A Gem: Fort Snelling State Park Rating: I visited Fort Snelling State Park on Memorial Day and I was blown away. Not what you'd expect from the name I know, but this is no ordinary park - it's better. From the moment I walked in I was struck by the natural beauty of the park. If you love the outdoors this is the place for you with plenty of hiking and exploring to be had. The staff do a great job of keeping the park clean and up to date. One of the highlights of my visit was the bike trail. I brought my bike and it was a great decision. The trail is well maintained and has great views of the surrounding area. Plus the park is close to several other trails so it's a great place to start a longer ride. I'm already planning on coming back to use this park as my starting point for future bike adventures. Overall I highly recommend Fort Snelling State Park to anyone looking for a beautiful outdoor experience. Whether you're a seasoned hiker, casual biker or just someone who loves the great outdoors this park has something for everyone. From the natural beauty to the location and trails Fort Snelling State Park is a gem that needs to be found. read more

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Nice park near the cities! I stopped in after some rain so it was a little wet and muddy out as many of the paths are dirt, which is nice when it's dry. There are a lot of different places to explore, including the historic fort, at different experience levels so it's a great spot for families of all abilities. Their visitor center is also nice and informative! read more

I absolutely love the Pike Island hiking trail. At nearly 4 miles, it is a hidden gem that is a top notch green space tucked amidst an urban setting. The hike is a loop, with a flat trail and great views of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. read more

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Fort Snelling is a nice park in the middle of the city. We used the track chairs and it was Awesome it's been a while since my mom was able to get out there. She is 80 years old and had both knees replaced. The people there at the park were so friendly and helpful. I hope more parks get these chairs. read more

Fort Snelling State Park - Mom - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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Beautiful place for some hiking and seeing nature. We saw eagles soaring! We hiked the 3.8 mile loop on Pike Island, and the Picnic Island loop. The visitors center is very nice and the staff was kind and helpful. read more

Fort Snelling State Park - Visitors Center, helpful friendly staff - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

we are so fortunate in Minnesota to have such a strong state park system and to have several outstanding parks so close to the metro. This park border Saint Paul and Minneapolis, nestled between the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. It is relatively flat but there are many hiking/snowshoeing trails to explore in the winter along with groomed cross country ski trails. As you can see from my photos, there's plenty of wildlife and the animals are less afraid of people as they might be elsewhere. In summer there's also tons of hiking and biking opportunities as well as boating and swimming beaches As It is beautiful but because it is urban you never really escape the car noise. Nonetheless it is still worth visiting. read more

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Cool river Vue flat rocks to skip. That is the only thing I did but there is all so 3 paths to walk as well

Fort Snelling State Park is a historical site that I'll wage your most residence of Minneapolis have driven by a dozen times without really seeing. Parking is easy as you pull into the park, it's very accessible. The tour guides are very knowledgeable about the location and no many pieces of interesting history. The fort is still pretty much intact from when it was originally built, although there are many places that are rebuilt to look like it did back in the day. All of the history doesn't shine a great light on some of the things that occurred at the fort, but hopefully we study history to make ourselves better, and that will come out of some of the things that were exposed. hope you enjoy your tour of a historical site. read more

Fort Snelling State Park - View from weapon slits in roundhouse tower - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

MN has 75 State Parks & Recreation areas, but this is the only one that is actually in the Minneapolis/St Paul metro area. Part of it is even within St. Paul's city limits! So although you'll come here for outdoorsy nature experiences, you won't forget that you're right next to the second busiest airport in the Midwest. If you're anywhere near the Snelling Lake area you'll be able to gaze at the underbellies of landing airliners and probably smell their jet fuel. If you're used to state parks and national parks that are more sovereign and unspoiled, it might surprise you that this land is very visibly a thoroughfare for power lines and sits in the shadow of I-494 and the Mendota Bridge. But as someone who lives in St Paul and wants convenient access to a big park for nature hikes and picnics, this is awesome for me! It's even kind of neat to be down there knowing that I'm just a stone's throw from someplace where I often sit in traffic. The view of the Mendota Bridge is really cool, even. There's actually a trail behind the Visitor's Center that leads right up to its walkway. For that matter, you can just walk over to Historic Fort Snelling from that part of the park. I really like the riverside walks, and there are generous amounts of those here. There are two big picnic areas; you might head directly for the one that's literally called "Picnic Island", but the one by "the beach" is much more picturesque. There's plenty of parking by both of those, as well as by the Visitor's Center. This being a Minnesota State Park, it's very well maintained and it's open year-round. On a recent Saturday hike I walked past a tree that had partially fallen onto the road. When I walked by it again less than an hour later, a crew was very diligently cutting it all away. Just saying, they appear to be on top of things here. There are fees in the form of vehicle permits; a one-day permit is $7, but a $35 annual permit gives you a year's worth of access to all Minnesota State Parks & Recreation Areas. There is also camping for additonal fees (you'll need to reserve your campsite in advance). I really like this park, and if you live in the Twin Cities it's hard to beat. But don't expect to feel particularly distant from the modern world. read more

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The big cities in America that have a state park within its vicinities are usually solid. It's funny that MSP airport, Target Field, and the IDS Building are in the same city as this lush, meandering, very green space. Unless the weather is bad, I can't imagine why anyone would want to drive here when it's VERY bike-able. read more

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It's huge. There's a lot of trails and you can easily get lost. We came in the Thanksgiving and the leaves were gone At this time it feels like a scene in GOT when bad things are about to happen in the dead forest. The entry fee is minimal and if you have a State park pass you can skip the long line of cars applying to get in. Parking could be a problem, but hey there's a Covid spike out there and this is outdoors with all the room that you need. If you don't like GOT pretend to be in the Witcher instead. Happy Thanksgiving. read more

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Our bestie loves this park so we decided to meet up for a birthday hike. After having some difficulty finding it, we finally found the parking lot and went for a nice, but cold hike. The scenery is nice, but I imagine even nicer in the spring or fall. We were there in January so it was a bit chilly, but nice to get outside in the crisp air with the family and the pup who thankfully we brought the carrier for. The snow was pretty deep for her little legs. The views of the water are nice and I imagine the paths would be nice to hike when it's warmer out. I just hope I don't run into the monsterous snake somebody posted a pic of at this park. Saw a ton of deer. Port a johns were nasty and I passed as I couldn't force myself in to handle the smell, but that is to be expected. However having to go at the beginning of a hike in the cold was not the most fun. read more

My favorite park in the Twin Cities, Fort Snelling has it all! This was my first visit with a ton of snow, which made my hike even more challenging (just the way I like it). read more

Who doesn't love a state park? This is located close to the city, has Fort Snelling and the museum as well as lots of outdoor space to explore. There is a pretty big parking lot which does require payment. Staff is friendly. Definitely will re-visit. read more

In breathing distance of the airport in the middle of a major metropolitan area is this state park. Oddly we can view nature, hear the sounds of nature at the same time as traffic from the nearby highways and planes roaring. The Pike Island hike is the most scenic with views of the Mississippi. Some attention was drawn to a loud rhythmic warbling sound as two bald eagles warned others of human danger and then performed a stunning display of flying skills and swooping before resting side by side on the ancient trees. The park floods easily and was closed for most of the 2019 season due to continue heavy rains. Hikers may have to create a detour when finding annoying ponds along the path. Check out the Coldwater Spring area and remaining structure of what once was a water pumping station for the fort. There are other remnants of days long past if you look around the prairie area. There is ample parking, a large Trail Center with gift shop and mostly easy trails which seems to attract family members of all ages. There are paved bike lanes with high speeding serious bikers, "on your left". A cry I heard many times. read more

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In deep winter it's well maintained, open, sweet $6 snowshoe rentals, gorgeous scenes & nature that makes Minneapolis & St Paul all the more becoming. You certainly won't regret coming here & the wildlife is bountiful. See my photos on a sunny snow drift cold day and like old faithful, they were here to receive me! Snow shoe rentals on weekends must be rented by 2:00 pm so they can be returned by 4:00 closing. read more

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Had an overnight layover here. I was staying at the Intercontinental, which is a brand new airport hotel. Fort Snelling is right across the street. I got up for an early morning hike before my flight, and found it really peaceful and beautiful with the icy river and dusting of snow. Was perfect before a long international flight to Singapore. read more

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A perfect way to enjoy the outdoors while in the Twin Cities. This state park is huge and offers many trails. I love taking my dogs and walking along the Mississippi. read more

Fort Snelling State Park - Mississippi river - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

I love this park so much fun stuff to do if you are an out door person. It cost money for parking. You can buy either a annual pass or a day pass. They have lots of parking lots. They usually have events going on during the summer time as well. Winter is nice you can do snowshoeing or cross country skiing on trails. It is a dog friendly place as long as u have them on leashes. read more

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Liked by locals for walking trails and bike paths Fort Snelling State Park is a perfectly fine way to enjoy the outdoors while in the Twin Cities, but for a place with so much green space it seems as though they could have a little more to it than just trees and gravel read more

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I feel like I'm giving away a great secret spot by reviewing, but this is a place that should be experienced by urban explorers. I found it last summer by hopping on random trails and praying I didn't end up in Mississippi (thankfully, I didn't). What I did find: awesome trails removed from civilization. Pike Island is only accessible by footbridge and is smack dab in the middle of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. My river rat heart basically exploded with glee when I found a random bridge to a random island. (I don't like to plan my hiking trips). I stopped at the informational signs at the bridge and realized this little island has historical signifance too. Score one for geeky Liz! It's rather depressing and nothing to be proud of, but such is history: it's meant not to be repeated. So if you stop, read the signs. Besides Pike Island, there are a few other trails (that don't get my heart beating quite as fast, but still awesome). There are some pretty decent hills too. I always make this trip after Crosby Farm for a Mega Mississippi River park extravaganza (especially good if you're trying to win fitbit challenges & parking is free at Crosby). read more

Fort Snelling State Park - Pike Island on Halloween - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Visited the Fort before heading up further North on Minnesota. Great experience. They have staff stationed at different areas of the post explaining what type of living conditions and reasons for where we were standing in. It also talks about the bad history of the Fort which I think was a great thing to do so that you can really engage and learn the history of where your standing at. Moose Out read more

The state park is a must to see if you're a nature person. It's located literally minutes from everything. You can drive through, rent bikes, fish, picnic, etc. There is a visitor center underneath the bridge with a gift shop. Not much there but still a few trinkets if you wanted. If you're lazy like we were, a drive through the park is just as gorgeous as anything else. You do need permits to launch boats or fish. There are separate areas for everything. The park is huge and well preserved. read more

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I went to this park in the winter and ( although very, very cold ) it was a super fun experience ! The river was not completely frozen and the snow covered the park. I went with a friend and the two of us were able to drive around until we found a nice scenic area to take pictures at. We wandered around, snapping photos, and ran into maybe one or two others - it was a lot of fun ! As a Minnesota resident, it can be hard to find fun activities in the area, but I would say this Park makes a great day trip to go on a hike, a scenic walk, or even to just go take fun pictures ! If you are going in the winter, be sure to dress Warm ( i even had to wear snow pants ), because it is in an open space. read more

Fort Snelling State Park - We were able to stand under the highway / bridge right by the river - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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If you are looking for a nice easy hike around the point along the river, this is the place. Many trails and many of them are paved. They have a really nice visitor center at the center of the park with clean bathroom facilities and maps for the trails. I love hiking and I love a challenging hike. The hiking here is NOT challenging. I kind of don't even consider it a hike as more of a nature walk. All of the trails are flat and sandy or paved. The views are nice along the river and there are some nice views with strategically placed benches along the way. If you have kids, this is a great place to bring them. The walk won't be very hard for them and it will be easy to keep track of them since the tree coverage is not very dense. All in all, this is a nice park, however, there are much better MN State Parks (and even regional parks) to hike than this one. I recommend taking a short drive over to Battle Creek park instead if you want a good hike in that area. This is a state park thus you need a parking permit if you park here. It's $7 per day or a $30 annual pass. There are rangers roaming the grounds so I would not take the chance of not having a permit (fines are steep). Weekends here are really busy and parking can be a challenge so keep that in mind. Weekdays however are not an issue for adequate parking. read more

Pretty awesome park! Very good for a nature run down by the river. Guarantee you will See plenty of wildlife up and close. Do not forget to bring misquote repellent, as you will get eaten up. read more

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Yes! Why was this my first time visiting? We did the "Hiking Club" hike and really enjoyed it! Nice shade on a warm day and river view round trip. I recommend joining the "Hiking Club" as a way to track your hikes and celebrate hikes completed. We had a lot of fun and will return. read more

Fort Snelling State Park - Big tree! - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

This beautiful space is great for hiking and biking (although when walking onto Pike Island it's walk only. We missed the sign because there was a group picture and ran into the worst human being to frequent a park who laid into us!). There is plenty of space to picnic. We were just at a group event at a shelter with an indoor wood fireplace, which was fabulous, thanks to the rainy cold spring we have. The place is totally worth the $5 pass, but just go for the year long state pass and you can come back again and again! read more

Have you ever seen a canon firing in front of your eyes? If not, make it a point to visit Fort Snelling. For a museum and historical landmark this was worth the $10 ($8 for students) that it cost. People act their roles. You will learn how soldiers destroyed their teeth enamel by brushing with charcoal and salt. It's like an interactive history lesson, where you can see and feel things in real life. It's like a museum where the wax figures break out of their box and start talking to you. They're alive! Make sure you check the times for the canon demonstration. read more

I came to Fort Snelling by myself on a day off from work to check out the trails. I have been making my way to different state parks over the summer and forgot to consider the one closest to me. There were a few field trip groups at the main building so I didn't get a chance to check out the artifacts but will do it another time. I did the 3 mile loop on Pike Island to the convergence point of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. I love how twisted and large the trees are. It seems different than the typical Minnesota landscape. There is also a portion of the trail that looks similar to a swamp. Very cool place to hike and honor the history of the people who first inhabited the land. read more

Fort Snelling State Park - Parks Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Great park for quite walks in the woods but in the heart of the city! There's a visitor's center that tells of it's history, a small gift shop, a water fountain and restrooms. There's many paths both paved and unpaved. read more

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What a hidden gem. Fort Snelling is a huge state park with gorgeous trails for walking and biking and a beautiful/barely used beach. It's centrally located between Minneapolis and Saint Paul so it's not that far of a drive if you are coming from either city. The best part is you are so close to the airport that it feels like the planes are going to land on you while you're getting your tan on. read more

This is a wonderful place. We walked along the Mississippi river. The park is very pretty and relaxing.

Never really think to review parks, but here goes! Fort Snelling is almost in my backyard!! They have everything from biking, walking, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, lots of beaches on the river and hidden lakes, fishing, wildlife viewing, etc. Just a few days ago we saw several deer, a beaver, some blue herons, a crane and turkeys - flying in TREES!!! I have never seen a turkey fly let alone PERCHED in a tree!! Oh my stars. Lots of picnicking on picnic island and pike island is off limits to bikes - and I usually have my bike .. . They just added some new features to the park in the cold springs area - where a bunch of gov't buildings used to be. It looks really nice and looking forward to seeing it when the prairie and foliage has grown in! read more

Honestly, I was disappointed with the bike trails here. I had heard they were good. I can safely say that these were some of the worst paved trails in Minneapolis. I didn't know if my bike tires would make it. The view was nice. Otherwise fine park. read more

The boyfriend and I went on an adventure here yesterday which turned into a 4 hour long excursion! We had a lot of fun, I mean A LOT! Snelling State Park is huge, I was mildly impressed. There were many parts of the park to that had no one else around, which was really nice. Tons of trails, you walk to the Mississippi, and see ravaging birds devouring dead animals on the shore! What could be better? I want to go back, the place is definitely worth the $5 parking permit you need to get in. At first we didn't know what to expect, but after our first hour of trail hiking, we had to keep going. The park is really well kept as well, and the deer are not afraid of people! I saw someone running the trails who passed us about 5 or 6 times, I might have to take her tip and go running out there. It seems like a really cool place to go get some nature and exercise at the same time. We ended up with a tick on us, so don't do as we did, and wear loose clothing and venture off the paths into the woods every 10 minutes. Unless you too, want some ticks! This is the perfect park for anyone visiting Minneapolis, or for family fun; and bring your pup! I can't wait to go back! read more

New Year's Eve Candlelight Hike was terrific! $5 MN State Park pass and traffic was a little nuts on the departure but it was a great way to end the year! It goes until 8 pm today! There is multiple bonfires to warm up and cider and marshmallow roasting. Hold on to your kids, it's dark people!! read more

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We were coming back from Bridal Consignment store and decided to stop by here. Actually, she said if you had to come with me then I will go with you to the state park. Well, we parked at the visitor's center and later waked along path to see the fort. She was afraid of the cannonball shots we just look at the outside. Very impressive and we will have to come back. I have the MN state park pass so saved again on admission. read more

First things first - as a state park, it costs $5 per car to get a parking permit from the little information house near the entrance. As such, this would not be a park you would go to everyday just to walk your dog, but it is worth it for a hike or to have a simple afternoon showing off nature to people visiting. There are a couple of trails scattered through the area, crossing between different islands and landmarks. As something I just learned from a tour guide, the park consists of three different counties. The highlight of the park is the fort of Fort Snelling. Unfortunately, it is closed in the winter months, but is open between Memorial day to Veterans day. It is not the most impressive looking historic structure, but it does have character. In the winter months, when the lake freezes over, the park offers a few programs to try out. They offer snow shoeing on the lake, as well as ice fishing on the lake where they provide all the equipment. I am a sucker for government parks and recreation services, so this park may or may not be right up your alley. One drawback to this park is its close proximity to the airport. As such, you'll see lot of low airplanes as they are taking off from the airport. read more

Is it accurate to list Fort Snelling State Park with an address in St. Paul? Smacks of greed on the part of city planners who want to take any glory they can from the cold austere clutches from momma minnapolis across the street. This is the first park we saw when we flew into the twin cities for the first time. I mean, you fly right over the southern portion on your descent. During one visit, we rode our bikes from the eastern entrance and hours later found ourselves in Minnehaha park! Through sweat stained eyes, I bleated "Fucking Minneapolis?! How'd that happen?" Still to this day I do no know. Hike, bike, snowshoe (quiet, wildlife in the winter, undisturbed) you name it. There is even a Fort here, you might have heard of it. Trust me, it isn't like the forts you made with your brother in the living room, sofa cushions and sheets. My favorite part is on Pike Island, at the tip where you can stand at the confluence of the Mississipi and Minnesota rivers mingle their ropy darkness. read more