Banning State Park was one of our favorite outdoor stops during our Hinckley getaway. The park is…read moreknown for its scenic hiking trails, sandstone cliffs, and the views of the Kettle River, making it a great place to spend a few hours exploring. Our goal was to find the waterfall, but like many first-time visitors, we ended up taking a wrong turn and wandered a little longer than expected. Honestly, it turned into part of the adventure. As we explored, we spotted deer quietly moving, squirrels darting between the trees, and plenty of birds and caterpillars along the way. We discovered quiet trails, beautiful overlooks, and peaceful stretches of the river that we might have missed if we'd gone straight to our destination. The sound of the water, the surrounding rock formations, and the forest scenery made it one of those places where you naturally want to stop and take it all in. If you're visiting Banning State Park for the first time, don't stress if you get a little turned around. Give yourself extra time, wear comfortable shoes, and enjoy the journey.

Nice trails. Great photo ops. Lovely small waterfall. Great views. Visited in October. Wished there…read morewere more bathrooms.

The playground could use some updates, but cute concept. The kids seem to really enjoy it, but just…read moregetting a bit old. There is a bandshell and music in the park event in the summer which is a great community event. You can also launch your boats into the lake. The area near the serpent statue no dogs allowed which is a bummer. Skate park and police station all in the same area.

Beautiful park! Super clean and fun! We were visiting from out of town, and this place didn't…read moredisappoint.

My family and I stopped by this park while on vacation in the area in March 2024. We were thrilled…read moreto see there are hiking trails as well as the fire tower, plus there are a lot of interesting things to read about the tower history and fire history in the area. The whole park is nice - clean, well kept, both paved trails and gravel lined trails, well-built steps, and quality railings where steps are located. There is a paved trail that goes to the tower, as well as an unpaved trail that is a good uphill climb. The tower looks neat, and we would have loved to climb it, but it was closed. There is a big fence with a locked door around it. This was a bummer for me - the websites that I found describing the park had said that the park was open year-round, which I (wrongly) thought included the tower. I do understand - it is an unseasonably warm winter, and most people aren't going hiking or climbing giant towers in March. I was just disappointed. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our time there - both the hiking and learning about fire safety in the area.

We had a great time here. A few small gardens and many hiking trails. They have winter activities…read moretoo. Trails are adequately marked and mowed or gravel. Will definitely go back.

My wife Julie and I spent about 3 hours here today and had a super time. We started about walking…read moreand saw two of the gardens this way. When we realized how big the Arboretum is (400) acres we switched to the car to drive to other gardens. The gardens are pretty well maintained and we found two plants we'll be adding to our yard. It seems like a perfect destination for adults with kids. We saw several moms with kids enjoying the area. The gift shop is small but has a nice selection of unique items. There is a small admission charge which we found reasonable ($5.00 for seniors). We'll be back in the other seasons. While we aren't doing snowshoeing any more, there seemed to be a number of (lighted?) trails for snowshoeing or skinny skiing.

One of the more medium sized MN State Parks but had some lovely features. We were here to hike and…read morewe did the hiking club trail. Our visit in the fall provided stunning tree color. The little stream that follows part of the path was slow moving and provided a perfect mirror of the colorful foliage. The bridges across the water provided some great photo ops. You can learn a bit about Mr Lindbergh's life as well from the placards that are found near the trail head. Great stop.

A fairly compact park near Little Falls near the start of the Mississippi River. There are some…read morestructures from the WPA era (1930's) and a few hiking paths. There is a large campsite and trials marked for hiking and for winter sports. There is a boat launch, swimming and plenty of picnic options. The trails aren't titled so be sure to pick up a map in the case outside the main office, which has limited hours only from Friday to Sunday. A highlight on the trip is Charles A Lindbergh landing site in a former farm field of his first plane which he bought used in Georgia and flew home to Little Falls.

One of the my best core memories was made here this past weekend. We were able to book one of the…read moregroup camping grounds and have such a lovely place to stay for 4 days and 3 nights. We got to climb the fire tower, fish at the local lakes and dams, dance around with our family and friends, and enjoy the stars at night. Everything is very clean when arriving. Bathrooms are outhouses that are well maintained, but once toilet has ran out we didn't get much of a refill. Parking space was big enough for our party and the other down the hill from us.

We visited in the fall and the park was spectacular. So many beautiful colors…read more We started with the Fire Tower Trail. The tower steps are definitely steep so hang onto the sides. Outstanding view from up top. You get a 360 view of the area and can see the lake. It was much cooler and windier up there but definitely worth the hike up. The loop around the tower is about a mile and worth it as well. We also did the Mille Lacs loop. Part of it follows the hiking trail but add another couple of miles. This was definitely worth it. Beautifully colored forests, hidden lakes, and open fens greeted us along the way. It was a very hilly route but the trails were well maintained, wide, and mostly smooth. The park is huge. We stopped in the visitor center to buy a post card and staff was helpful. Great experience.

Batting machines both were broken fast ball and slow the softball one could only work but they did…read morehave tons of fun activities but they did have bats but they scratched off the bat labels so you do not know each length but overall good place

Super fun place a little bit speedy but totally worth it they have literally everything to do so…read moremuch fun I love it here

Super nice park/hiking trail that has so many facilities. Park has Softball/Baseball Field…read moreTennis Courts (4) Disc Golf Pickleball Courts (2 fenced) plus on the Basketball Court Basketball Court Volleyball Court (sand court) Horseshoe Pits (2) Bean Bag Toss (2) Children's Playground Equipment (New in 2022) Outhouses Drinking Fountain Numerous Picnic Tables Pollinator Garden in Trails Area. They have a fun hiking trail that has hidden gnomes to find that was so fun to search for them. Would recommend this park to all age ranges because of all the options that are available.