$5 parking (not a state park so passes do not apply)…read more Clean and clear water. You can enter from a latter off the dock, jumping from the rocks, or walking in on the few stretches of shore. Water shoes not a must but I wished I had brought mine. I suggest going early. This is a very popular swimming destination so if you want solitude in nature, this may not be the place for you. Dog friendly! No lifeguard on duty-- jump in at your own risk. I'd definitely go again if I was in the area but I wouldn't necessarily drive from the TC exclusively to swim here.

This review is only regarding the cliff jumping you can do at the park into the water- this review…read moreis not meant to discourage others to go to this beautiful park - just to make people aware of the risks. If you plan to cliff jump - please read!!! I have been to this park many times in my life, and jumped off the high cliff into the water at least half a dozen times. Last Memorial Day, I went with my friends to enjoy the park. I went to the highest cliff jumping spot and I jumped off into the water. I immediately knew something was wrong with my spine when I hit the water as I could barely breathe and my back exploded in pain. As the signs state at the park - you jump at your own risk. It was clear they do not have a protocol for when people get injuries. It took about 10 minutes to get a ranger to come over and help, who did end up calling an ambulance, but they did not offer anything else. They didn't clear the area, and people continued to climb up and jump around me. My friends had to kick me across the whole quarry to get to the shore to get to the ambulance. At the hospital they did an x-ray and a vertebrae in my spine had compressed due to the angle I hit the water and fractured. It was about a 5-month recovery with a back brace full time. If you go for the cliff jumping just be aware that there is a risk jumping into the water, and the risk gets greater the higher you go. All this to say - the park is beautiful and it is still a lovely spot for swimming and hiking. Just know the risks before you go cliff jumping into the water.

Banning State Park was one of our favorite outdoor stops during our Hinckley getaway. The park is…read moreknown for its scenic hiking trails, sandstone cliffs, and the views of the Kettle River, making it a great place to spend a few hours exploring. Our goal was to find the waterfall, but like many first-time visitors, we ended up taking a wrong turn and wandered a little longer than expected. Honestly, it turned into part of the adventure. As we explored, we spotted deer quietly moving, squirrels darting between the trees, and plenty of birds and caterpillars along the way. We discovered quiet trails, beautiful overlooks, and peaceful stretches of the river that we might have missed if we'd gone straight to our destination. The sound of the water, the surrounding rock formations, and the forest scenery made it one of those places where you naturally want to stop and take it all in. If you're visiting Banning State Park for the first time, don't stress if you get a little turned around. Give yourself extra time, wear comfortable shoes, and enjoy the journey.

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

I came here to swim in the lake in May 2023. The air temperature was 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the…read morewater was slightly cool but still nice. The water was reasonably clear. Overall it was a great experience!

This was an awesome park! Lots of beautiful, well-maintained trails for hiking. Pretty trees,…read morecreeks, and a really nice lake. It had really nice picnic areas on the beach with BBQ grills, too. Also had some nice primitive camping grounds, too. Also seems very underused...we met almost nobody there!

Newly opened FREE regional park just north of the Elk River Golf Club, is 427 acres of dense woods,…read moreprairies & wetlands. It is called the crown jewel of Elk River Park system (with good reason). This park offers: archery & biathlon ranges, cross country skiing trails, paved & grass trails, picnic tables, benches, and the Glacial Ridge Nature Play Area (fort building sticks, log balance beam, boulder scramble, log climbing, tunnels, benches and water pump feature). We took an evening hike with the Elk River Park & Rec Department and explored a nice trail. They arranged to have a demonstration of the Biathlon at the shooting range.

This is a great trail park to take walks. I give it four stars though, because there is no…read moreplayground for kids to play, and the wood logs that they have set up for kids to jump around are not safe and I have seen kids fall and get hurt. That aside, there's a nice covered shelter there, the trails are nice and clean and paved, they have plenty of maps everywhere along the trails and the nature is beautiful.

Bicycled through the park, stopping to enjoy the views and old farmstead. Real flush toilets…read more(clean-thank you!) and lots of open parking for cars. I enjoyed our stop under the mature trees!

Bend in the River State Park was created after the Graves donated their land to the County of…read moreBenton. The park has benches for sitting, restrooms and manicured walking paths. What was disappointing was the lack of a paper map however the website https://www.co.benton.mn.us/Facilities/Facility/Details/Bend-in-the-River-Regional-Park-2 Has a downloadable map that's very handy. The park has 3 / looks of the river with each overlook containing sign in to detail the history of the Mississippi River end the area of Benton County. it was also interesting learning about the prairie wildfires and how it affected the trees growing in the area. there are also several paths that lead down to the Mississippi River which gives you could access for fishing kayaking and general relaxing along the whispering Waters of the Mississippi River. That is your return to the parking area you can see the Benton homestead which was very interesting learning about life in the 1850s through the early 1900s. however I was disappointed that it seems like the house is not being used for anything and that is a disappointing fact because many young adults could learn about farming in early life if they restore the homes and then use them as a teaching museum. Overall it takes about 35 to 40 minutes to see the whole park and learn about the Mississippi River. It's definitely worth a stop if and only if you're staying in the area however I don't think I would go out of my way to come here unless I was visiting.

Love this place! Tubing, snowboarding, skiing, cross country skiing! We did the snow tubing and…read morethey had 10 nicely groomed lanes and even at max capacity there was not that long of a wait. Easy to go online and reserve your two hour time slot which is plenty of time. Staff was friendly and helped give a push to start off if needed.

Love coming to this park! Lots of trails, there is a huge beach and a wonderful park as well!read more

On our quest to visit all MN State Parks, this was number 31. We did a 3+ mile hike through lakes,…read morewoods, and prairie. Loved the lookout hill to be able to see the colors highlighted by the sun on a beautiful fall day. Trail was well marked, wide, and well maintained. Watch out for horse droppings as you share the trail. There were quick a few cars in the parking area but we didn't see a ton of people on the trails so nice to be able to spread out. Easy hike for most. Enjoyed the day here.

This is a nice state park to hike. The natural trails are well marked. They had clean bathrooms and…read morea place to refill your water bottle. Fall colors at peak this year were disappointing.

I brought my family to this park for their annual triathlon and the whole place is just incredible…read more Second tri ever for me, and the park offers so much for kids and families. Beautiful lake, ample parking, AWESOME playground for the littles. I only live half an hour away and I'd never been here before, but I'll be back! Always great to find a new place.

This park is a total gem! Lots of slides and things for the kiddos to climb. My 5 and 12 year old…read moreboth had fun finding the hidden animals throughout the playground. Looking forward to coming back again in the Spring!

Nice Wright County Regional Park on the bicycle trail. Free park that offers a nice swimming…read morebeach, shelter, picnic tables & grills, sand volleyball court, horseshoes, fishing pier, restrooms, playground, and 1.2 miles of hiking. Clean lake swimming beach with nearby shade.

Maintenance gentleman , Joe,, is very helpful and willing to…read moreassist . Rest room and park are very clean. And neat.