There are two areas in this park to hike meadowbrook and bonanza. We hiked short trails in both…read more Meadowbrook was mostly a trail cut into a field. It had some nice wildflowers and butterflies to check out along the way. As it was only a mile, it was a nice way to stretch the legs. The hiking club trail is at the bonanza area which is about 11 miles from Meadowbrook. It's a walk along the lake which takes you to a small waterfall which is colored red from the iron in the water. We saw several deer, a turkey family, and a few frogs along the path. Nice hike. The gentleman in the visitor center was very helpful and knowledgeable about the area.

We are prairie fans!!! Loved the hikes. (If you like the prairie setting visit Blue Mound.) Loved…read morethat they are restoring the land to the original habitat with wild native grasses and flowers. We saw deer right when we turned into the long drive into the park. We had one of the few electrical sites. Park wasn't busy. This place is a secret?! There was a boat landing and parking lot adjacent to the campground. This is a fishing lake. Didn't see any water sports or even any swimming. As big as the lake is, it has a pond feel near the edge with algae and weeds. We still went in at the little beach area. Call us HOT and desperate. We found there was a big spring area in the water where it was literally freezing. I have felt cold spots in lakes before, but this was a big area where you could walk or stand on sand that was as cold as ice. ReFreshing! The staff comes by a couple times a day if you have questions. Otherwise there is a building with some tshirts and smore sticks where he hangs out.

Pretty park and city run campground. The sites are right next to each other but I'm guessing the…read morecampground doesn't get much use? No one else was here while we were here anyway, but that could just be the time of year. It's right next to the road, so it's noisy during the day. Electrical hookups for only $10 (pay down the street). Oh, and no restrooms on site (again, down the street). Sounds like a bunch of negatives but for a one night layover, it's a nice spot next to a calm pond with ducks. Take a walk to the island and enjoy the peacefulness.

Dakota Nature Park is impressive in size as well as its history. Before this was a park, it was a…read morelandfill! I came this past weekend and the weather was just right, light sunshine with a light breeze. I can't speak for how this park is in the winter, but based on some of the billboards around the park, snow shoeing is a possibility! Lots of nice, paved trails throughout the premise. Unique animals can be seen in the water as well as on land. I didn't see any creatures this time around, but I don't doubt that they're there. Many families were on a scavenger hunts, great idea for an activity! I believe that during the summer, boats are available for rent to ride around the lakes. Lots of poop stations available for your pup's doo doo. Overall, I had a great time at this nature park. Ample parking available in the lots at the various entrances.

New to the Midwest from the northwest & was excited to lean that this place existed. It was damn…read morenear impossible to find any information about the park rules & rentals (other than location) so we figured we just had to go see for ourselves. Parking areas are nicely located with maps for you to see the trails. After getting on the trails we finally saw a sign that said unleashed dogs were not allowed, good to know for next time. Views we're great, paths free of debris & well maintained, lots of people fishing, walking & a few on canoes. This would be the perfect place to go for a walk except the amount of mosquitos is insane... & We Wore TONS of Bug Spray!! It got so bad we decided to go back to the car & walk around town.

This is a nice little park with a playground and equipment, basketball court, picnic area. There…read morewere some young adults playing renaissance games,swords, etc with custumes. Guess people enjoy the park so go have fun.

I'm from Washington state and disc golf was very popular in college. I like to catch a game when…read moreI'm out in new places. This course is well laid out and is a relatively easy play. No real hazards to worry about. It's great for beginners, kids, and anyone needing some practice. Great course, would have gave it a 5 but it was easy to get par without having played in a few months.

I tell you, I like this park. Sure, it's almost entirely that rough, crappy ditch grass you see on…read moreyour travels along any highway and most of the byways in the midwest, but it is well-kept and mown nicely. This one also is shaded pretty well and there are two very solid playground areas for respective ages of the kids. They also have facilities there, which is always a mega-bonus. Get in the shade under some trees, with a good wind going and this place can be very enjoyable. It also apparently has a disc golf course, so good on them there as well. This was an excellent stop for us and though a Brookings stop is not typically on the agenda for those trips, if it shakes out that way again, we'll probably stop. This one is also pretty convenient to I-80 and a variety of restaurants as well, if you want to take your food and stuff it in your face there.

Love the prairie setting! There is something calming about tall waves of grass in all directions…read more We stayed three nights in the upper campground at site 7 with full hook ups. TONS of room. These campsites are big with lots of prairie in between. Loved that there was mowed grass throughout the site. (Instead of the dirt sites you get in forests.) The camper spots are gravel. The pit toilet by us was spotless and checked every morning by ranger staff. The shower building was also clean. There are prairie trails with epic views of the lake right from the campground. They were all recently mowed which we greatly appreciated! I would also recommend walking to the state record cottonwood tree. As big as you think... We did drive to the beach twice and had a fabulous time. The water seems to be much better than what the previous reviewer said 9 years ago. Maybe all the rain we got this season helped? We didn't see any issues. We will be back to this park!

After the recent rains, the hiking club trail was a bit squishy in some places. Field and woods…read morewalking. Not a lot of features to see. Some of the highlights included the visitor center. The woman working there was so nice and helpful. There is also a room full of stuffed birds and furs so you can get up close and personal with the animals of our region. The wild flowers around the center were stunning. You must stop and see the giant cottonwood tree. It's ginormous. It's amazing how big a tree can get. So cool. The pelicans that hang out at the dam were interesting to see as well. Huge beautiful birds.

This place was and A-OK place to camp on a road trip. It's on a river (or two that meet). The…read moresites are smaller, but about 3/4 have mature trees and the rest have "mature trees in training." It's not far off the main road, so you do get some road noise, and there are a lot of Grackles (birds), which are noisy. It's the only SP I've been to that is adjacent to a golf course, a 10-hole one in this case. Only 1 other parting camping there on a Wednesday night in mid-June. The toilet/bathhouse was on the older side, but it did have 2 showers, 2 sinks (with hot water!), and 2 stalls. The ladies smelled a wee bit moldy, something I'm sensitive to. It was nice that there was a pit/vault tablet on the opposite end. Metal picnic tables. Very pleasant area when not crowded. It was on the expensive side for tent camping ($25.64 + $6 since we're out of state), but all sites have electric hook-ups.