State park with the best beach in the Midwest! Sand and pines, family and pet friendly!read more

Best state Park in Minnesota, with best swimming beach anywhere. The sand soft and u can walk out…read morelike 2 and a half blocks. The water is like bath water on a warm day. They have new shower building and new beach dressing house.

While the underground tours are not yet open due to refurbishment, don't miss the above ground…read moretour. The tour guides are very knowledgeable about the mines and the people who worked there. The grounds are in amazing condition. The views into the valley are beautiful. We got to see the pulley system working as some inspectors were descending into the mine. We also walked the Hikers Club trail which went about 3 miles around the park. Very woodsy and buggy so make sure you wear some bug repellent.

I understand the mine tours were cancelled in 2024 because of flooding. We did this in 2022 and…read morefound it extremely fun and educational. You take an old style elevator down...down.. down to 2341 feet below the surface 689 below sea level. Then you take a mining train-like with seats. And walk and see and learn what miners dealt with, and you can learn a bit of geology, hydrology, and the thought that went into mining. There is also self guided tour of equipment/buildings, you can see some of the open mine, learn about the safety and community that was unique to this mine.

In our quest to visit all MN state parks, Bear Head Lake was next on our list. We stuck with the…read moreHiking Club trail or Norberg Trail. It was a three mile loop that took you past a couple of lakes. It involved walking on some uneven ground (roots and stones) but it was relatively flat and very woodsy. We visited in mid July and it was quite buggy so make sure you are covered or sprayed to minimize the bites. Minnesota parks are so beautiful. I get so worries about where I'm stepping, I sometimes forget to look up and all around to enjoy the beauty.

Bear Head Lake is a sleeper of a state park in Minnesota, which is too bad because this park is…read morebeautiful. We stayed on the no-electricity loop, which consisted mostly of tent campers. The facilities were well maintained and the campsites have everything you need to have some quiet, sit around the fire, and eat your camp meals. The park itself offers great trails, will set you up with fishing gear, as well as rent you a canoe or kayak or rowboat for 4 hours or a full day. The new trail center is a beautiful building, and the beach is a wonderful place to have lunch or snooze in the sun. We did the hiking loop that takes you back by the backcountry sites. It was about a 3-4 hour hike and we saw a lot of wildlife and had the trail all to ourselves. Next time we go, we'll be staying at the paddle-in site on that loop. It was the perfect spot. We will be back here again.

This is a great dog park somewhat hidden in Grand Rapids, MN. It's completely fenced and it's well…read moremaintained. There's an area for big dogs, an area for small dogs and a playground for kids. There is no water available in these dog areas so be sure to bring your own for the dog. To find it - Turn south off of 2 onto SE 7th. It's about 100 feet on the left.

Gorgeous dog park inside Veteran's Park at the intersection of Hwy 2 and SE 7th Ave. The dog run…read morearea is totally fenced, has nice iron benches for people to sit, and some picnic tables too. There is a children's playground right next door (but not within the fenced area for the dogs). I know the community must have worked hard for this space and it's great! So far very under utilized and a very peaceful spot!

The bog is an absolute must for birder and nature enthusiasts. There's incredible bird watching…read moreespecially in the winter: great gray owls, boreal chickadees, evening grosbeaks were plentiful this time of year. Even if you don't see a bird, you can still take walks on the boardwalks and admire the aspen and birch forests. Shoutout to the friends of sax-zim bog for maintaining the trails, feeders, and visitor center!

Very special area of near-wilderness with some homes scattered about. We go up there every year for…read morea couple of days to view wildlife (especially birds, many of which can't be found regularly in other areas, including the magnificent great gray owl) especially during winter. Mammals seen there include deer (of course!), moose (if you're lucky), black bears, wolves (again - if you're lucky!), bobcats, coyotes, pine martens, snowshoe hares, red squirrels, the occasional porcupine, red fox, and more.

Very easy trail with a huge reward. This trail is a combo loop/out and back. There are some planks…read morebuilt to help with some of the wetter parts of the trail The falls are beautiful. We saw people swimming in the water in mid-July. There were some interesting trees with exposed roots along the way. Interesting how a tree will go through anything to find ground to put its root. This was recommended to us from a ranger in the Soudan Mine park. So glad he told us about it.

We loved this waterfall hike. It was a lot of fun. They have a free parking lot so you don't have…read moreto worry about parking. They also have an out house so that you can go to the bathroom if you have to go before the hike. The hike to the falls is only like 3 1/2 miles each way. I would not recommend this site for people who have a harder time walking or have an issue with mobility it's not very handicap accessible. We went in the fall time during fall colors and it wasn't to crowded. The resort that we stayed at was actually right across the street so it was walking distance for us. This falls isn't too far from downtown Ely. This is a must see if you are in Ely. Love you from the falls his birthday. You can also kayak to this point and they have places to park the kayak. We actually Walked to the place so I'm not exactly sure the whole kayak route.

I spent time every summer in Minnesota, camping and fishing but I had never been to Duluth. I loved…read morethe area around this part of Minnesota and if it weren't for the brutal winters I might live there. Things in Minnesota were just beginning to open up so there weren't crowds to deal with. It was nice to walk along Lake Superior on a warm and sunny day. I had a good time and if you have never been there it is worth consideration.

This lake walk is one of the most beautiful things about duluthmn…read more It goes all the way to canel park. There's lots of people who love duluth in summer and complain about the winters here. I love the winters in mn because like Prince once said it keeps away the bad people!

One of the smaller state parks we've visited. A short 1-2 mile hike is mostly flat with some lovely…read morelake and river views. Lots of white pines, which apparently are tasty to deer, hence the restoration area. It was fun to see the not-so-mighty Mississippi. Very different looking from where I grew up in southern MN.

This 224 acre park east of Grand Rapids is one of the smaller in the state system. There is easy…read morehiking in a circle of the park with many tall pines. The park borders the shore of the Mississippi River with many picnic spots. Camping seems to be the bigger attraction with ample camping spots including a large group camp site. The camp sites are rustic so don't expect a hot shower room or flushing toilet. For more adventure you could also canoe-in to a site. A dock and boat launch round out the activities. There is no trail office only a self-service kiosk.

We found out about this tower from the hotel front desk and thought, why not--it's free! Parking…read morewas easy, and the views did not disappoint. From the top you get a full 360° view of Duluth, including the aerial lift bridge, which was super cool to see. The tower's only a few stories high and has rails to help with the climb, though it's not ADA accessible. Along the way, we also learned about Mr. Enger and his impact on the city, plus Duluth's special ties to Norway. Definitely a neat little stop! Not to mention there was a Japanese Zen garden and a few trails.

Nice views. Nice park for a stroll. Good way to get in some stairs great 360° views of Duluth even…read moreduring the Canadian wildfire smoke of June 2025. It was a string Quartet practicing in one of the shelters when I was there, so it added a little extra ambience. Free parking, free park, nice little Japanese garden as well. There's a cool replica Bell there with a nice story as well.