We were looking for a quiet, peaceful place to have a picnic away from the weekend crowds in…read moreTaylors Falls. So, we started driving up along the St. Croix River on County Road 16 off of Highway 95 in Taylors Falls. As we got further north, it became much more wild and natural with lovely views of the river, ponds, cattails, and birds perched in trees and flying about. We passed the South Lions Park and thought it looked nice. However, there were quite a few vehicles there that had boat trailers. We weren't sure if they were coming back soon, so we continued to look. Almost immediately we came to North Lions Park and found our spot! The entry is lined with large rocks, there's a picnic pavilion, playground, and direct access to the St. Croix River for hikers (not boats). There's pit toilets for use, if needed. We ate a table overlooking the river. There was a nice breeze and birds were singing around us. We even saw a pair of Bald Eagles perched high in a tree near us. It was such a beautiful spot - and one that we would return to in the future. This is definitely a hidden treasure of Taylors Falls!

We did a quick walk down to the falls. It was impressive and pretty. There were a few people around…read moreso I didn't get the greatest nature only picture but it was worth the 100+ steps down and back and only took maybe about 15 minutes.

So beautiful. Worth the stop. You can either make a quick…read moretrip down the stairs or take the trails. The waterfall has a picnic area for family to hang out. Keep it clean cause it is so beautiful. You can get up behind the falls or play in it.

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

New park in the Lexington Woods Addition off of Lexington Avenue in Blaine. The parking lot (off…read more131st Ave) is complete-including painting. This playground can boast the new Quantas 8.2 playground equipment-which the kids like. Adaptive equipment, lots of benches, shaded areas, parking lot/bike rack, as well as a porta-potty.

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!

Interesting quick stop for us. There was a lot of information on signs & displays, as well as a…read morewalking path. It was dog friendly, with a fair amount of people wandering around the green areas. It was about a 15min stop for us, as we opted not to spring for the nearby state park access & continued on our way, along the water.

Wow, what a beautiful place and way bigger than I thought! Got out on a Saturday morning for a…read morewalk. Started at the central Park entrance off of Dale street walked all the way to the nature center, around the boardwalk and back--it was a lovely path. Much of it was paved, but there was some dirt/wooden trails once you got to the nature center. They have bathrooms, but I couldn't find a water fountain which was a bummer. Definitely a cool spot right in the middle of the neighborhood. It is a busy place though so the parking lot does fill up but there's also a few parking lots and plenty of street parking.

A gem of a park in Roseville and it's bigger than it looks at first glance. Check both sides of…read moreVictoria street. Past the east end parking lot there is an open area with plant and flower types lightly explained with rock formations. There are walking paths circling the park. There is the better known area on the west end of the roadway with playground and picnic equipment.

After a few duds, we were exploring other area parks while visiting family in Hudson. This was the…read morewinner! Expansive play area with towers, sandbox, slides galore, climbing walls, covered picnic area, benches, swings, tire swing, etc. There are also baseball fields, bathrooms available, and a great view of the Hudson water tower. The area is pretty enclosed, with much of it fenced, so we played with confidence that our wanderer child would be contained. :-)

It's SO beautiful here. You get to see a variety of animals, gopher snakes, deer, friendly…read moreraccoons, eagles, fish, it's just so beautiful. There's a chance of bears being around which gives you that fun adrenaline "on edge" subtly feeling. The camper cabin are nice! They seem a little more durable compared to william o brien. Cabins 1&2 have been our favorite. We had a raccoon jump into the back of pir car 5 mins after we pulled up and we're unloading she came back again at night, so we named her Nosey Nancy. Lots of trails to walk ,this park is huge. You can even bring horses here. The river is right there so you can get a feel for that. It's just awesome. Love this place. Brought my 6 month old son here, and he loved camping.

This park is located along 18 miles of the St. Croix River. It's a quieter option to Interstate SP…read moreand Williams O'Brien SP (in the nearby vicinity). It's about an hour from the Twin Cities. It has opportunities for hiking, bird watching, and kayaking. The paddle down the St. Croix River from the Sunrise river access to the southern park river access is leisurely. Be selective about the hiking trail you choose. Some trails are shared with horseback riders. The trail I I hiked had its fair share of horse manure, which detracted from the experience.

This is a beautiful state park in Minnesota. One of the highlights is a 2 mile hike on the Wetland…read moreTrail. The trail is mostly flat and winds you through a wetland, which offers lots of good bird watching opportunities. The trail changes with the seasons, from flowers in the spring and summer to stunning fall foliage in the fall. The trail also offers a view of a beaver lodge. The park is along the St.Croix river, and has an exit point for kayakers if you enter in Taylors Falls. The park is about 45 minutes from the Twin Cities, and is 2 miles north of Marine on the St Croix.

Beautiful day and have the place to myself. Utterly…read morefantastic and lots of Hawks. No water in Lake Alice still.