Lovely trail to walk this fall. Very popular so very busy…read more If you don't want crowds during these covid times probably not the best location. So popular that parking can be an issue. They have a long lot and thankfully someone else was leaving when I arrived so I could park in the lot to meet my friend for our outdoor walk and talk. Nice variety of nature- woods, lake, etc. Clear marked trail and nice spot during a less busy time.

Sadly, no bikes allowed :( It's a nice wooded area full of…read moretrails and educational experiences. Great for youngens.

A popular park with an emphasis on nature, meaning they haven't cut every tree in site and crew cut…read morethe grass. Plenty for us tree huggers to appreciate with some winding trails. Great views along the bluff and then we realize this park area just keeps going. There is modern 'Gathering Area' for indoor events and room outdoors for your 250 guest outdoor wedding pending Minnesota's rapidly changing weather. Bikers follow a trail from Hastings and then head south, we hikers can hike till we near drop.

Loved this park! We visited on a beautiful sunny mild winter Feb morning. The path is paved so easy…read moreto walk. It follows the river with some stunning bridge views over ravines. We saw several hawks and bald eagles. It looked like they had some non-paved trails that were marked for cross country skiing which I assume would be available for walking in the summer. Will definitely be back!

There are two sides to enter Reservoir Woods, I was on the dog park side and drifted to the paths…read moreof the Reservoir. Some steep hills and winding trails with mostly easy paths. There are a few interpretation signs including wildlife sightings of Deer and Coyote. You probably won't see much more than a few squirrels but best to keep you Pug pup on a leash.

You go to the top of the hill and drive into a bit of a narrow parking lot. From there it's only…read moreabout a hundred steps to some very thick, impressive wooded areas. I would have explored more if I wasn't in a rush, but boy was it nice.

We recently moved from NY and we're loving the Park system in St. Paul. This park has everything…read moreyou could want: a decent sized lake great for walks, tons of tables for picnicking, areas you can reserve for functions, and a playground so fun I've been known to bring my daughter just so I can spin on that spinning thing and remind myself how old I am.

Great walking paths and clean pavilions! Lots of wedding happen here in there large event center…read more Great paths into Kaposia

There are sand volleyball courts just a tiny walk away and people gather there to just play. It's…read moreamazing and the people there are super kind and inclusive. (I would know I'm always the youngest there by like 10 yrs) It is my favorite place and playing makes me indescribably happy. It's amazing the most popular time is about 6-9 bc it's getting colder and more people come. We go everyday now (when we can) It's amazing please try it out if you are interested or just like V-Ball

I go here on a regular basis. It is and always will be one of my favorite late walks in the Twin…read moreCities. About 3.12 miles around and you get a little bit of everything. There is nothing like it in the summer.. there is a spot where you can rent a kayak if you want (which I do fairly often on a hot day) and you can pull it up to a beach and take a dip. Just so lovely. The walk is also great and it gives you a bit of everything. Gorgeous lake, some wood scenery, on a main road as well if you want to stop off and grab food or a coffee. There are a few parking lots where you can pay for parking but there is also a lot of free street parking which is typically what I do. Just all in all a lovely walk everytime.

Another park to check off the list. We love finding different parks to go to and to try all the…read moredifferent playground equipment. And it was another one we found by accident. Nice to find this one with a little wading pool on this hot sunny day. The wading pol is about 1.3 deep. Just the right depth for our little one. Two playgrounds. One for tots and one for the older kids. Of course our tot always wants to wander over to the bigger equipment. There are cute little smaller ones for the tots. A ship, a teeter thingy, sand crain etc. There are bathrooms. One stall and not those wretched port a johns, so this is a plus.

I love to take my son to this park, especially because we live in Linden Hills and it's very…read moreconvenient to walk to. The playground equipment could use some updating but with the wading pool in the summer and the ice skating in the winter there is always something to do.

LOVE this park, especially in Autumn! We used to reserve the picnic shelter from Dakota County for…read moreour kids' birthday parties. This was one of our kids' favorite playgrounds when they were 4-10 years old. The trails are beautiful and can range from a 2 mile hike around the lake to an 9 mile hike if you go all the way to Shultz Lake.

Jensen Lake Trail is part of the greater Lebanon Hills Regional Park, which is so big it has four…read moreseparate entrances. So far I've visited three of the four (the fourth is the Equestrian Trailhead though, and I don't have horses so...). For not being the "main" entrance, this one sure is nice also! There's plenty of parking available, including handicap parking. A short distance away is a large gazebo-like structure with a plentiful number of picnic tables, countertops, electrical outlets, fire pit, grills, firewood, trash/recycling receptacles, restrooms, water fountain, and water bottle refill station. You can apparently rent the gazebo, or just use it if it's available while you're there. Next door to that is a very nice children's playground, with a variety of swings (regular, bucket seat, handicap accessible, and tire swing) and structures. Plenty of benches nearby for adults to watch their kids too. The trail itself goes around Jensen Lake and connects to the rest of the trails around Lebanon Hills (most notable of which is the Voyager Trail). The loop around the lake is quite gorgeous, with many plank/boardwalks as part of the trail. It is mostly shaded, and you'll find a few park benches along it if you need to stop and take a break or just want to pause and soak it all in. I'm going to need to return soon to utilize the portage entrance on the west bank. I've been wanting to try this park's canoe/kayak "trail" for awhile!

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!