This is a great little park that we've stopped at a ton of times on the long distance hauls from…read moreKansas City to the Minneapolis area. The bathrooms are closed in the winter time so keep that in mind. Great park to let the kids burn off some of that pent up energy.

This park has a nice open feel to it. It also has a nice…read morewooden playground structure full of all kinds of fun things for the kids to explore and play on. I would of played on it, but the rules stated...playground is only for kids up to a certain age. They keep this playground neat and clean. Its a tobacco and dog free playground. I'm guessing if your dog smokes, skip this place..

Spent a weekend camping & hiking here and it's lovely! This state park occupies a large swath of…read morethe coastline of Lake Albert Lea, and is very convenient to the city of Albert Lea and 35-W. As such, this is a very easy park to get to. I camped in one of the two large drive-in campgrounds, both of which are very well-appointed with amenities. There are drinking water faucets distributed liberally throughout the campgrounds, and there are large restroom facilities at each, which are kept clean and have plenty of toilets, sinks, and showers. They even have little stations to plug in devices to charge them. Probably my biggest gripe with this park is that the restroom facilities are so brightly lit, right next to where the campsites are, that it strongly impacts the outdoorsy ambience. Many campers might not mind that & might even prefer it. But between that and the audible proximity to the Interstate, I prefer to feel a little more isolated. I saw lots of big trailers plugged into outlets, and there are also group camps, rentable cabins, and backpacking sites. I definitely want to return here to try one of those backpacking sites along the east side of the lake. Speaking of the lake, I did spot a number of fishing and canoeing options being taken advantage of. With all the beautiful lakefront area here, this is a really cool place for that kind of activity. I was surprised that the office wasn't staffed when i arrived mid-afternoon on a Saturday in June (2022) to check in; I wasn't able to get my hands on a physical map, and I had to put cash in an envelope to get some firewood. But other than that, it felt like a well-staffed park. All things considered, I will defintely return from the Twin Cities, and if it's more convenient to where you live, you can consider that a good thing! EDIT: I did indeed return two weeks later and try out a packpacking site. Loved it! It's way more remote over there. Really beautiful and lots of cool, well-posted trails. There was a big stash of firewood they'd prepared for free; do they do that for everyone? It's great! You can get to all the backpacking sites via canoe. Bumping my rating from 4 stars to 5!

Beautiful, large park with trails for walking and bike trails. Wetland areas, big trees, and well…read moremaintained public areas

McIntosh State Park is a small. but nice park. on Clear Lake in the town of Ventura. It has a boat…read morelaunch area, camping sites and trails. The entry area is planted with prairie plants. It is very inviting. If you are looking for a camp site, hiking, picnicking or boating in the Clear Lake area, check out this State Park!

Wow, what a wonderful surprise to pull off hwy 35 after miles of farming fields and land in this…read morelush green campground. Filled with huge shade trees and grass I was so happy to be in the woods. Lots of peaceful trails that have been mowed, take you deeper into and under the canopy of trees and ferns. I know most people probably camp here for the lake, but for me it is all about being in nature. Lots of frogs along the grassy shoreline, bunnies in the open grass areas and plenty of birds. $16 is a great deal for sites with electricity. Happy to be here.

Woke up early to go to this place before the temperatures exceeded my comfort zone…read more Very nice place to hike and look for fossils. It really is amazing how many shells are litterly covering the whole area. It's like walking on an ocean floor without the water. Unfortunately, we could only stay an hour since the temperature started to rise fast. I really don't do well in the heat and humidity. Maybe next time when it's a little cooler.

This is the perfect field trip for those who love the outdoors. It's a reviving prairie with…read morefossils the public are allowed to take with them. There's also fields and trails that are perfect for hiking!!!!

This is a great place to go to for multiple occasions, wether you need a place to go for a get…read moretogether of any kind, or need a quiet place to relax or refocus! East park makes a beautiful place for pictures as well!

I'm feeling homesick for Oregon today, so I decided to go park hoping today. This is such a nice…read morepark. Clean and well maintained. There are actually many playground sets within this park to choose from. Lots of picnic shelters and benches to enjoy a lunch at. Nice walking paths wandering through the whole park and Pleanty of resting benches to sit at if you get tired. If you enjoy Frisbee golf, they have a nice set here to play with too. Check out the water fountain by the flower gardens or bring some bread to feed the ducks or geese. If your kids have never seen a deer up close, well...this park also has a deer enclosure for the kids to enjoy. Pleanty of things to do here on a nice spring day.

Nice and quiet little park. Lots of wildlife and never a crowd. Fishing has been ok. To be honest I…read morego for the solitude. One of my favorite hidden getaways in North Iowa.

We stopped here only because we saw the billboard on I90. So pleased we did. Great park for the…read morekids to enjoy. The musical area is a great place to just bang away a few tunes. The museum has a large amount of memorabilia and info on the green giant also some pillsbury doughboy. If you have the time I would suggest trying to do the mini giant statue scavenger hunt through town. We had a blast finding all 24 statues and seeing all that the town has to offer. We are very glad to have stopped here.

Love this place! This was a nice car brake from driving. Had a blast playing musical instruments in…read morethe area next to it. Great stop thru our travels!!!

Outside the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, you will find over 500 acres of prairie, forest, and…read morewetlands. Inside, offers hands-on learning. You can learn about owls, hawks, snakes, turtles, and more. You can find each of these live animals inside. Most have a write-up near their exhibits to teach you more about them. If you are lucky you can visit the center when the snake is taken out of its cage and have the opportunity to hold it or see it up close. There are plenty of interactive displays inside and several places where little ones can play. Whether outdoors or indoors this is the perfect way to spend a day.

The Hormel Nature Center brings back warm fuzzy memories from my childhood when my Dad used to work…read morehere. They have educational events, tours, nature walks, a visitor center, etc. And of course you can always explore on your own as well. The park features native prairie, hardwood forest, wetlands and streams. I rememer climbing the big rock out in the front of the visitor center and feeling like it was SO TALL (when you're 5, everything's giant). Not sure if everyone would or could enjoy it as much as I do, but it's still a great little retreat.

Beautiful recreation area right outside the city limits. This park has a beautiful dam and…read morewaterfall, amazing trails, and scenic places for photos. We came here for taking my friends wedding photos and every area we went to was beautiful, There is even a small area above the dam where there are benches to hold a small ceremony. The lower area where the dam runs down into a waterfall and a stream was pretty flooded, so you just have to use your judgement on whether you want to venture down there. Again a gorgeous area with tons of paths, I can't wait to come back and get some nature photos!!