Lebanon Hills Regional Park is such a great park for hiking! The trail system consists of over 14…read moremiles of summer hiking trails and over 12 miles of mountain bike trail. There are multiple parking lots available and even if they seem full don't let that deter you as the park is so large it never feels overly busy. There is also a beach and picnic area available too.

So pretty! We brought our dog but that might have been a bit much for him Everyone had funread more

It's FREE! You should go check it out and see what you think. Worth a visit…read more It's a nice little afternoon distraction/explore. Took me about an hour and a half to walk the entire thing (both sides of Diffley) and I wasn't rushing at all. As you would expect from the name, there's a variety of art to pause and look at/photograph. Some of it is pretty, some is odd- again, as one would expect from art! I don't rate it that highly only because it wasn't all that much. I don't think I'm liable to go back, unless they posted some new 2025 events (the only ones listed were from summer of 2024) that catch my eye? The grounds are reasonably well marked with maps so you'll know where you are going and not get lost. There are port-a-potties on either side of Diffley, which seem to be well-maintained. The parking lot is a mid-sized gravel lot with little shade. My favorite things here were the "labyrinth" and the "poet tree box". Cute.

I like a cool, as in shady, respite from the urban rush as the park will sneak up on you from…read moreDiffley Road in Eagan. Enter a tree lined non-paved roadway with grass growing on the sides and we pull hard right to allow space for a car in the opposite direction. Unpaved parking lot and then follow the signs to either the nature trails or sculpture walk. There are no paper maps but there is a sign board with a sketchy map and another sign with a qr code, but you probably don't need to bother as the park isn't that big and I found I could cross over from one trail to the other. There is a fairly thick forest but not a wilderness as we can hear traffic rushing from roads on either side. The sculptures are interesting as is the founder Anthony Caponi who was born in Italy. There is a detailed fascinating portrait of this artist shown occasionally on Mn Original on Twin Cities Public Television, taped in his last year of life. I'm grateful this chunk of land was not sold and developed into cookie cutter houses but preserved and still private property.

I loved walking around the farm with my parents as a kid. There's a convenient parking lot nearby…read more When there's special events sometimes they let cars park on the baseball field or dirt road leading to the farm. The playground nearby isn't huge but it has the main staples of swings, monkey bars and slides. I really like the flowers and chickens vokunteers maintain at the farm. There's also a community garden.

This is a cute neighborhood park with a ball field, basketball court, and some beautiful trails…read morethat meander through the neighborhoods and along a stream. Some beautiful homes and nice people will be found around here. If you continue on the trails it will lead you to Empire Fields. They have a playground and disc golf course. This is a quiet, beautiful and safe any time of day. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we do.

I feel like my dog should be writing this review, but she doesn't have the best written…read morecommunication skills so I will fill in on her behalf. Dakota Woods is an all around good off-leash dog park. It's about 40 acres in size with half being wooded and the remainder a combination of mowed grass and some taller grass (there are no ponds or lakes to worry about). Paths cut through the woods that are great for walking with or without your furry companion. The only downside to this park is it's quite close to a landfill which can add a bit of an unpleasant aroma to the air. I've never found it to be that bad, but those with sensitive noses should take note. We've found the people and their dogs to be friendly. If you're looking for a spot to take your dog this is it!

I love this dog park. It is not free. You can buy an annual pass or pay a pay box each time you…read morego there. This place is well maintained with wood chips on the paths. Most owners pick-up after their dog. There isn't any mud, no smell. Since this is a pay lot, the owners and animals are better than the free places. Our Puggle, Sammie likes this place also. We have been going here for years.

An absolutely lovely early fall experience! I was looking to see some fall leaves, and while I was…read morea bit early coming the final week of September, I was still entranced by the beauty of this place. (For sure going to have to come back again some time in late October for more of the brilliant colors, but I got some!) I hiked a total of 7.6 miles over the course of the afternoon, and I have to say that hiking the majority of this park is possible in one visit if you have the time and stamina. I went up Hidden Falls Trail first to visit the waterfall, which I would say is an absolute must-see if you visit here. It's close and it's stunning. Great for photo ops. From there I kept going northwards along the Fawn Trail to the Hope Trail Loop, then resumed Fawn Trail to Beaver Trail which took me to White Oak Trail. All of these were lovely, traipsing through the lush woods. I found myself stopping frequently to look up and admire the leafy canopy far above my head. If I paused, I could hear the breeze moving through the branches. This place is far enough away from it all that you don't hear any road noise or human city noises, which is wonderful. I chose to go a bit further, crossing the road so I could also try out the trails on the southern end of the park, including Maple Trail Loop, Basswood Trail, and Fox Trail. These lower routes had a different vibe to them... more grasslandy; there were still trees, but there were fewer of them and some were bare/dead. So if you're seeking a bit more sun/less shade, these trails might be preferable. It looked like there was some restoration going on in this area, as I noticed many young saplings that were protected by a giant straw-like device. While many of the northern trails had a gravel path, the southern trails seemed more like mowed grass. Before leaving, I also enjoyed the playground up by the parking lot. There's cute nature play "equipment" made of wood as well as a bunch of swings. These swings are pretty high off the ground... I had no issue with scraping the ground even with my adult-length legs, lol. In this area is also a gazebo with many picnic tables under it, as well as a sink and electrical outlets. This is also where the restrooms are located. They were still open late September! (But I also noticed a pit toilet further up that's likely open year-round.) There are also plenty of additional picnic tables and barbeques, as well as a water fountain, spread out in the grass under the trees in this area, so there's lots of places to select from. I was unfortunately there when the Visitor Center was closed (Tuesday) so I did not get to go inside to check it out. Perhaps next visit I'll be able to go, because I often like to purchase a patch or pin as a memento (and to support the park system). I'd read on the website that the parking lot for this place was small and thus they advised arriving early to ensure a spot. This turned out to not be an issue on a Tuesday. They have camp sites and group camp sites. I didn't check them out on my day hike, but I'll admit to being curious about camping here in the future.

Such a pretty hidden nature spot and honestly worth wandering around. The waterfall itself is…read morereally cool, but what I loved most was exploring all the little details around it--flowers growing by the creek, dripping mossy rock walls, interesting trees, and just the peaceful feeling of being tucked away in the woods. We definitely climbed around and explored more than expected The waterfall is beautiful from different angles, and if you like taking photos, there are a lot of fun spots and textures to capture. Depending on the time of day, the sun makes the water sparkle which looked really pretty. It felt peaceful, relaxing, and like a nice little escape without needing some huge hike. Definitely bring decent shoes if you plan to explore near the water or rocks because it can get slippery. Would absolutely recommend if you enjoy nature, photography, or just finding quiet pretty places.

My dog and I met my friend out here for lunch under the pavilion and a walk! Beautiful park/trails…read morefor a great walk. We will definitely be back.

For the 2nd year in a row we have rented the park pavilion for a large family gathering. A…read morebeautiful park pavilion, with kitchen, picnic tables inside and outside, and large fire place in the center. Children of all ages and adults, all loved it. One day rental gives you access from morning until night. Beautiful scenery, and great playground, and public bathroom near pavilion. We brought in food (pot luck) and beverages and everyone loved it. Parking right next to the pavilion. We can't say enough good things. Last year was a wedding/bridal shower and it was easy to decorate as much as we wanted. Great family photo "ops". Strande's Lakeville, Mn

Learned about this park from the book titled "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of the Twin Cities." In…read moregeneral, the park was quite nice. Very nice views of the river along part of the path... You can hike for just over 2 miles (part of the original path has closed due to erosion from rainfall). The trails are pretty well-maintained, and I think that is because they are frequently used... We saw several other people there during our visit.