sand trails by the river and also paved trails. Highly recommend checking…read moreit out. There are many places to park along the road, but I love the parking lot by the picnic shelter, too!

This park is located in the heart of downtown St. Paul and is pretty basic. It spans 4.2 acres and…read morewas developed in 1922. There is metered street parking, with a 2-hour limit, in front of the park and there is other metered parking and commercial garages with in a reasonable walking distance. This park is very scenic and has a lot of potential. It sits up high and overlooks the Mississippi River. The park has some decent green space pockets that could be used for picnic and possibly frisbee or playing a light game of catch. It has a bunch of trees that provide a decent amount of shade. There is also a nice paved walkway around the parks perimeter that can be used to walk/jog. You will find some benches along that walkway that had a bunch of homeless people sleeping on them and a few people from nearby offices eating their lunch. The park could be maintained a bit better but, it is not horrible. The park an arcing pergola and two operational fountains. They are the best part of the park and make for some very nice pictures. The park is riddled with a bunch of homeless, as I mentioned, they were on the benches and one was in the fountain. The park has hosted events such as Saint Paul Winter Carnival, Country Flannel Night, Food Truck Friday: Voices of the Community, Francis Ford Coppola Winery Happy Hour, Hops & Hounds, and UCare Sunday Music in the Park. Either way, this is a nice park to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the big city, whether to sit and hang out, eat lunch, walk along the river overlook or just chill by the fountains.

This is an ideal park for panoramas. You won't get a better view of Raspberry Island and the bustle…read moreof St. Paul can be momentarily forgotten while walking here.

Irvine park is a nice quiet quick walk from my apartment. My partner and I take our dogs here…read moreeveryday multiple times a day for some much needed outside time. The park itself is beautiful with nice sectioned green grass some decorative bushes and benches throughout with a gorgeous fountain at its center. There's street parking available immediately near by so no need to walk from blocks away for a visit. There's also a lovely little gazebo with lights that's very pretty in the early mornings or later/darker evenings. I know it's a historical site as well so that's nifty. We have also seen even a few weddings and photo shoots being done in the park

5/31/22: Overall 3.5 stars. Located in St. Paul, this is a small, quiet & intimate park. Calling it…read morea park might even be a stretch, as it's more like a place you just stroll through to escape the sun (lots of trees & shade) or snap a few pics. There's really no parking, nor any picnic tables, drinking water fountain, or bathrooms. Just a few benches facing the fountain. This isn't a place with jogging paths or much to do. So as a "park", with its lack of amenities, I'd say it's 2.5 stars, or 3 stars at best. However, you can rent the park from the city for $200 (prices as of May 2022) for an intimate wedding, which grants you the permit, plus very limited parking spots. For events over 2 hours, you must rent your own port-o-potty (from a different company $175), as they don't provide it with your park rental. Because it's a relatively affordable way to have a wedding for those on a budget, who love nature & want to be outside, or those who just want a simple no muss, no fuss type of wedding, for that target audience, I'd say it's a decent 3.5 stars, or perhaps even a good, 4 star option. The biggest plus is that there's really no one there (didn't see anyone running or walking their dogs, etc.), so there'll be no interruptions for those wanting a private event. I would say the biggest drawback of it is that there's no real bathroom or parking.

Harriet Island is a fabulous place for a picnic, outdoor adventure, or even a music festival…read more I enjoyed attending the Minnesota Yacht Club festival on the island in July 2024. It was clean and well maintained each day.

Should you visit this park? If you're in the twin cities and have a pulse, I'd say yes…read more There's a lot to enjoy, from skyline views, a river pier, some riverbank trees with really cool roots sticking out, and some man made contraptions (primarily for the kids).