If coming from the Twin Cities, take I35 north to Hwy 70 and follow 70 east into Wisconsin. As…read moresoon as you cross the St. Croix River into Wisconsin, go about a mile and take a left, heading north, on Soderbeck Road. In a bit less than a mile, you'll reach a 4-way intersection. This is Benson. Take a left on Benson, heading west. At the next intersection, a T, take a right onto Tennessee Road and follow the curving road north and west as it curves down to the river. In about a mile, the road terminates in a gravel parking lot. Walk-in campsites are free, first come, first served and dispersed willy nilly at the top of a hill, reached by climbing stairs. Fire rings, tents sites and a solitary pit toilet are the only amenities. There is no potable water here, no checking in, no hosts, and no answering to The Man. The campground is perched atop a 30 ft limestone cliff. The edge is marked by a sign, but do be careful. The campground has tall pines as well as deciduous trees that turn pretty colors in Fall. Avoid coming on weekends in the summer. Free camping brings party people as well as extra ranger presence. This can be a very nice, quiet place to camp, if you know when to go. Also, avoid coming when I'm there. I really like my space, man. So...just don't harsh my mellow okay? The most desolate time I've been here was in February, 2002. It was the coldest night of the year and we couldn't get a fire going. A blizzard started coming down and after I could no longer feel my feet, I decided to bail. I remember that my Volvo 240 barely made it back up that hill. I gunned it and hoped for the best. I made it, and ended up driving home on a completed deserted I35 going about 15 mph all the way back to St. Paul in a complete whiteout at 2:00 a.m. Another time I organized a writer's retreat and about ten of us came out and had a good time. A really good time. A really, really good time. Not much writing was done, but I nearly lost a limb to a crazed, machete-wielding doctor. Listen doc, all I ask is that if you take my arm off, you put it back the way you found it. You can do that because you're a doctor right? And doctors can fix anything, right? Right? I can personally vouch that the walls of the pit toilet are reinforced to withstand even the most vigorous assault from machete-wielding maniacs who have forgotten their Hippocratic oaths. Once said maniacs have expended their energy, star gazing is another fine activity that also happens to be quite safe, requiring no weapons or alcohol of any kind. Okay, full disclosure: I DID make some provocative, button-pushing statements toward the good doctor, but it was all in good fun, and I thought that she was simply looking for instruction on the safe operation and handling of the machete. God, we did do some appalling things that weekend, like eat raw haggis out of a can atop steaks. Yikes. Oh to be young! Well, I guess we weren't exactly spring chickens then either... But I digress... Sandrock Cliffs is considered part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, and as such it is managed by the National Park Service, and patrolled by federal rangers, so naughty behavior here can get you in some gnarly shit, man. And let me tell you, you think nobody is around for miles, and BAM! There's a friggin' ranger standing in your camp with her hands on her hips like a disapproving, silent green ninja. I mean, where the hell did she come from anyway, man? I never heard an engine. Maybe she canoed in and scaled the cliff with a rope and a grappling hook. Instead of throwing stars, she'll cut you down with throwing clam shells, and then write you a ticket on the back of a leaf...that's IF you're lucky. You can get more detailed maps about this and other awesome hidey spots and out of the way places to hike and canoe by making a stop at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway Marshland Visitor Center on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River off of highway 70, just before crossing the river. Munchie runs can be made by going to Grantsburg, about a 15 minute drive from the campground, depending on how crazy you drive. Grantsburg has a hospital too. I know, because I cut my knee open on a clam in the Clam River, and a doc there sewed me up real nice. Not the machete doctor. A different one. A small trail leads down to the St. Croix river to a canoe launch site. When the river is low, you can cross to a heavily wooded island, dense with prickle bushes and mosquitoes. A flat loop trail parallels the edge of the river, beginning at the far southern edge of the campground and proceeding about a mile or two total, including turn-around.

Quiet and away from road traffic, the first peaceful nights sleep I've had in a few days. Staff…read morewere very helpful, when my motorcycle broke down they moved things around to set me up for another night on very busy weekend and one of the owners drove me to get the part I needed to fix it. Brian, NY

Perfect location for exploring the St. Croix River Valley. Easy access to paddle boat excursions,…read morecanoeing, Taylor's Falls, and Wild Mountain. Staff and service are always up to speed with the needs of campers.

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.

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!

Tranquil hike with moderate trails. Keep in mind though that the paved path down to the falls is…read moreVERY steep and wasn't very accessible. We went on a busy day and even then, the park never felt over-crowded. Park entry is around $16 and you can get a pass online in advance.

Lebanon Hills Regional Park is such a great park for hiking! The trail system consists of over 14…read moremiles of summer hiking trails and over 12 miles of mountain bike trail. There are multiple parking lots available and even if they seem full don't let that deter you as the park is so large it never feels overly busy. There is also a beach and picnic area available too.

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 !

Fun campground and great people. They have mini golf, basketball hoops, volleyball, a couple super…read morefun tube slides, and lots of playground equipment for kids. We used their trail in the back to get to the blacktop roads where we spent many afternoons biking around the area! We really enjoyed our seasonal site last!!

We had a great time here. Very friendly and family oriented place! Great Playground! Our…read moreDaughter LOVED it! Nice and comfortable restrooms and Bathhouse. Very Clean and well kept. The Owners were very responsive to questions, and had answers within a minute of texting. Great WIFI on the east end of the campground. We will Definitely return.

We just did the canoe/kayak rental to go down the river but the resort looks really nice as well…read more I believe the owners were who helped us and they were so cool. Very friendly, informative and helpful. What a nice little place.

It is great to see a family that works hard together. We were made comfortable and we were helped…read moreto plan two trips on the river, one tubing and one canoe. Both throughly enjoyable. Camp ground is quite and we reserved a site right on the river which made it really nice. Great short, close get away before the end of summer. Thanks for a great stay !

This is a beautiful state park in Minnesota. One of the highlights is a 2 mile hike on the Wetland…read moreTrail. The trail is mostly flat and winds you through a wetland, which offers lots of good bird watching opportunities. The trail changes with the seasons, from flowers in the spring and summer to stunning fall foliage in the fall. The trail also offers a view of a beaver lodge. The park is along the St.Croix river, and has an exit point for kayakers if you enter in Taylors Falls. The park is about 45 minutes from the Twin Cities, and is 2 miles north of Marine on the St Croix.

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

We stayed for 2 nights at this campground. Overall it's clean, operations were smooth. We stayed in…read morea tent site... these could use some improvement. One site next to us was all torn up by tire tracks and mud. The walk to the bathrooms and drinking water is a short hike. Not sure what's in the foam at the kid's foam party but it burned my kids eyes. We'll probably explore other options in the area before coming back here.

First off this is not a Resort. There is only 1 bathouse that has no air in it and they have one…read morepool. They grounds are not kept up which photos will show. Dog park is a very small enclosed area that has one tree limb in it and the grass and weeds have taken over which pictures will show. Mgmt on site are more worried about sending demanding emails and the regional manager could care less. If you want to stay where there is alot of police presence then this is your place. Several campers down was surrounded by cops with guns pulled, when asked mgmt why those individuals were still there they commented that happened before they took over but yet it's the same mgmt company Blue Water. They want the sites cleaned up but they have staff that their sites are some of the worse. Very unprofessional mgmt staff and rude. I've been here several years and it's never been this bad. I wish Jennifer Johnson was back she knew how to talk to people. Rv'rs beware!