First visit to Afton State Park this weekend and am already planning my next trip!…read more We did the South River Loop and it was the perfect mix of prairie and forest, with a large portion having a view of the river. We got a tip to do the trail counter clockwise due to where the elevation is on the trail, and it was helpful! The paths are wide and views spectacular. It was a great park to visit to view the fall colors.

Great park and many spots to explore! I stopped in with a friend for a quick hike and we walked…read moredown by the water and enjoyed some snacks by the river. It's nice that we have this park so close to the cities!

Love that they turned the old swing bridge into a park. I remember my grandparents driving across…read morewhen I was a child. I was always excited to pay the man in the booth the toll fee. The light show at night is pretty cool .

A very scenic and historical park that's not too well known. Easy parking and there are heated…read morerestrooms. If you like to read about where you are there are a few interpretation points. Catch some great views of the ol' Mississippi and look for the climb up lookout point. If dad gets bored with the whole thing he could head over to the ah 'gentlemen's' club at the corner of the highway turn.

Ever since my first trip up to this park I have been amazed and enjoyed the views that it offers…read more It arguably has the best views of St Paul and is a great vantage point. There is amble parking along for this park (even if occasionally there are a few creepy looking characters hanging around). I often see people taking photographs up here which really is no surprise given the views and easily accessible location. Summer or winter this place looks impressive. It can get a little windy but it is so worth if for the views and a quiet place to relax. Combine this with the historical and cultural background of the area and it makes for a place you gotta check out!

I love this place e is so peaceful Perfect to come late and…read moretake your time and chill

This is a neat little surprise I found just wondering through the neighborhood. There is an…read moreengraved poem in the shelter that makes you feel like you're living through someone else's nostalgia. You can literally "feel the children in the air." It was very meditative actually - I didn't really want to leave.

What amazes me is the history that is barely under the surface no matter where you go. Not great…read moreworld history, but just little forgotten tidbits of happenings that you learn about and go HMMM, Interesting! Just scratch a little bit (on the internet, of course) and there it is, a glimmer of what things were like 50, 60, 100 years ago. Take this park for instance. There is a shallow fountain pool with a Paul Manship sculpture inside, water spitting up from the four geese, a nice little stone shelter with an engraved quote from Robert Louis Stevenson about kids playing that is ghostly and eerie. What I learned online was that in the 60's, the sculpture was vandalized during what they call urban flight, and city officials moved it to a safer Como Park. For years, what sat in this park was a fiberglass replica. The neighborhood turned again, and now the original is back home, where it belongs. Interesting, huh?

We came on a sunny winter day and had a blast walking around exploring not only the snow sculpture…read morebut enjoyed the fun little ice rink for the kiddies and walked across the bridge! Loved that they don't allow cars so you can explore at your leisure and the world snow sculpture competition had a beautiful backdrop with the frozen over river!

Beautiful waterfront park right by Downtown Stillwater. It's peaceful, clean, and well maintained,…read moreplus the water is quite clear. Be sure to walk the lift bridge into Wisconsin and back - that's arguably the main highlight of this park.

What a lovely discovery over between Hudson and Somerset. We purchased the annual pass to utilize…read moreTroy Beach and found out there are several other locations this pass is good for so decided to explore. This area rocks! The day we went we were just interested in swimming and the beach area, next time i will pack a cookout i think or rent one of the kayaks or canoes to float across the lake. There Wear your walking shoes as it is a pretty good hike from the parking spots to the actual place you swim or cook out.

It's a pretty neat place, but if you don't get parking down by the lake, you have quite a hike up…read moreand down a pretty big hill if u want to be by the lake.

Great place to get good River views. There are hiking trails nearby as well. when the water is low…read moreit is nice place to Wade on the bank of the river

Open with lots of wide open spaces during the Covid Times! The pit toilets are open, but it is…read morevery basic here (no running water or flush toilets). Located on the scenic St. Croix River, there's lots of wildlife to view (the birdwatching here is amazing!). Picnic tables along the wooded shoreline offers a shady spot to eat. Bring your lunch nd fishing poles and check it out!

I'm a new annual pass-holder for the Washington and Anoka county parks. I've wanted to check out…read morethe Lake Elmo Reserve for a very long time and the fact that the Reserve had the Nordic Renewal Co. Sauna (pop up) on Thursdays and Sundays...this was the jump start I needed to just buy a pass. I've gone to the park now 4x's in over 2 weeks. I did the sauna once, took my kiddo to the beautiful brand new huge playground twice and then did a little hike solo. The park is huge. There are lots of spots to camp, they have their own beach (in the summer), beautiful lakes, lots of hiking trails, etc. I look forward to coming back not only to this park but others that are part of the pass. No time like the present to get outdoors and explore!

If u have kids this is a good place to go because it is super shallow I recommend u come before…read more12:00 so u can get thare before the lifeguard because they have dumb rules