Wow, this place was crowded on a sunny Sunday! Two of the three parking lots were so jam-packed…read morethat cars began inventing places to park. Also, since we are in snow melt, the dirt road was very mucky in some places... beware because you could get your car stuck if you're not careful! This park isn't quite as large as I would have suspected... but it still made for a lovely afternoon stroll. Lots of pine trees all around provide some color, no matter the season. I was particularly pleased that they had some restroom facilities open even in off season. (Nothing fancy, just a pit toilet with some hand sanitizer, but still!) This park seems to have a popular disc golf course within it. People were playing disc golf while we were hiking with our friends. This sort of surprised me, because I'm used to seeing disc golf with zero disc golfers... LOL.

Very nice trails except the fact that people just throw their disgusting used tampons on the…read moreground??? Just wanted to take our dog on a nice walk and he picks up someone's USED TAMPON IN THE PARKING LOT?? That's so incredibly sickening. Whoever did that wasn't raised properly.

Along the Ricori Trail/Glacial Lakes State Trail on the Sauk River. Newer splash pad is near the…read moreplayground area. There is an outdoor auditorium-the John & Rose Alexander Memorial Auditorium. Clean, flushable public restrooms (and water fountain) are available. There were fisherman on both of the river today. Wonderful stop and I can't wait to bicycle here!

Amazing view usually a lot of room for people to do things and it always the best spot to take my…read moredog to walk and go potty also has good parking spots and it's a maintained park

Eastman Park is located just off of downtown St Cloud. Lake George is located in the park and…read moreoffers walking paths, fishing in summer, and ice skating in the winter. Community events are held in the park. It is a great place to walk and enjoy the view of downtown St. Cloud. On Wednesday evenings in the summer, there are free concerts. Food and craft vendors are there so it is a great way to spend a summer evening.

They've put a lot of thought and effort into this area in recent years. We enjoy visiting to play…read morepickleball outside. They have four courts and a centralized seating. There is a good amount of parking and the complex is centrally located in Otsego. I only wish they would add some sort of cover for the sunny days/sunnier times of day which could also help with the cut the wind (which is generally significant in Otsego).

I have been going to the park almost daily with my mini schnauzer without any problems. Yesterday,…read morehowever, he was attacked by a pair of large dark colored German Shepards. The owner was able to call his dogs off but Chunk was bitten. He is recovering but anyone with small dogs should be cautious. I will in the future. I really like this park still and will continue to let Chunk play there;he really enjoys running free.

Back in the day I watched 4th of July fireworks here. Now I bring my dog here to their fenced in…read moredog park that goes to the Mississippi River. My dog seems to enjoy running around here and sniffing and meeting other dogs. People must take pride in this dog park as I didn't see any dog crap anywhere. Thanks fellow dog owners for being considerate. Free and small but clean and worth it.

In Buffalo, this park is on Lake Pulaski. There's a big parking lot, playground, disc golf,…read moresculpture garden, flush toilets, sand volleyball court, 1/2 court basketball area, grills, picnic tables & a covered shelter. No real beach here but we saw standup paddle boarders use this as a launch area. It's not a fanciest of parks but a hiking/bicycling trail runs through it, so we stopped under the shade of mature trees

Tip: This rest area's backdrop is nice. Middle Spunk Lake is behind it…read more I saw this rest stop nearly 1.5 hours after leaving Richfield and made a stop. Pulling into this rest stop was straightforward. I was the only person using this rest stop, so parking wasn't an issue. The pathway to the rest stop was nicely maintained and shovelled. The women's washroom was clean. There was a lot of information about the washroom being a septic tank. I like rest stops that allow me to learn at my pace. There was a male staffer taking a break when I left. I saw a sign about Charles Lindbergh's ties to Minnesota, so I read it outside before I headed to my vehicle. Staying a bit longer allowed me to figure things out. This rest stop is in Avon, Minnesota. Why is it called Middle Spunk? Well, I looked at the frozen lake behind the snowbanks and trees. The lake is called Middle Spunk Lake. Across from this lake is Big Spunk Lake. I reckon that this place is awesome in the summertime. I can see boats out and folks fishing. It was nice to stop here. I'd love to drop by when it's warmer. (490)

A hundred miles of driving and exploring. Now I'm back onto the Interstate, about halfway from…read moreMinneapolis to Fargo and as the sun has set, it's time to find my parking place for the night. Thankfully, the Middle Spunk Rest Area has no sign prohibiting overnight parking. I lined up, shut down and secured for the night. Yes, my Sprinter van is a converted RV and thanks to the fabulous layout of the rest area, the parking spots are pretty far from the noise of the roadway. It was quiet and peaceful. [Review 20745 overall - 156 in Minnesota - 1727 of 2023.]

Driving across the flat farmland and low rolling prairies of central Minnesota may not make you…read morethink of downhill skiing, but there is a hill on the plain, and on that hill is way more winter recreation fun than you'd ever imagine. On that hill is Powder Ridge ski and snow tube recreation area. We didn't try the snow tubes but there were lots of people tubing and they looked happy. There were several 5-6 chutes or lanes and a magic carpet ride to the top. It looked like a lot of fun. The basics. This is a swell small to mid size ski area. They have a nice chalet with ski rental, lockers, tables and benches, fast service food and hot chocolate, and an upstairs bar and lounge with nice selection of local taps and other table service food. They have a nice bunny hill with easy to use (and helpful staff) J-Bar lift for beginners. Much easier than the T-Bar I learned on at Welch Village many years ago. Lots of lessons for new skiers. The main ski area is small, but has more challenge and variety than it looks like. The quad chairlift takes you pretty much to the top, w access to all runs and that's a good place to start because it's also in the middle of the other two chair lifts. There are some mighty steep and fast runs for racers and speedsters. There are some smooth blue runs for leisurely skiers like me. And there is 1-2 terrain park areas for flip and jump and trick ski and board people. This ski area is right size because it's large enough to go out on your own and find runs that match your ski level (beginner intermediate or expert) and also small enough to catch up with someone if you get separated. From the lodge you could wait inside in warmth while your skier enjoys the cold. It's hard to get lost here. That's a huge plus for family skiing. If you want the Rockies or even Spirit Mountain (Duluth) or Afton Alps, then this place will seem small for sure. If you want to ski on good snow with a friendly staff and are in Central Minnesota then this is the place for you.

Overall nice place, for a Minnesotan this isn't a bad place to go. You can rent skis or snowboard,…read morealso have the option of tubing. They have a small cafeteria or you can stop by their restaurant.