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.

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.

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!

Willow River State Park was absolutely beautiful and ended up being one of our favorite stops. We…read morehiked the 0.4 mile trail down to the base of the falls, and while the climb back up was definitely steep and a workout, it was completely worth it. We were proud of ourselves for making it! The waterfall and scenery are gorgeous, and the whole park feels peaceful and well maintained. If you enjoy nature, hiking, and scenic views, this place is definitely worth visiting. We loved our time here and would absolutely come back again.

We wanted a spot that offered outdoor fun with a nearby city for lunch, and this park delivered!…read moreIt's huge.... offering hiking, camping, biking, swimming, and even skiing in the winter. There's always something to do no matter the season. Parking is $8, and on busy days you might wait a few minutes, but it's worth it. At the entrance, you'll get a helpful map (also available online) that shows all the trails and recreation options. We parked near the boat launch and took the 1.5-mile loop to the waterfall, a beautiful, family-friendly walk with no complaints from the kids! The waterfall itself is stunning. We kicked off our shoes, dipped our feet in the cool water, and climbed around the rocks above the falls. There are more challenging hikes if you're feeling adventurous, and it's only about 10 minutes to great Hudson riverfront dining afterward. We left smiling and saying, "That was so fun maybe we should get an annual pass!

Beautiful day and have the place to myself. Utterly…read morefantastic and lots of Hawks. No water in Lake Alice still.

Lovely state park! The trails were wide open and well maintained. The scenery this time of the year…read moreisn't the best but we still enjoyed exploring this park. We did the Hardwood Hills Loop, an easy trail about 4.2 miles and took us 1.5 hours. Plenty of parking. Great visitor center, heated bathrooms with flush toilets.

We had our first time visit to St Croix Park this past weekend and we are already planning our next…read moretrip back to spend more time! The park is located just an hour and a half from the twin cities area so made for a great day trip destination! We did the recommended scenic drive to the 100ft fire tower which gave us some awesome fall color views! The park had many beautiful trees and we saw so many blue birds! We really want to check out camping here but will have to save that for another trip! Overall a great park to check out the fall colors!

I can't believe it took me this long to explore this state park. Close enough to the cities for a…read moreday trip, big enough to make you want to come back and keep exploring -- it helps that the weather was perfect during our camping trip. The park itself is incredibly large. Be prepared to drive 5-15miles to get to different areas of the park. Plenty to do from the largest area of electric campsites I've seen at a state park, to river access for canoes/kayaks, to a beach to swim and relax, to the famous observation tower if you want the most scenic view of the park. Campsites are not super private, but very spacious -- so spacious you could easily fit a large camper (30ft+), a tent or clam, and your vehicle, and still have room for activities. Also, poor to no cell service at campsites (so you can disconnect!), but they do have wifi in park buildings. PS: climbing the tower isn't for the faint of heart -- steep.

TOP SECRET! This hiking destination is well, the BOMB! Lots of wildlife, you can't get too lost…read more(lots of maps/signage/follow-the-path), free, scenic vistas year round. Your mission-to find one of the elusive parking unpaved parking lots. Watch out for tiny enemy agents: mosquitoes & ticks! Be sure to don your special agent spray (bug spray) before you enter the woods!

Great hiking trail for the whole family and beautiful. Not a ton of incline and even my dog loves itread more

The refuge is a great place to explore nature. There are many trails to hike both short and long…read more The Visitor's Center has a wonderful display and activities. There is also a viewing area where there are bird feeders. A favorite is the turkeys that stop by! The staff here are helful and friendly. They also plan community events that are always fun and educational.

Hooray, I finally came here when the visitor center was open! I've been a couple of times in the…read morepast just to do some hiking on the trails, but I'd never gotten to see the inside as the hours are somewhat narrow being just Wednesday through Sunday. It looked really grandiose from the outside, so I'm unsurprised the inside was quite modern and comfortable. It's comprised of many available seating areas where you can sit and relax (I especially recommend the seating facing the bird feeders, though there's also a cozy fireplace), or simply wander and explore the exhibits they have up with information on them about the history of the refuge, the work its done and is doing, and the animals that inhabit it. This is important work! I'm so glad they're doing it. Unsurprisingly there is a gift shop with expected trinkets such as stickers, pins, patches, plushies, postcards, jewelry, hankerchiefs, and lots of books. So if you'd like to support the refuge and get a little something for yourself, that's a great way to do it. There is additionally an art gallery with revolving local Minnesota artists that take inspiration from nature, an auditorium playing a looped track, and plenty of space for kids to play (including corn hole and giant puzzles). There is a conference room (downstairs) and a community room (upstairs), and considerable office space (not open to the public, obviously). Two water bottle refill stations. Clean bathrooms (separated by gender, but there's also a bonus unisex, accessible one). These folks do LOTS of events throughout the year, most of them completely free to attend (some require RSVP, others don't), so I recommend keeping an eye out for something that interests you. Plenty of free parking is available on site. There are picnic tables around the visitor center, as well as an outlook with binoculars. If you go down along the left side the visitor center, it will take you to the trails if you're here to do some hiking. :)

Came here to see the fall colors mid October. They looked so beautiful! I loved how easily…read moreaccessible the trail was. It's fully paved and has a few winding bridges, one that goes above a lake. You could easily spend several hours here because the park is so large! The people on the trail were really friendly. I loved seeing all the wildlife along the trail too. We spotted several caterpillars and saw ducks and different birds in the distance. The fall colors were very beautiful and the trail was wide and relatively empty for a Sunday mid-day. I absolutely loved it. Would definitely come here again in the future !

I explored Lebanon Hills Regional Park today for the first time and was pleasantly surprised by the…read moreamount of the trails and activities this park has to offer. We ended up walking 2 different trails. Both trails led around lakes and were mostly shaded by beautiful mature trees, which provided a nice escape from the sun today. I can't wait to go back for more outdoor adventures and recommend you check it out too!!!

A great place to take the family for summer camps, beautiful hiking, nature education and tons of…read moreprograma

This is going to be one of those reviews where I open with a quote/poem. Today's selection will be…read moreone of my favorites from Wendell Berry: When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. Now that I got that out of my system, I love this place. They offer a ton of camps and classes for children and adults all centered around nature and conservation. I rememember coming to the day camps here and having a blast. I did the Spanish Lanuage immersion camp, general day camp, but never the week long over night. They offer cabins for rental as well. There was this one we went to that was like way out there on this trail and built from super old wood in a lincoln log kind of way. And now just looking at their website, they apparently rent that out too on a nightly basis. Ooh and the bogs. They have this massive bog on the property that you can walk through and it has all these crazy species of plants. There's even one of those insect eating plants and orchids and stuff. Now that I'm thinking about it, this place would make for a great Yoga retreat. If you're reading this Ms. Hunt or whoever owns this place, you should explore the idea of a partnership with a Yoga studio. You could be like the Kripalu of the midwest.