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    Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

    4.6 (20 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 10:00 pm

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    Grand entrance and it's a big woods indeed.
    John S.

    If you want to really learn about trees and forests you may want to head to Nerstrand Big Woods or just walk, sit, listen and enjoy the surroundings. As is typical of Minnesota State Parks there is a large number of camp sites with complete shower facilities, a nearby playground, picnic areas. Miles and miles of trails well signed and color coded to help avoid getting lost in the woods. This is a quiet area and of course well maintained park located where the south begins for Minnesota sort of S.E of Faribault in rich farm land.

    Hidden Falls
    Dianna N.

    This campground most ideal for families. The camp grounds and facilities were clean. We were a bit close to our neighbors, but the trees surrounding us added more privacy. Only speaking towards campsite 28. The others seem to vary. The hiking trails were easy to navigate and Hidden Falls was pretty neat.

    The hidden falls.
    Zachary L.

    Just a short trip from the burbs. Enough to entertain the kids and get on a good hike. Currently only has portable restrooms due to Corona, so be prepared to deal with rude patrons. Pack a lunch! Hike the trails and enjoy some family time.

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    3 years ago

    Have a great time in a beautiful park. Many paths and options for difficulty. Get your park pass and check it out!

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    5 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    7 years ago

    What a beautiful place. It has so many things to see and explore. The waterfall is so pretty!

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    8 years ago

    Love this park. Quite. Beautiful tucked aways falls. Close to Dennison supper club incase you decide to not roast hotdogs!

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    Review Highlights - Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

    There are so many different trails that you can easily make it a full day of hiking.

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    Field of Fun - Toddler area!

    Field of Fun

    5.0(2 reviews)
    38.8 mi

    This has got to be one of the most fun parks I have taken my boys to in awhile!…read more There is free street parking and a small parking lot down the street. This park has all kinds of things to climb, swing and explore but it also has... TOYS!! What kind of a park has toys!? The best kind of course!! As far as what is surround the playground, it's wood chips and the vast majority of the playground it wood. The entire playground is fenced in with only one way in and out, truly a parents dream haha!! There is a big sand pit to the left and alllll kinda of trucks, push toys and things to ride! There are several benches and picnic tables as well! This was a clean and well maintained park! If you are in the area, it's definitely worth the stop!

    I know this place as "Wood Park". As in "Can we go to Wood Park, please please please ...". After…read moreall, its made mostly of wood. But to the city of Rochester and the kind people that made it happen, its know as the Field of Fun. Its located just a hop and a skip from the Soldiers Field Veterans Memorial. This park is small, but is a great place to take younger children. The play area is enclosed so they cant stray to far. There is a separate area for the toddler set with toddler sized play gear. For the 4-8 crowd there are more advanced slides, poles, and other climbing do-dads (even a climbing wall). There are even some picnic tables up front. if you were 4, wood it get any better than this?

    Photos
    Field of Fun - Lots to climb and run on

    Lots to climb and run on

    Field of Fun - Fun equipment!

    Fun equipment!

    Field of Fun - So.many.toys!!!!! There is no way your kid(s) will be bored!!

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    So.many.toys!!!!! There is no way your kid(s) will be bored!!

    Silver Lake Park

    Silver Lake Park

    4.0(8 reviews)
    38.7 mi

    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)

    Photos
    Silver Lake Park
    Silver Lake Park
    Silver Lake Park

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    Nerstrand Big Woods State Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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