The Oronoco park has changed a bit since the highway construction and improvement. Sometimes it is…read moreoverrun with the geese and has a ton of goose poop around.....They do have a nice pavilion and the view of the lake has changed and not for the better with the elimination of a ton of vegetation and trees----with all that being said....Every 4th of July the community comes together and has a fabulous firework display and potluck....typically you bring what you want to drink a covered dish some lawn chairs and typically will pay 5.00 a head for the grilled meats.....and get to know your neighbors...the fireworks over lake shady are always pretty and they typically have a dj for all the kids to dance to....We always appreciated and enjoyed this during our time living in Oronoco....

This is one of our favorite parks here in rochester. Very clean and well taken care of. Very close…read moreby to downtown too ( maybe about 5-10 min drive). It has two play grounds, one for little kids and another for bigger toddlers and adolescents. What we also really love is the volleyball sand court! We've had so many good games there. There's also a shelter for groups to eat and sit around. We used it several times with friends for birthday parties and potlucks. Have I mentioned the lake yet? Really nive Lake with a little sand beach. You can swim there too. They do hold several sport events there for swimming during the year. People also bring fishing poles and go fishing there. During the winter, the lake is frozen and people come here to do ice fishing. I just love coming there and reading or chilling around sunset time.

Good beach. Big sandy area, volleyball net, playground nearby, beach house with showers, and a even…read morea security guard was on duty (it was a weekend). The lake is pretty small, but gets really deep within the swimming area. (There is a rope marking off a shallow area for the kiddos.). I'm pretty tall, and easily couldn't touch about half way into the swimming area--good distance between me and all the kids. Will definitely be returning!

Although this place is amazing, very beautiful, but this place is so shady and so insecure for…read morepeople last night when we went there with the family the moment we parted, there was a huge bunch of people who came in different cars mostly African-American. People are not US based Somalians or somewhere from that side of the country Because I could not hear them talk properly. They were dealing with illegal drugs and the park was so dirty and nasty that you could see used condoms all over the place. If you're going with the family I strongly recommend you avoid this side of the park because it's not very safe. We feel really insecure and left that place although the park is very pretty we could have stayed longer, but we didn't feel safe with the amount of people coming in there with the law-enforcement can make rounds in this area. They can have a good check on what's going on in there

Here's a weird fact. When I lived in Rochester, I never dropped by Silver Lake Park. I always drove…read morearound it to get to and from my home to the downtown area and beyond. The only explanation that I can muster is that I had a park within walking distance from my home. I visited that park often that I didn't think of visiting others. After having a decent lunch on Saturday afternoon, I decided to drop by the park to finally check it out. There are a number of parking spots. I backed my car into an available spot and walked around. Rochester is unique in that it's the only city in Minnesota that has manmade lakes. I believe that the number of lakes in Rochester is in the double digits these days, but the lakes were designed for cooling. Specifically, Silver Lake cools the Rochester Public Utilities power plant. The park surrounds Silver Lake. You can get quite the workout walking around it. I walked maybe a quarter of it. I had spotted a swing that had enough space to comfortably seat two adults. There were indeed two people on it, so I decided to walk somewhere else. When I noticed that they were walking towards me, I headed over to the swing. I like a good swing. This one faces the lake and it was enjoyable taking in downtown Rochester and the view while swinging on it. There are geese in the area. They are known as Canadian honkers. They have longer necks than your traditional Canada goose, which I didn't know about until I learned that Canadian Honker, the restaurant in town, was named after it. Cool! If you do see these birds, you can feed them. There isn't a bylaw that says that you'll get fined for feeding them. During the Fourth of July, fireworks happen in this area. It's definitely a smaller version of the Victoria Day fireworks at Ashbridges Bay in the Beaches in Toronto, but it's pretty decent. I never watched it from the park, but admired the display from afar. This park has a memorial dedicated to fallen firefighters. I also like that each tree has a sign that identifies what you are looking at. It's a cool place to walk around, and learn and discover on your own. It was great getting to know this park instead of driving around its perimeter! I look forward to returning and checking out the rest of it. (140)

Great park and people! Very pretty trails along the river! Owners are super helpful and nice.read more

Our first time at this campground and we loved it. Very clean, great owners. Close to lakes for…read morekayaking. We will come back for another visit!

Absolutely beautiful park. Went jet skiing with my family there and had a great time. They have…read moreplenty of parking and lots of shaded seating to get a break from the sun. The beach part is just gorgeous too. Water is pretty peaceful. On a non windy day like this, it was easy to ride the jet ski around. There was a decent sized separated area to go swimming in, which sd enjoyed. I loved that there was a playground and also a small splash pad nearby. My toddler loved it. Definitely plan to be back some day to explore more of the park, as we were mainly on the water.

Came for a few hours for hiking, which was great! The kids played in the splash pad area for a few…read moreminutes, they almost didn't get to use the splash pad because we couldn't figure out how to get it running, it started going after we started walking away....other than that it is a unique design. The beach was good size but I don't recommend swimming, the water is nasty green and scummy.

My furry friend group chose this spot for our big annual camping trip! There were 86 of us total,…read moreand we utilized the Group Site that has several cabins available, plus a main cabin that serves as the place to gather and eat with a full kitchen and walk-in fridge. I really enjoyed the cozy feel to the cabins, which have wonderfully rustic wooden paneling and floors. Our cabin had two wings with four bunk beds each, plus a center room with a large bed (ideal, no doubt, for scouting purposes). The cabins are heated by thermostat and there are a few electrical outlets, but no other amenities that I was aware of. The main cabin had a large center fire pit that made the whole place wonderfully cozy. Also included are several long tables with benches to sit at, as well as additional chairs with backs to gather around the firepit. There are electrical outlets too. Flooring was a mix of wood and tile. There are also restrooms nearby, which include toilets, sinks, and showers. Separated by gender, male and female. The designated parking lot for the Group Site was able to accommodate around 40-45 cars, which served our purposes well. There is also a small roundabout that leads up to the main cabin for ease of unpacking/dropping off gear. All these amenities made the long-weekend very enjoyable! This isn't a huge park by any means, but even in the icy snow, I was able to enjoy a few of the trails while there. The alphabetical trail markings confused me a bit at first, but then I realized it was how the park was indicating "you are here" without customizing each sign. At the trailheads are large informational signs that give you the distance, difficulty, and features you'll see on said trail. The river that cuts through here is really gorgeous. It was partially frozen over during our visit, and we got some flurries while we were camping, which covered everything in a beautiful fresh coat of white powder. Got some great photos and great memories. I was a bit bummed that the Nature Store wasn't open (it's seasonal), because I am a sucker for souvenirs on sightseeing trips to parks and such.

Whitewater is a gorgeous park with some varied scenery. There are a lot of neat formations to check…read moreout such as the bluffs, forests, rivers, and more. There are some easy to more challenging hikes available. There are also a lot of nice amenities and a beach area.

Such a lovely beach a few minutes out of Rochester!! Visited this area before but didn't realize…read morethey had a whole beach (only saw the areas where boats would go in) The water was pretty clear considering there was plenty of people there. Also saw some small fish. The sand does have rocks in it, so just be aware. They have showers, restrooms and a place where you can rent gear. The campground seemed clean (just drove by it), and they had a playground for the kiddos. There are trails nearby too but didn't explore them. So happy to revisit this place and will definitely be visiting again!

Watercraft (canoe, paddle board, kayak) rentals are affordably priced and in good condition. The…read moreriver was beautiful to paddle on and the birdwatching is excellent. I only wish they were open later than 6 during the summer!

We continued our quest to visit all of the Minnesota state parks. Lake Louise was a recent visit…read more The main trail was wide and well marked. It followed the water until we took an extra snow mobile trail that brought us out into the prairie. The prairie had lot of birds, butterflies, and grasshoppers. Most of the trail was smooth walking with a few areas of rocks and prairie uneven land. Overall it was a nice area. We saw a few people along the way but mostly it was quiet and l peaceful. Nice stop.

What a nice gem in LeRoy, MN. I went during the cold weather so it was a quiet peaceful trail…read more There are some tables under the tall trees and a swimming area available. I saw a few woodpeckers and plenty of squirrels gathering food for the winter. Great place for all ages.

We went tubing today!!! We had a fantastic time. I suggest getting there early for a closer…read moreparking spot...but no matter where park you'll still have a great time. It was $20 for the time and the bus ride. We were dropped off and provided twine to lock our tubes together. We had so much fun; highly recommend.

I enjoyed the river float here. I wish they had an updated website with info regarding what's…read moreneeded, float times, etc. A few things that would have been helpful to know: - You will likely park across the bridge, be prepared for that. - CASH ONLY. And you will need an ID to leave with them for your tubes. - water shoes are recommended - I think there are only biffies avail for bathrooms - float times vary based on water levels. The "long" 4hr. trip took us just under 2 hours. Call ahead! to find out how long your trip might take. - they provide twine to tie your group of tubes together, but you may want to plan ahead and bring your own rope or bungee cords. Overall it was a good time. I didn't see any groups getting very rowdy or vulgar - I think I'd be fine bringing kids here (which I have NOT heard about the Apple River/River's Edge).