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.

A great park for a young family or seniors, with a variety activities. A ball park for coaches…read morepitch or soccer in the summer and fall, flag football, even rugby; a small covered picnic pavilion year round; a playground; paved trails and a woodland trail; basketball and tennis court; wood ducks, coyotes, rabbits, fox, birds and bees, etc.; and, yes, gardens with a variety of perennials and annuals layered for the seasons: spring, summer, and fall. And for a little longer hike, Floral trails connect to Cummings Park via a beautiful trail passing through a large pond, up a hill, around the fields and a view of Karth Lake to the east of Cummings.

20 acre park with a asphalt trail through it-which you can hike to the next park (Cummins Park)…read more The Woodland Trail was a nice diversion off the main trail. This park offers: a playground, soccer & ball fields, basketball & tennis courts. Near the power lines there is a Honeybee area. We saw cross country skiers in the park today-they were making their own trail.

Beautiful park with hiking trails. There's also a dog area so that's always a plus. The trails…read moreconnect to other regional trails so make sure you read the maps or bring your own so you don't get lost.

A great walking path if you don't mind a bug or two…read more Hike (or bike) along rice creek in several areas with plenty of newly remodeled benches to rest on. Many connections to other regional trails for the more adventurous. A small area park lies just over a foot bridge for the younger set.

Loved our weekend trip to this park! When we arrived, the parking lot was very busy and there were…read morevery few spots left, even though it's a pretty sizeable lot for a park. We quickly learned this was because there was a special event going on (the Sankofa celebration) inside the center, with vendor tables and a couple of food trucks and even some crafting activities. So we got to experience that on top of the rest of the park's great amenities! The center is sleek and modern inside. LOTS of toilets (single occupant, all-gender), lots of coat hangars, multiple water bottle refill stations. The ground level has some cool reptile/amphibians behind glass you can ogle, as well as interactive informational displays (great for kids and adults, imo). Downstairs they have the rental booth for gear and educational rooms (they had a falcon demo in one while we were there!). Beside the center is an awesome multilevel playground, very fun. As well as a splash pad (for non-winter months) and an elevated boardwalk. The most nearby attraction is obviously the dam, which has an impressive spillway that's mesmerizing to watch. You can even walk across it to go over the river to the park on the other side. Apparently this spot is popular with fishers (though I don't have much knowledge on that subject). There are also trails that can be explored. Paved routes good for all recreational uses, as well as further out hiking paths that are just dirt. It'd be great to come back out again sometime and explore more. Across the street it seemed there was even archery!

I'm really happy this park has been updated to such a lovely and unique park. I love the the…read morenatural material and wood playground. The new visitor center is very nice and cute.

We came to the park by the library. We were with our grandsons and daughter. It is a great size…read morepark for 3+ years old. Our grandson really enjoyed the park. We go to the library often for story time which he really enjoys.

Small, quiet playground in the park behind Circle Pines City Hall & just south of Centennial…read moreLibrary. Adaptive equipment on the playground, benches to sit on, a picnic table to eat nearby. Beyond this playground there are gravel hiking trails.

Hidden jem in the middle of oakdale. Highly recommend for a nice walk and bird watching. Bring your…read morekids bring your spouse, bring whoever wants to learn about nature. I particularly liked the info on the plant life. Plenty of fun birds to watch and just an overall peace visit. Only downside is there are no bike racks. Oh well.

My husband and I were looking for something to do close to home but also in nature and found this…read moreplace! The nature center building is closed on the weekend but the trails are open dawn to dusk. The trails were nice and secluded with so many native species of trees and flowers and animals. The trials aren't very well labeled as far as direction so taking a picture of the map was handy! The overall terrain was very easy and took us 30 minutes to walk the majority of the trail with frequent stops to read signs and watch birds. I would highly recommend and will be back again!

A lovely, adorable little spot near downtown Minneapolis, away from the city hubbub. At 15-acres,…read moreit's by no means a sprawling adventure, but it's incredibly peaceful and teaming with life. There's a one way road leading to the entrance, with a small standard parking lot (including a couple of handicap spots), but additional parallel parking available as overflow for busy days as well. There is also a walking path that can be followed to the sanctuary's entrance as well, as it is fully gated, and the entrance is down the steps from the parking lot. There is a volunteer booth just outside of it where you can grab a map if desired, as well as additional pamphlets with info about events taking place, charitable donations to the garden, etc. Depending on the hour, there may be a helpful volunteer there to answer any questions you may have. Once you step inside you'll be greeted by a path to the left and a path to the right. Immediately to the right are some privies (fairly primitive, but there is running water for the sink to wash your hands), which are all-gender. There are also benches here, as well as throughout the trails at quite regular intervals. This place is meant less for extensive hiking and more for soaking up nature (I recommend bringing a book, journal, or plan to meditate). The trails loop, with various off-shoots you can explore. The terrain has some mid-level elevation changes, and the paths are either a soft mulch or wooden boardwalk, which make for very pleasant walking on the feet. In particular, my favorite section was the sunnier wildflower segment, which had many pollinators (mostly bees) flying about. It was great for photos. Also neat is the nature center, which is a repurposed old house. Inside is a crafting table for kids to color, as well as additional info on the sanctuary and the kinds of birds and plants you'll encounter there. We encountered a number of volunteers/employees while there who were busy working to beautify the space or providing info to guests. Our visit only took around an hour, but I'm already planning to visit again, most likely in the fall when the leaves begin to change color. I'm certain it'll be even more gorgeous then!

Wow! Mother Nature was showing off here today! We "hiked" for about 1.5 miles. It was an easy…read morewalk with not much elevation changes, but the trail is not paved, and covered with leaves and hay, so it could be slippery after a good rain. The trails are well marked and there was even a volunteer at the entrance telling us all about the flowers and birds we could expect to see during our visit. It was lovely and I'm already planning to bring my family back here soon.