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!

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.

I am transplant from the other side of the river and absolutely love living in this neighborhood…read more Obviously the perks of this park requires a list so here goes: - The old water tower gets opened up during Highland Fest and in the fall for the fall colors. Once you climb the many stairs, you are treated to an amazing open air view of the surrounding area. The planes at the airport look like toys landing and taking off and all the colors just pop if you time it right. When open, it is only on the weekends. - Two golf courses. On the 18 hole, the 15th hole has a sand trap done up like Snoopy (zoom in on link) in honor of Charles Schulz once being a caddy. The 9 hole across the street is much hillier and is that way because a lot of it is the dirt from the construction of I-94 back in the 60's linking the two cities. http://goo.gl/maps/ZnXbz - Cross country skiing. Both course become x-country ski havens in the winter with even one of the courses having trails groomed. There is also a sliding hill by the water tower which gets packed after a fresh snowfall. - The Pavilion (and many other shelters) can be rented for picnics. Many a fine Booyah's, a fine upper midwestern treat that you need to have once in your life, are served here by neighborhood groups doing fund raisers. Bring a tupperware container to bring some home if you'd like. People will be there with empty ice cream bucket containers for the good ones. - The swimming pool. St. Paul has a few pools now that utilize sphagnum moss as a major cleaning process. Amazing water and you don't come out smelling like a chlorine factory with your hair turning a different color or your eyes burnt red. It's fantastic. - Frisbee course. While I don't understand the layout, many people do and it is always getting used. - Just walk around in the park or on the paths. Towering oaks, deer, fox, willow trees, hills and hidden stairs. This is really an old park and a gem in the city. Even the playground equipment has been updated in the last few years.

The pool facilities are excellent at the Highland Park Aquatic Center, and lots of updates since I…read moreenjoyed swimming here as a kid have really made this a very entertaining destination for kids of all ages and adults too, but the way it's run leaves a lot to be desired unfortunately. There was plenty of free parking and lots of shade available on the pool deck, but during the 4+ hours we spent there (2 adults, 3 kids under age 10) I didn't see one adult worker anywhere-just lots of teen life guards and workers. Also, the pool and deck rules are very unclear, sparsely posted and inconsistently enforced, so we found ourselves breaking all kinds of secret, nonsensical rules only the lifeguards seemed to know about (and we definitely weren't alone). Then, when asked to clarify how what we were doing was wrong, we could never get a clear answer and the lifeguards were often rude and dismissive. We were also given contradictory information from 3 different lifeguards about the same rule! We figured things out for ourselves quick enough and learned which lifeguards really could be consistent, so in the end we had a really good time, just be aware when you go that it's on you to figure it all out, not many of the staff will be helpful (even in matters of safety) at all. Lastly, the admission cost is a little steep ($6 per adult, $5 per kid under 48" tall), and even though they give a little break to families, it's not like you're getting all that much bang for your buck. Also be aware that no outside food or drinks are technically allowed--which I understand to a point, but this is also not listed online or posted officially anywhere on site which is annoying and inconvenient, especially since the concessions are mainly very overpriced junk food. So it would be nice if they offered some healthy alternatives like fruits and veggies rather than more processed, packaged, sugary junk for sale. If that's not possible then just let us bring at least those things with us? With little kids it's not easy to drag them out of the pool, back to the car for a healthy snack--which we ultimately did only to be harassed exiting AND re-entering by the overly enthusiastic little "teen bouncer" at the front gate even though re-admission is permitted as long as you're wearing your wristband. Like I said earlier though; ALL the rules at this facility and how they're communicated and enforced are very inconsistent to say the least! We resolved that if we return we'll just smuggle our own snacks in since they that's what we observed most people doing anyways! The bottom line: you can have a great time in the pool and the facilities have a lot to offer people of all ages if you take some of these tips to heart, learn how to work the ill-managed "system" of rules and their teen army of enforcers, advocate (and think) for yourself a little, and just basically ignore the incredible inconsistency that truly rules here!

What a lovely hidden gem off of Mississippi River Blvd. We…read morefollowed the path up and around the waterfall. We hiked out near the Summit Monument where we hung out looking over the river. Nice place to check out for a short hike.

Great shorter hike with some steep slick parts but we had a heavy rain last night and still very…read moredoable. One thing I'd mention that I hadn't read much about was that the poison ivy was pervasive, jutting into the path even in areas that we wouldn't have considered the paths to be overgrown. We opted to stay on the paved path until we got to the most direct path down to the falls. I used the map and route marked on Daytripper28.com's website. Enjoy!

This cute little park was actually our first stop on our recent trip to the Twin Cities. Tucked…read moreaway in a residential area not far from where we were staying, Mattocks Park was the ideal spot for us to kill a little time before checking in. It seems like a popular spot for a Thursday afternoon as there were several families enjoying the playground while a handful of individual patrons relaxed and played on the lawn. The trees were blossoming pink on one side of the park and were absolutely beautiful as a backdrop for a few quick laps. Would recommend for your next picnic or hammock day!

This tiny but mighty neighborhood park has a good amount of open green space. Behind the tree line…read morelives the playground. Even with these attributes it's lacking a dog park or walking path/trail, but don't let that stop you.

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!

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.

This is a great playground. It's brand new. It's got a great new rubberized hill and slide and…read morethere's nothing like it in Saint Paul.

It's a great park with brand new equipment and cool features, including an artificial river (which…read moreI've only seen water in once) and a giant slide down the hill. I don't recommend going on a sunny hot day, as there is absolutely no shade.

This is such a beautiful park plenty of great spots to relax and reflect there's great sandwich…read moreoptions and seafood at the sea salt eatery and ice cream and bike rentals

A great location for a close waterfall. The park has a lot of explore and fun activities for…read morefamilies. Mostly paid parking, has picnic areas, and a playground

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!