We wanted a spot that offered outdoor fun with a nearby city for lunch, and this park delivered!…read moreIt's huge.... offering hiking, camping, biking, swimming, and even skiing in the winter. There's always something to do no matter the season. Parking is $8, and on busy days you might wait a few minutes, but it's worth it. At the entrance, you'll get a helpful map (also available online) that shows all the trails and recreation options. We parked near the boat launch and took the 1.5-mile loop to the waterfall, a beautiful, family-friendly walk with no complaints from the kids! The waterfall itself is stunning. We kicked off our shoes, dipped our feet in the cool water, and climbed around the rocks above the falls. There are more challenging hikes if you're feeling adventurous, and it's only about 10 minutes to great Hudson riverfront dining afterward. We left smiling and saying, "That was so fun maybe we should get an annual pass!

Fantastic! A short drive from the Twin Cities, this is a lovely site to take a walk in nature or…read moreuse for camping. This is my secondary visit where we came for a short hike to the falls with our dogs. If you are not from WI, be prepared to pay a few extra dollars more as a non-resident. My family parked near the entrance and used the trail next to the parking lot. There is a giant hill leading down to the falls which means the hike back is tough and almost breathless. I personally feel like seeing the falls makes it all worth it. When arriving at the falls, there are such a wide variety of humans who are climbing, swimming, sitting in nature, enjoying picnics, taking pictures and even knitting. While we typically do the quick falls hike, know that multiple trails exist and that maps will be provided upon entry. Enjoy!!

My brother and sister-in-law have been going to Lakeview for the past several years and this year…read morewe joined them. I give high marks to Brock and Michelle, the owners, for always being on-hand and available should you need anything! I think we ran into Brock every day we were there. The cabin, pontoon, and grounds were very clean. There was a nice picnic area where we could all meet up for dinner, drinks and a bonfire. We had a great time and will be back next year.

From the owner: Lakeview Resort is a fishing and recreation resort located in Chetek, WI…read more Since its opening in 1972, Lakeview Resort has shared with its guests a love for the outdoors, many family memories and an obsession with fishing on the Chetek Chain of Lakes. Our mission has been to exceed the expectations of our customers by providing exceptional hospitallity in an atmosphere of relaxation and comfort. If you enjoy pan-fishing, the Chetek Chain of Lakes can't be beat. Walleye, Northern Pike, and Bass are also plentiful in the lake system. Resort is well kept. and owners are present.

Paradise Park was a great pit stop for our family in Chisago City on our way to northern…read moreWisconsin. It is a spacious park with tons of space. The highlight was the huge metal slides. The kids also liked the zip lines and the playground.

The name says it all. I didn't expect such a cool park hidden away in the back of Chisago City…read more Hidden across from the skating park by highway 8 is this awesome park. Upon reaching the playground from the parking lot, I first noticed a huge black hole at the end of a wooden bridge and a sign. I thought it was some kind of sewage hole but boy was I wrong! It's the entryway to a huge covered slide!!!! And a few feet away is a wide wavy double slide! Even better, next to the slides is another course - a zip line swing!! Oh man, in all my years I've never seen such cool playground courses in a park. Then you also have a complete playground course with many different slides, climbing Bridges, tunnels, rock climbing, money bars and a swivel bar with swings alongside. This park was definitely a paradise kind of park. Even I had to experience the slides & zip line for myself. Need a little adrenaline? This is where. Take a walk on the path down the dock to the fishing pier or alongside a small beach. It was a great small park filled with fun playgrounds for kids. Dogs are welcome here

Kinni Lodge is an adorable bed & breakfast/cabin. It has three rooms to rent with a shared full…read morekitchen and living room. There is a hot tub and grilling area. Each room has a closet, fireplace, tv, dvd player, and bathroom. All doors lock with your room key for privacy and security. Every morning there is breakfast prepared; muffins and cinnamon rolls, english muffins, fruit, juice, coffee, tea, etc. It has a full kitchen. The lodge is off the river and only blocks from downtown. It allows everything (or a lot at least) to be within walking distance. I highly recommend this place for a place to stay. Much better than a hotel with a great amount of character. When you set up reservations make sure to ask about payment. It was cash only so clarify upon reservation.

When my kids were younger I booked a trip down the Kinni with this outfitter. 2 adults, one 7 year…read moreold and one 9 year old. I requested 2 person kayaks since my kids had never kayaked and my daughter was scared. They told me this would not be a problem. We got to the outfitter 15 minutes prior to our scheduled time. I confirmed 2 person kayaks were necessary. Paige said that she loaded the one person kayaks and since they were already in the trailer - she wasn't going to take them off. I asked several times and she refused. She told me the kids would be fine. It was the worst experience ever. My kids were frustrated and hate kayaking to this day. I have heard from others that she does not have patience for kids so be aware if you are thinking of using this outfitter for anyone under 18. Also, This summer I booked with River Guide Kayaks. Totally different experience.

A fantastic little 1.1mi loop around a lake in Eagan. This park also features an impressively sized…read moregazebo with picnic tables, fire pit, restrooms (seasonal), grills, trash/recycling, and even concrete cornhole. There is a children's playground as well with a wide variety of features like swings, climbing walls/ropes, diggers, slides, spinners, and more-- you and/or your kiddos are gonna have lots of fun here. The playground is on gravel. There's also a volleyball court with sand, and lots of open grassy space to kick or throw about a ball. Seriously excellent amenities. The trail has inconsistent surfaces-- some of it is paved, other parts are dirt and gravel. Just something to be aware of (it wouldn't work well for skateboarding or rollerblading, for example). There are a couple docks you can fish off of or just sight-see from. A wooden bridge across the lake makes for excellent photographs. There is also a boat ramp (walk to, not drive to). The parking lot is pretty large with many spaces.

I liked this park. They had a nice mile loop around the lakes. They have a small free lot.read more

Absolutely beautiful park. Went jet skiing with my family there and had a great time. They have…read moreplenty of parking and lots of shaded seating to get a break from the sun. The beach part is just gorgeous too. Water is pretty peaceful. On a non windy day like this, it was easy to ride the jet ski around. There was a decent sized separated area to go swimming in, which sd enjoyed. I loved that there was a playground and also a small splash pad nearby. My toddler loved it. Definitely plan to be back some day to explore more of the park, as we were mainly on the water.

Came for a few hours for hiking, which was great! The kids played in the splash pad area for a few…read moreminutes, they almost didn't get to use the splash pad because we couldn't figure out how to get it running, it started going after we started walking away....other than that it is a unique design. The beach was good size but I don't recommend swimming, the water is nasty green and scummy.

I'm a new annual pass-holder for the Washington and Anoka county parks. I've wanted to check out…read morethe Lake Elmo Reserve for a very long time and the fact that the Reserve had the Nordic Renewal Co. Sauna (pop up) on Thursdays and Sundays...this was the jump start I needed to just buy a pass. I've gone to the park now 4x's in over 2 weeks. I did the sauna once, took my kiddo to the beautiful brand new huge playground twice and then did a little hike solo. The park is huge. There are lots of spots to camp, they have their own beach (in the summer), beautiful lakes, lots of hiking trails, etc. I look forward to coming back not only to this park but others that are part of the pass. No time like the present to get outdoors and explore!

If u have kids this is a good place to go because it is super shallow I recommend u come before…read more12:00 so u can get thare before the lifeguard because they have dumb rules

Came here to see the fall colors mid October. They looked so beautiful! I loved how easily…read moreaccessible the trail was. It's fully paved and has a few winding bridges, one that goes above a lake. You could easily spend several hours here because the park is so large! The people on the trail were really friendly. I loved seeing all the wildlife along the trail too. We spotted several caterpillars and saw ducks and different birds in the distance. The fall colors were very beautiful and the trail was wide and relatively empty for a Sunday mid-day. I absolutely loved it. Would definitely come here again in the future !

I explored Lebanon Hills Regional Park today for the first time and was pleasantly surprised by the…read moreamount of the trails and activities this park has to offer. We ended up walking 2 different trails. Both trails led around lakes and were mostly shaded by beautiful mature trees, which provided a nice escape from the sun today. I can't wait to go back for more outdoor adventures and recommend you check it out too!!!

Trying to be more intentional about exploring parks around Minneapolis this year, and Hidden Falls…read moreseemed like the perfect place to start. We usually default to Minnehaha Falls across the river, but I'd never actually explored this side--which looks to be really sprawling with new townhomes and modular single family homes. We parked near the dam and walked along the trail to reach the stairs leading down to Hidden Falls. Heads up: the walk down is a little precarious since there's no railing for most of the stairs, but it's not very steep and the trek itself is pretty short. The falls themselves were a bit disappointing at the moment--more of a trickle than a waterfall--but it is early in the season. That said, the forested park area it winds through was really nice, and made the visit worth it regardless. I can already tell this place is probably stunning in the summer when everything is green and flowing! Even with the lower water level, it was a great way to explore somewhere new and great to see there were so many people already exploring the park with it being chilly still!

Beautiful park near the city. Grabbed some take out and found an empty picnic table in the middle…read moreof the day - lots of parking! Watched a few boats launch, saw some geese, enjoyed watching people along the shore. Picnic tables near the water at the North Entrance. Check it out!