Went to Pine Point on a gorgeous 50 degree day in the middle of February! Happy V Day to me! Took…read morethe family on a 2 mile hike through the park. Lots of the trails are still all ice so you have to be cautious otherwise it's a gorgeous park and was definitely quiet today. It's a popular place for horse riding as well as cross country skiing. We were able to walk out onto Lake Louise and see some sand hill cranes too.

Eeeh.... Overhyped. I come here while biking gateway all the time and it's mostly just horse trails.read more

This is a park dedicated to trails. A year round activity area there are many trails, mostly easy…read morefor hiking. Check the trail map before venturing on foot and make sure your device has a full battery charge as you may need to get your bearings. I tried the purple trail and found a couple of arrows leading to the correct path and then nothing more. The trail had many options with paths veering to the right and left and I didn't know which would be the purple trail. Not a big worry as I figure I'll come out somewhere and I've been in this situation before with some state park trails. Skip to the end, my 2.8 mile trail was about 5 miles around after relying on GPS to keep aiming toward "parked car". There are different entrances and parking lots and cross trails and room for canoeing. Just come prepared and it's easy to take a short hike around on a paved trail if so desired.

Cool hidden memorial park in downtown Anoka. This park has good sitting areas to view the dam and…read moreriver with lots of informational signs that tell the public about the park and river history. Nice Sunday stroll park

A nice walk along the river and from there you could head into downtown Anoka, head through the…read moretunnel and keep wandering along the river, or down the walking trails next to the feed mill. I like taking the dogs here and we've walked it in all seasons.

Nature was calling today and I found this trailhead on my map, so I decided to give it a look. Very…read moreglad I did! There's numerous trails that you can access from this spot to the east, west, and south. I chose the southern route over the old cedar bridge because its aesthetic was an allure to great to pass up. This led me to the MN River Greenway Trail. All paved with nice asphalt, perfect for biking. I didn't take the whole thing but rather doubled back for a shorter experience. Next time I reckon I'll opt for the western route and try the unpaved Bluff Trail. Spent about three hours total, and there's still plenty more to explore!! I think what impressed me most about this trailhead was the restroom facilities. It's all decked out in a gorgeous, high-contrast mural done by a local artist who consulted with a cultural educator familiar with the Dakota indigenous populations. It's really quite inspiring to take in, including the written affirmations. Beyond the aesthetics, the restroom is also clean, modern, and sleek. There's a gender neutral bathroom in addition to men's and women's. Each has a baby changing station inside. There's a water fountain as well as a water bottle refill station. There's a receptacle for trash and recycling, along with two ADA wheelchair-ready picnic tables under a shaded roof. There's bike racks and a bike pump/repair module. A couple hundred feet down the way there is also a kid's play area (inspired by natural elements, rather than big hunks of lifeless plastic) and a little "library" box. The parking lot isn't huge but seems to have more than enough spots at least for a weekday morning/afternoon in early September. I'm curious to come back during winter season as well to see what's available for recreation opportunities.

A local park actually located in Circle Pines. A park for all seasons: ball field, playground,…read moreice skating rink and hiking/biking trails. At this time of year, the trees and sumac make a colorful walk. The parking lot is sand. One of the main trails meets with the Rice Creek Regional Trail-making it a perfect place to leave (and LOCK) your car and bike or hike! For map, go to: ci.circle-pines.mn.us

Favorite road bike trail! Long, straight and tree covered,…read moreyou won't get sunburned or blown away. This feels like a rural trail as you pass ponds, farm fields, cows and horse stables. Love that there are only two major street crossings. Two bridges and two tunnels keep you moving. From the parking lot at 694/36 it is 9 miles to the end if you go straight. (There is a horse trail that is next to the paved trail so keep your eye out. I rode my mountain bike on it for something different once. It was a killer 18 total miles though...Whew!) I love that they added an extension at mile 6 where you can go to the right at the split and bike all the way into Stillwater! There is plenty of bike parking so bring your lock and walk along the river or have lunch before heading back. The 5 mile ride from the split into Stillwater is a fast decline. That being said, you are going to have to work a little harder to get back to your car... It is so worth it! You follow a wooded creek and there are bench stops/ photo op's along the way. (This is 22 miles round trip, just so you know. I need a nap after. lol)

We enjoyed early spring on the trail with the frogs singing in the surrounding wetlands. We were…read moremostly shaded by trees which helped keep us cool.

6/2/22: Overall 3.5 stars. Located in suburbs of Woodbury, I had to create this as a new Yelp…read morelisting because it was nowhere to be found. Hopefully, by adding this in, it'll give this cute little lake some much deserved love. They call it La Lake Park, but it's really just a grassy area that leads to a dirt trail that goes around the lake. It's good for walking, running or hiking. I saw someone walking their dog, so I guess it's pet friendly. You can also ride your bike there. It's just nice to have a getaway within the city. It's probably 1.5-2 miles and it's good for if you don't want to run on asphalt, and just want a quick nature outing. My friends say you need to touch nature everyday! lol ;) There are no bathrooms, picnic tables etc. Nothing fancy. Just a quiet little nature spot in the 'burbs. So overall, 3.5 stars with a nice little round up to 4 stars.

As Good as it Gets…read more Although The Grand Rounds Scenic Byway (abbreviated GRSB from here forward) is physically a couple of blocks from the hustle and bustle of the city, it is mentally a world away. GRSB is a 50-plus mile green beltway of parkways and trails that encircle Minneapolis. Along its miles of picture postcard trails; the GRSB leads to eight lakes, water falls, the Mississippi River riverfront, forests, cultural sights, forests, Meadows, bridges, Uptown, downtown, and other points of interest. If you are searching for a waterside trail in Minneapolis, chances are you will meet up with the GRSB. I am a lover of the outdoors and nature. When I visited Minneapolis for a week it wasn't if I was going to see the river; it was "how often?" Understandedly it is impossible to hike the totality of a 50-plus mile trail on a vacation. I ended up exploring two segments of it on three different hikes. On two hikes I explored the Mississippi Riverfront segment east of downtown from The Plymouth Avenue Bridge at the north to the Stone Arch Bridge at the south. On a third hike I explored the east Bde Maka Ska (also Lake Calhoun) shore southwest) of Uptown from 36th Street to Lake Street. Being a bike trail enthusiast, I was super impressed. Besides the nature in the city scenery I appreciate that the dual rights of way that separate the bicyclists from the hikers. Throughout the trail there is sufficient trail markers, signs, benches, and landscaping; yet very little if any graffiti. If my Minneapolis vacation was a movie when I first got on GRSB was the climax. A few minutes after egressing the Hennepin River Bridge I was engulfed in a forested Mississippi River landscape. This segment was the ultimate connector to the same Mississippi River that bridges the northernmost state to the Gulf of Mexico. The scenery and connection to the mother River were so positively overwhelming that for a few minutes I contemplated throwing my bills, job, and stresses down the river and becoming a permanent river nomad. Although that did not happen, the hike momentarily released my stress. That is what a fantastic trail does. Along the GRSB I'd enjoy a vacation from stress along forested trails overlooking the Mississippi. The stress-free walk east of the city led me to vistas of Mississippi River bridges, mills ruins, water-falls, a light house, and other sights that would exceed the Yelp character limit. Southwest of Uptown, it led me to a nearly continuous picturesque view of Bde Maka Ska (also Lake Calhoun) at the lake and a linear forest to the right. The sundown above the lake was a saratorium rise in my brain. The GRSB is as good as it gets. Too bad my free time and money isn't. If I had unlimited time and money I'd be back in Minneapolis spending indefinite hours on the GRSB.

This is one of the nicest bike loops of any city. There's so much green space and you can tour the…read morewhole city. You can stop off at a million parks along the way and the river views on the east side of the city are great!