Very beautiful community park. Family fun for every one. Heart fishing dock and boat landing.read more

It's a large park area with lots to do. From easy fishing spots, to walking and bike trails, and…read moreeven the clam shell for performances there is a lot to do at Casperson. The park is clean and feels safe, I often see lots of kids and families. And there is some lake life happening as well with boaters and kayakers. Plan for an hour or plan for the day.

Best kept secret and splash pad!! Super lovely park with all these places for kids to play in the…read morewater. They have public restrooms by the flags if you need them. Cool murals and beautiful flowers. Very beautiful peaceful place. Lots of places to sit - concrete benches and grass.

My son absolutely loves this park! Such a cool splash pad and wading pool area for kids and the…read morecommunity to use for free. They also host party on the plaza here during the summer which we've enjoyed. They have music, food trucks, movies in the park, and other festivals held here. During the winter they light up the trees, so beautiful!

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.

If you're looking for a great spot for you and/or your kids to run around and climb stuff, this is…read moreit! Really great playground structures with plenty of different types of equipment, including things like balance beams, teeter-totters, and spinners, in addition to more standard playground fare like swingsets and slides. There's also a splashpad that you can activate for playing around. Water squirts or dumps from various water features. A lot of fun. It was even still running in October when I was there! Lots of gazebos (which can be reserved, if desired) with picnic tables and grills and trash/recycling cans. An ice cream truck swung by while I was there, much to the delight of the kids there. Massive parking lot. Only port-a-potties. Nearby is also a large grass field for soccer. If you go a little deeper in, you'll see it also connects with the Black Dog Trailhead. Be aware however that this is a "minimal maintenance" trail. I tried to follow it for aways after the railroad track but felt a little lost and ultimately turned back. Not sure how often or at what time of year they maintain it to make it easier to follow, but it's understandable that they don't because it is part of a specific biome of wet meadow known as a "fen". These are fairly rare and thus requiring protection, so tread lightly and respectfully if you do go! It's important nature be preserved as much as possible.

There are not a lot of amenities at Cliff Fen but it could be educational as I learned what a 'Fen'…read moreis and realized I learned about this in 5th grade. It's too nerdy scientific to explain here so if you have a quest to know search away. I was looking for walking paths but none were to be found. Otherwise it's a nice family style park with a large playground and covered picnic area. There is a parking lot which is large for a park this size so they must plan to have events with the large open fields ready for different sporting events. I was creating my own walking area without a path until I tripped over a branch and went tumbling and decided that's enough Fen and lack of Zen for the day.

Lebanon Hills Regional Park is such a great park for hiking! The trail system consists of over 14…read moremiles of summer hiking trails and over 12 miles of mountain bike trail. There are multiple parking lots available and even if they seem full don't let that deter you as the park is so large it never feels overly busy. There is also a beach and picnic area available too.

Came here to see the fall colors mid October. They looked so beautiful! I loved how easily…read moreaccessible the trail was. It's fully paved and has a few winding bridges, one that goes above a lake. You could easily spend several hours here because the park is so large! The people on the trail were really friendly. I loved seeing all the wildlife along the trail too. We spotted several caterpillars and saw ducks and different birds in the distance. The fall colors were very beautiful and the trail was wide and relatively empty for a Sunday mid-day. I absolutely loved it. Would definitely come here again in the future !

This park is a wonderful place to enjoy a walk in nature. The trails are well-maintained, and it's…read morea dog-friendly spot, which makes it even better!

Beautiful place to hike, picnic or get family photos…read more Free parking. No playground - just places to run and play and hike. There is a dog park though!

Empire Fields is pretty much that. Fields. The unique features of this place is the disc golf…read morecourse that weaves near a river/creek and in/out of trees. The course looks fun. There is also a large playground set for children. The paths are open and scenic. If you follow the path and make the correct choices in turns along the way, you will come out at Sachs Park and the surrounding area off of 200th St in Empire. The trails wind through the neighborhoods and is scenic. The paths are all paved.

This park is SPECTACULAR!! I really wish we lived closer!…read more While there is a lot of free parking, this place can get really full! Because it is such a large park with a playground, it doesn't feel crowded though! There is street parking and an overflow lot as well. This place has a playground, clean indoor bathrooms, spots for fishing, food and drinks(including ice cream!) My favorite part was the fire pit! There are so many picnic tables and other pavilions! I couldn't believe how well taken care of this place is! The beach was pretty and also taken care of! You can swim in the lake! We will definitely be back this season!! Great spot for families!!

City of Lakeville spent 'thoughtful' time planning and investing money remodeling this park!…read more It's so perfect! This has been our family's go to park since 1982. Three generations! The new design, materials used and the layout are amazing! Something for everyone! And there's a restaurant on site now! Thank you Lakeville! We'll continue coming here for another 40 years! The Brown Family