One of the smaller state parks we've visited. A short 1-2 mile hike is mostly flat with some lovely…read morelake and river views. Lots of white pines, which apparently are tasty to deer, hence the restoration area. It was fun to see the not-so-mighty Mississippi. Very different looking from where I grew up in southern MN.

This 224 acre park east of Grand Rapids is one of the smaller in the state system. There is easy…read morehiking in a circle of the park with many tall pines. The park borders the shore of the Mississippi River with many picnic spots. Camping seems to be the bigger attraction with ample camping spots including a large group camp site. The camp sites are rustic so don't expect a hot shower room or flushing toilet. For more adventure you could also canoe-in to a site. A dock and boat launch round out the activities. There is no trail office only a self-service kiosk.

This is an incredible (but very busy!) state park. We camped at walk-in site 83, which was hands…read moredown the best site in the park. The walk-in sites in general are all amazing, you're secluded from everyone else but still close to the amenities. Site 83 is about a 4-minute walk from where you park your car. There are two tent pads and plenty of space. It's a beautiful site--book it early! The amenities at the campground were great, plenty of places to recycle, fill up water, and throw out trash. The bathrooms are also very nice, but they are some of the busiest bathrooms I've ever seen! There are plenty of hiking trails as well, a great visitor center and gift shop, and it is an all around lovely state park.

We had an awesome camping weekend here - I'm so glad I got to see this state park! Here's the…read morebreakdown: CAMPSITES: 4/5 Lots of campsites here that we booked well in advance - I'd guess they fill up fast! I'm not super experienced at camping, but the campsites felt quite close together to me. Compared to other places we've been, the sites are much less private. AMENITIES: 5/5 The amount of water spickets and bathrooms around the site were great, and the showers/main bathroom facilities were nice! STATE PARK: 5/5 We loved walking a bit of the state park over the weekend! The suspension bridge is super cool, and it's really fun to walk on and explore the unique rock formations along the water.

The bog trail is a must. It's such an interesting ecosystem. I loved the many colorful flowers we…read moresaw along the way. It's so well maintained with a boardwalk to keep you and the environment safe. We then walked the old logging trail. A wide trail with mostly trees to see. While it's the 'old' logging trail, it seemed a number of trees along the way were being cleared out. Perhaps the aftermath of last year's storm? Lots of campers in this park. It was quite busy. No issues with parking and we only ran into 3 people while hiking our 3.6 miles.

Gorgeous in October, the leaves are spectacular!!. Great trails to walk and run on. The beach is…read moreSandy and beautiful. A go to spot when in Bemidji!

The bog is an absolute must for birder and nature enthusiasts. There's incredible bird watching…read moreespecially in the winter: great gray owls, boreal chickadees, evening grosbeaks were plentiful this time of year. Even if you don't see a bird, you can still take walks on the boardwalks and admire the aspen and birch forests. Shoutout to the friends of sax-zim bog for maintaining the trails, feeders, and visitor center!

Very special area of near-wilderness with some homes scattered about. We go up there every year for…read morea couple of days to view wildlife (especially birds, many of which can't be found regularly in other areas, including the magnificent great gray owl) especially during winter. Mammals seen there include deer (of course!), moose (if you're lucky), black bears, wolves (again - if you're lucky!), bobcats, coyotes, pine martens, snowshoe hares, red squirrels, the occasional porcupine, red fox, and more.

This is a water-based national park, so to fully experience this you need to be out on the water. I…read moretook two boat tours through the NPS, but many people fish or rent houseboats to experience the park. There are camp sites, but the vast majority are on islands which require watercraft to access. Kettle Falls Cruise - This takes you from Ash River Visitor Center to Kettle Falls and back. You can bring your own food for lunch on the boat (no eating or drinking other than water on the boat though) or order at the Visitor Center so you get a lunch box waiting for you at the Lodge. I opted to get a lunch box, which consisted of a dill pickle spear, a bag of potato chips, and a simple lunch meat sandwich. I normally don't like lunch meat sandwiches (especially since this was was reminiscent of primary school lunches), but eating at the historic lodge and the beautiful surroundings made this the best, most delicious sandwich in its class! If you have mobility issues, they have a golf cart you can ride to the hotel, otherwise it's a maybe 10 minute walk from the dock to hotel. Check out the dam and walk around, and then you're back on the boat for the cruise to the visitor center. Grand Tour Cruise - This departs from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center and does not have any stops. It's more for general enjoyment and wildlife viewing. I saw a lot of beautiful scenery, but not a lot of animals. It was still good though, as Joe, one the the NPS rangers, was absolutely hilarious! Both tours provided binoculars free to borrow for your enjoyment. Be sure to apply a lot of mosquito spray, as the mosquitos here are ferocious. Also consider some rain gear as it can get rainy.

Voyageurs is an under visited park with lots to offer. It excels at paddle packing. You must have a…read moreboat to really explore the park because no camping is available except on islands in the park's lakes. The park doesn't rent boats so plan to bring your own or rent from a local outfitter. If you do need somewhere cheap or free to sleep nearby, check the overnight parking area at Wooden Frog which also comes with water and vault toilet facilities. There are three different visitors centers each offering something different.

Wonderful spot on the St. Louis River! This park has it all: extensive hiking trails, water…read moretrails, mountain biking trails! So much to explore! We will be back!

State park with the best beach in the Midwest! Sand and pines, family and pet friendly!read more

Best state Park in Minnesota, with best swimming beach anywhere. The sand soft and u can walk out…read morelike 2 and a half blocks. The water is like bath water on a warm day. They have new shower building and new beach dressing house.

These guys are great! Ordered my boat on Wednesday and it was delivered to Colorado on Saturday…read more Good price and fabulous service!

Kenny, Melissa and Roger are fantastic. They are very patient and knowledgeable.The boat was a…read moregreat value for the money. Delivery was smooth as silk. No one local could come close to the product or the price.