It's a tough walk over rocks to the lighthouse. Nice scenic spot. Wasn't busy when I was there…read more Too much graffiti on the lighthouse. Sad. And piles Of beer cans just off the beach from obvious parties. Party on, but pick up after yourself. Fires are along on the beach on the Wisconsin side, not on the Minnesota side. It's a bit remote, probably why there's more parties here.

My family had fun walking along the shore and wandering through the woods. We made it a pretty good…read moredistance out to the lighthouse but decided to turn back as the waves were making the rocks slippery and there's some pretty deep gaps between some of the rocks on the path out. It would have been cool to make it to the lighthouse, but not recommended with kids and or dogs, probably somewhat questionable just adults.

Great campground, they take good care of us, we come back every year. Great setting with…read moreeverything you need just a short walk away.

We found out about this tower from the hotel front desk and thought, why not--it's free! Parking…read morewas easy, and the views did not disappoint. From the top you get a full 360° view of Duluth, including the aerial lift bridge, which was super cool to see. The tower's only a few stories high and has rails to help with the climb, though it's not ADA accessible. Along the way, we also learned about Mr. Enger and his impact on the city, plus Duluth's special ties to Norway. Definitely a neat little stop! Not to mention there was a Japanese Zen garden and a few trails.

Nice views. Nice park for a stroll. Good way to get in some stairs great 360° views of Duluth even…read moreduring the Canadian wildfire smoke of June 2025. It was a string Quartet practicing in one of the shelters when I was there, so it added a little extra ambience. Free parking, free park, nice little Japanese garden as well. There's a cool replica Bell there with a nice story as well.

Beautiful state park. Would definitely come back…read more Pros: -Beautiful scenery and lots of diversity in what you see (I.e. Kettle river, quarry areas, waterfalls, rapids, forests) -Campground had Atleast two vault toilets, showers and flushing toilets, and drinking water pump Cons: -Campground and the park office was a bit of a ways from the "action". Part of Wolf Creek Trail nearby the campground was pretty boring. -Drinking water was very iron-y..if the color or taste bothers you, bring your own drinking water

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

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

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.

Of all the points I've visited on the North/South shores, I keep coming back to here. The sand, the…read morewalk, all of which, are easy, continues to be one of our favorites. The only apology we have is recommending this place to others. But, by hopes, it will save it from further industrialization, because it's truly a remarkable spot of propriety. The only black mark on this place is that as a child I was able to camp here and now you can not. Our last visit a child informed us that he had broken the lock to the lighthouse. After 20 years, we investigated. That's where you'll f find the pictures.

I love this beach! The water might be cold, but the views are always great. This beach is where…read moreI've honed my rock skipping skills (I'm still not very good at it, but I'm getting there!) Be warned, four years ago my brother cut his foot on this beach and it got infected, but that's not the beach's fault! Just make sure to wear shoes when walking around or watch your step!

We only got to spend about an hour at Banning State Park but it was an hour well spent. Lots of…read morehiking trails to choose from and a nice picnic area right off the parking lot that even has grills available. We took a short hike to see some rapids and even though the water was low it was quite beautiful! Trails were maintained and the colors were beautiful this time of year. Wish we could have spent more time! Not too far from the twin cities metro so makes for a nice day trip!

We stopped at this beautiful park on the way up north to Duluth/Gooseberry Falls. We were so happy…read morewe stopped! Such a wonderful place to visit. Lots of history and great views of the river and the woods. Plenty of trails to choose from and most loop back around. The falls were beautiful and so was all the water carved rock structure/sandstone. Highly recommend to stop by when you're heading towards Gooseberry Falls and Duluth.

Used to study on the beach here, now I walk it with my dogs or friends to catch up and listen to…read morethe boats come in. Pets are suppose to be on leash on the MN side, but seem to be fine off leash on the WI side (: some people don't mind off leash controlled pups on the leashes side tho. Deer flies can be a bother in the summer months.

Great beach, tons of room so not crowded at all. Also shallow a distance out which is great for…read morekids. Super soft sand, and goes for quite a distance.

We had our first time visit to St Croix Park this past weekend and we are already planning our next…read moretrip back to spend more time! The park is located just an hour and a half from the twin cities area so made for a great day trip destination! We did the recommended scenic drive to the 100ft fire tower which gave us some awesome fall color views! The park had many beautiful trees and we saw so many blue birds! We really want to check out camping here but will have to save that for another trip! Overall a great park to check out the fall colors!

I can't believe it took me this long to explore this state park. Close enough to the cities for a…read moreday trip, big enough to make you want to come back and keep exploring -- it helps that the weather was perfect during our camping trip. The park itself is incredibly large. Be prepared to drive 5-15miles to get to different areas of the park. Plenty to do from the largest area of electric campsites I've seen at a state park, to river access for canoes/kayaks, to a beach to swim and relax, to the famous observation tower if you want the most scenic view of the park. Campsites are not super private, but very spacious -- so spacious you could easily fit a large camper (30ft+), a tent or clam, and your vehicle, and still have room for activities. Also, poor to no cell service at campsites (so you can disconnect!), but they do have wifi in park buildings. PS: climbing the tower isn't for the faint of heart -- steep.