Great parks, grounds and community center! Tons of lovely options for kids and adults. Plus the…read morefarmers market is top notch.

I was looking for some new playgrounds in the area for my little guys to blow off some energy and I…read morehit the jackpot with this park!! This park has plenty of parking lot and street parking! There is a ton of field space to picnic or kick a soccer ball around! The playground is HUGE and has multiple areas! It would be extremely had to be "bored" here! There are picnic tables, lots of chairs and benches around. The playground does have concrete but most areas are rubber or turf grass (yay no messy sand or pebbles stuck in shoes!) The other nice part about this park is that it felt very inclusive! Lots are areas in this part for all ages, sizes and abilities! There is also a skate park! It can get very busy, so coming in the morning or later in the evening will give you the best chance at parking, watching your kids closely and getting to play on all of the equipment!

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.

We love camping at Wild River camp grounds. There are some nicer sites to reserve, if you know…read moreahead of time which spots are premium, not all sites have a raised tent pad though. They also offer full facilities as well, including warm showers. Each site has a fire ring and picnic table. They also offer specific areas for campers and personal cabins too. Lots of walking and biking paths which connect to all the camping areas. The walking paths will take you down to the St. Croix River and a small sandy beach. The only down side is the over zealous DNR employees. We had one employee driving by around 9pm tell us we were being too loud, even though the "quiet time" is from 10pm-8am. We responded "sorry we were laughing too loud", he then shined a flashlight on our picnic table to see if we were drinking(alcohol is prohibited BTW). How about they tell the family next to us to turn off their music and stop talking so loud when it's midnight ...sorry I was just on my soap box, all in all I would recommend Wild River for a nice place to camp and enjoy nature for a weekend.

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.

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!

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.

Name says it all-on Lexington in Blaine, chock full of athletic fields of all types: baseball,…read morefootball, soccer, lacrosse, basketball, tennis, pickle ball. There is a great playground area here, just park in the convenient parking lot. Picnic tables near the playground area (under the lovely oak trees), as well as a covered picnic shelter.

We wanted a spot that offered outdoor fun with a nearby city for lunch, and this park delivered!…read moreIt's huge.... offering hiking, camping, biking, swimming, and even skiing in the winter. There's always something to do no matter the season. Parking is $8, and on busy days you might wait a few minutes, but it's worth it. At the entrance, you'll get a helpful map (also available online) that shows all the trails and recreation options. We parked near the boat launch and took the 1.5-mile loop to the waterfall, a beautiful, family-friendly walk with no complaints from the kids! The waterfall itself is stunning. We kicked off our shoes, dipped our feet in the cool water, and climbed around the rocks above the falls. There are more challenging hikes if you're feeling adventurous, and it's only about 10 minutes to great Hudson riverfront dining afterward. We left smiling and saying, "That was so fun maybe we should get an annual pass!

Tranquil hike with moderate trails. Keep in mind though that the paved path down to the falls is…read moreVERY steep and wasn't very accessible. We went on a busy day and even then, the park never felt over-crowded. Park entry is around $16 and you can get a pass online in advance.

Cedar Park (aka Dragon Park) is near the Forest Lake watertower. It's called that because its got…read morea dragon climbing net & slide (as well as usual playground features). It has a nice playground for most ages. There are benches, picnic tables and shelter, basketball hoop.

We discovered this park by accident. It's hidden back by one of the water towers in Forest Lake in…read morea neighborhood. We have come to call it " Dragon Park" since there is a big well constructed dragon you can climb up and slide down. There are some swings along with a merry go around and some other slides to climb on and your typical playground equipment. The dragon is a nice added bonus for the kids to play and climb on. 'There is also some type of enclosure to play a ball game- Not bocce, but another type of game with balls. Not the biggest park, but a nice option to take the kids to another playground.

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.

First time here. Wanted to spend about an hour walking the trails. Beautiful no matter which way…read moreyou looked. REALLY appreciated the posted maps at junction points, but we still got a little misplaced. We were out about 75 minutes and did not see the entire park-maybe half? Definitely coming back when I'm in the area. Highly, highly recommend. Many changes in elevation so be prepared for that.So sad I don't have a good picture to post.

This is Lindstrom's Wilderness & Swedish Heritage Park-all 125 acres! Right now it is…read moreunderdeveloped but has unpaved hiking trails, benches, off-street parking lots and a 1853 historic homestead, but they are making improvements. On our hike we saw 2 new wooden bridges built, as well as 3 rustic camping sites ($15/night) as well as helpful posted maps (see photo) to navigate around the park. The Chicago Lakes Water Trail goes through the park. There is over 10,000 feet of shoreline on 3 lakes in this park. Come out and check it out!