Not a large hiking area, but you can venture off onto other trails...or go down to the river to…read morecool off. There is a nice vista near the Railroad bridge, but the tracks are still being used SO STAY OFF.

Can we just take a minuet to note.... THAT THIS IS THE ABSOLUTELY BEST TRAIL (that's not in…read moreBentonville Arkansas) I HAVE EVER RODE, being a man who got off training wheeles when I was three, I highly recommend riding here and doing all the drop ins on the black trail.

Great park, lots of different trails and they're super straightforward with directing you which way…read moreto go. Went around 8am and there was legit no one there but my Apple Maps didn't lead me to the right place so I had to physically look at the map and found it in the end and glad I did. We took a mild walk around some of the trails and surprisingly it only took 1.5hrs so I'm looking forward to going back and doing a longer walk

Hidden jem in the middle of oakdale. Highly recommend for a nice walk and bird watching. Bring your…read morekids bring your spouse, bring whoever wants to learn about nature. I particularly liked the info on the plant life. Plenty of fun birds to watch and just an overall peace visit. Only downside is there are no bike racks. Oh well.

My husband and I were looking for something to do close to home but also in nature and found this…read moreplace! The nature center building is closed on the weekend but the trails are open dawn to dusk. The trails were nice and secluded with so many native species of trees and flowers and animals. The trials aren't very well labeled as far as direction so taking a picture of the map was handy! The overall terrain was very easy and took us 30 minutes to walk the majority of the trail with frequent stops to read signs and watch birds. I would highly recommend and will be back again!

The address is a little mislabeled, it will take you to some public school. Back up, about 0.5…read moremiles away from the underpass, there's a little bridge with a parking lot, that's the trail head. The Trail itself is really wonderful. Deep vegetation, a little too many insects but otherwise great. There's a beautiful creek that runs alongside the trail. The animals you'll see the most are dogs that are being walked. It seems to be a favorite among Bloomington locals.

Beautiful park! I went in the winter and between the snowy creek, bubbling brook, and bird noises…read moreit just can't get much better. Yes it's hard to completely escape the road noise, but a small price for a lovely hike so close to the city.

Whitetail Woods is such a great park system tucked near the University of Minnesota agricultural…read moreresearch farm. It's one of my favorite nature spots close to the Twin Cities. Even though it's not far from the metro, once you're out on the trails it really feels like you're deep in nature. It's quiet, peaceful, and you can't hear any city noise. There are plenty of trail options with different lengths and scenery. You'll find trails around the lake, wooded paths, prairie areas, and a mix of paved and natural surfaces. It's also very dog friendly, which is a big plus. They've done a great job with the amenities too. There's a nice play area for kids, restrooms, and well-maintained paths. One of the best things about this park is that it rarely feels overcrowded.

I love this park! Whitetail Woods is a relatively new part of the Metropolitan Parks System, but…read moreit has quickly become a favorite. It is close to the cities, yet when you're walking/hiking/snowshoeing, or whatever, it feels very isolated. Part of that in nature feel is because it is primarily surrounded by federal or state wildlife area and a U of MN researh farm. We first discovered if for snowshoeing and it continues to be one of our favorites for that activity. There's hiking trails you can walk on, or you can explore your own path. The terrain is varied with flat plains, lots of hills, plus swamps. Though we love it best in Winter, it is beautiful for hiking during any season. There's enough variation in terrain that you can get a good workout. Though it has become more popular as people have discovered it, it is still large enough that you do not feel overrun. There are also camper cabins if you would like to stay overnight. Highly recommend as an outdoor escape.

Wow! Mother Nature was showing off here today! We "hiked" for about 1.5 miles. It was an easy…read morewalk with not much elevation changes, but the trail is not paved, and covered with leaves and hay, so it could be slippery after a good rain. The trails are well marked and there was even a volunteer at the entrance telling us all about the flowers and birds we could expect to see during our visit. It was lovely and I'm already planning to bring my family back here soon.

Nature therapy at its finest! I felt so peaceful amongst all the beautiful greenery and with the…read moresounds of birds.

Nature Preserve on the Rum River on 200+ acres: oak savannas, rolling terrain, river front, flat…read morelands. Gravel path encircles most of the property. There is 3.5K of cross country ski trails (nothing as of today with no snow). We hiked about 2 miles and only saw a couple of dog walkers the entire time. anokanaturepreserve.org

Rice Creek Regional Trail Corridor is quite long-I think that this Yelp review pertains to the…read moreregional trail between the Lexington Avenue to almost the old Arsenal. There is a paved hiking/biking trail as well as a wetland Rice Creek flowing through it. This really is a lovely area. The Rice Creek Off-Leash Dog Area is on just off Lexington Avenue North. There's a canoe access area just before the main parking lot. The public bathrooms are closed for the season.

Wow, Rice Creek is a hidden gem. I'm specifically talking about the creek, we didn't use the…read morewalking trails or dog park. We kayaked down rice creek from County Rd J to Old Highway 8, which goes through Rice Creek Park. It was amazing! It's hard to realize you are ok the Twin Cities, as you are completely surrounded by nature. We saw cranes, deer, ducks, musk rats, flowers, reeds, calm flowing water, and all sorts of other nature. We did not see cars, houses, buildings, advertisements, or any of the other normal sensory bombardments of city life. The entire creek, or water trail as it's called, is pretty long and goes through several lakes. The portion we went down was about 4.5 glorious miles. The water is pretty shallow throughout and the only rough water is just right after you go under a couple of bridges. If you have access to any paddle powered water craft, go check it out now!

Beautiful park and water falls with paved paths and great signage, even in winter. I had to be…read morecareful with some ice on the trail, especially near the falls. It is an easy walk from the parking lot. The gorge is very pretty, and the falls are absolutely breathtaking! Well worth a stop when you are in Hastings.

Visited on Mother's Day with the family before a wedding. A beautiful waterfall and peaceful…read moreatmosphere! Perfect time, the area was clean. Easy water to the waterfall. A must see! Few restaurants around as well. Parking lot close to the waterfall approximately a 2/3 minute walk. I wore a dress and sandals and it was an easy walk for me to take photos !