There were many different types of paths either made by the state or it used to be but now have not…read morebeen taken care of yet. You should you should plan to pack bug spray in lawn pants for ticks. There are beautiful, wallflowers in the bridge. there's a Cliff view that is awesome but it's a man-made path by the way there are some poison ivy by all the man-made paths, there was lots of plants, but not animals as much.

Beautiful trails that take you through prairie or down to the river. You can take a short 15ish…read moreminute walk or challenge yourself for hours. The traverse was pretty easy, nothing too stressful. Walking down to the river gave some nice views and some moments to just sit and enjoy the surroundings. It also didn't seem to have an admission charge, so you could park and walk right in.

I'm a very new diver and I've been working on my dives so I can compete. This place is great for…read morethat! They have 3 diving boards, two one-meter and one three-meter. I had practice when it was 50ish degrees out and the pool was almost warm! They have a little small slide for children. It's a very affordable place and has good deals if you were to go more often. Another bonus is they have a set time for people who want to do laps without children in the way. The facility is kept clean and is an overall enjoyable place to swim. Although I prefer indoor pools, this one is a great alternative when the option is not available! I would recommend this place to anyone of all ages!

Mineral Springs is the most natural setting of all the multi-purpose parks in Owatonna. It's an old…read morepark, and its geography is probably what's prevented the addition of facilities for field sport's like baseball and soccer. It does however offer volleyball, disc golf, and very nice horseshoe courts. Maple Creek twists and turns through the park, and bridges span it in several places. The area around the pavilion is wooded, but groomed and not cluttered. There is a parking lot next to the pavilion and there is another to the north, across a bridge. There are picnic tables and trails that lead uphill to the woods. There is a statue of Princess Owatonna, with a sign describing the story that ties her with this area. This park may not have all the features that some of the others do, but to just get away to a peaceful natural setting, it is my favorite.

Visited today with my daughter. Beautiful. Well kept. Perfect place for pictures, playing, bbq,…read morehorseshoes, disc golf, walking paths. Love visiting this park!

What a lovely park, big trees, flowers beds, and some neat animals. We enjoyed wondering through…read morethe flowers and see the water features, watching the alpaca's, pigs, and cows!

Wow! What is this place and how did I never know about it?!?!? Every city should have something…read morelike this. The park is very clean and maintained with tons of climbing objects for the little ones to be entertained. Also the best part is that there is a petting area where you can just get the food from coin operated machines to feed the animals. I highly recommend coming here

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.

We were so disappointed in this! The overall spot seemed like it was tired and then we learned it…read morewasn't that old! The falls were a trickle, which very well could have been because we were not hitting the timing right, we visited from out of state so maybe it flows more when there's more rain? We enjoyed the drive on the road to it more than the "park" itself!

This is a cute hidden spot in Mankato. I'm sure it's breathtaking when the water levels are high…read more Unfortunately, we visited during a drought so it was basically a trickle. There is a small parking lot, a walking path, and the bridge overlooks the falls.

Very beautiful community park. Family fun for every one. Heart fishing dock and boat landing.read more

It's a large park area with lots to do. From easy fishing spots, to walking and bike trails, and…read moreeven the clam shell for performances there is a lot to do at Casperson. The park is clean and feels safe, I often see lots of kids and families. And there is some lake life happening as well with boaters and kayakers. Plan for an hour or plan for the day.

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

There a light show was fantastic. The service was amazing. You can donated food or money to this…read moreevent . You also can buy thing for souvenirs. The food and drinks variety prices. There is a drive-through or a walk for you. You can do both it's up to you. There are restrooms for on the site. Many cool pics you can take for social media.

When to the Kiwanas drive through light show. My first time there, really cool and is family…read moreapproved. Seemed a bit smaller than bentlyville but it's still fun. Go during the weekday if you are planning to do drive they instead of walking. Over the weekend, it took me about an hour from the exit of bentlyville to the start of the light show. No restrooms along the way, so be cautious about that. Overall a great experience, must for one time. But you can always make it a family tradition.

We went to this park after my daughter's daycare had a field trip here. What a little pearl. It's…read moresuch a fun park. I wanted to tell all my friends...but at the same.time want to keep it secret. It has some fun items that you dont see at other parks. One in particular is the circular monkey bars...so fun! My kids really enjoyed their time here There is also a spacious parking lot. Easy to find. And both a play structure for littles as well as a bigger one that goes up to 12 years old.