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.

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

Super nice park/hiking trail that has so many facilities. Park has Softball/Baseball Field…read moreTennis Courts (4) Disc Golf Pickleball Courts (2 fenced) plus on the Basketball Court Basketball Court Volleyball Court (sand court) Horseshoe Pits (2) Bean Bag Toss (2) Children's Playground Equipment (New in 2022) Outhouses Drinking Fountain Numerous Picnic Tables Pollinator Garden in Trails Area. They have a fun hiking trail that has hidden gnomes to find that was so fun to search for them. Would recommend this park to all age ranges because of all the options that are available.

My family and I stopped by this park while on vacation in the area in March 2024. We were thrilled…read moreto see there are hiking trails as well as the fire tower, plus there are a lot of interesting things to read about the tower history and fire history in the area. The whole park is nice - clean, well kept, both paved trails and gravel lined trails, well-built steps, and quality railings where steps are located. There is a paved trail that goes to the tower, as well as an unpaved trail that is a good uphill climb. The tower looks neat, and we would have loved to climb it, but it was closed. There is a big fence with a locked door around it. This was a bummer for me - the websites that I found describing the park had said that the park was open year-round, which I (wrongly) thought included the tower. I do understand - it is an unseasonably warm winter, and most people aren't going hiking or climbing giant towers in March. I was just disappointed. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our time there - both the hiking and learning about fire safety in the area.

Loved the park. Tower was much shorter than imagined. Beautiful grounds and the peace bell was neat…read moreto see

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.

This is an incredible (but very busy!) state park. We camped at walk-in site 83, which was hands…read moredown the best site in the park. The walk-in sites in general are all amazing, you're secluded from everyone else but still close to the amenities. Site 83 is about a 4-minute walk from where you park your car. There are two tent pads and plenty of space. It's a beautiful site--book it early! The amenities at the campground were great, plenty of places to recycle, fill up water, and throw out trash. The bathrooms are also very nice, but they are some of the busiest bathrooms I've ever seen! There are plenty of hiking trails as well, a great visitor center and gift shop, and it is an all around lovely state park.

We had an awesome camping weekend here - I'm so glad I got to see this state park! Here's the…read morebreakdown: CAMPSITES: 4/5 Lots of campsites here that we booked well in advance - I'd guess they fill up fast! I'm not super experienced at camping, but the campsites felt quite close together to me. Compared to other places we've been, the sites are much less private. AMENITIES: 5/5 The amount of water spickets and bathrooms around the site were great, and the showers/main bathroom facilities were nice! STATE PARK: 5/5 We loved walking a bit of the state park over the weekend! The suspension bridge is super cool, and it's really fun to walk on and explore the unique rock formations along the water.

I stopped by here when visiting the nearby Father Hennepin SP. The park is near lake Mille Lacs,…read moreand is about 2 hours from the Twin Cities. The highlights of the park for me are kayaking the Rum River or climbing the 100 foot fire tower to experience the view of the lake. Bird watching is also a good attraction here.

One of the my best core memories was made here this past weekend. We were able to book one of the…read moregroup camping grounds and have such a lovely place to stay for 4 days and 3 nights. We got to climb the fire tower, fish at the local lakes and dams, dance around with our family and friends, and enjoy the stars at night. Everything is very clean when arriving. Bathrooms are outhouses that are well maintained, but once toilet has ran out we didn't get much of a refill. Parking space was big enough for our party and the other down the hill from us.

One of the smaller state parks we've visited. A short 1-2 mile hike is mostly flat with some lovely…read morelake and river views. Lots of white pines, which apparently are tasty to deer, hence the restoration area. It was fun to see the not-so-mighty Mississippi. Very different looking from where I grew up in southern MN.

This 224 acre park east of Grand Rapids is one of the smaller in the state system. There is easy…read morehiking in a circle of the park with many tall pines. The park borders the shore of the Mississippi River with many picnic spots. Camping seems to be the bigger attraction with ample camping spots including a large group camp site. The camp sites are rustic so don't expect a hot shower room or flushing toilet. For more adventure you could also canoe-in to a site. A dock and boat launch round out the activities. There is no trail office only a self-service kiosk.

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.

This is a beautiful state park that offers so many opportunities to commune with nature. Lush…read moretrails, flowers native to shorelines and wet soils, and a waterfall are among some of the many joys here. It is located off I-35 near Sandstone, and 90 miles away from the Twin Cities (about an hour and a half away). It is worth making a day trip to visit. The park stretches along 10 miles of the Kettle River, and has 1.5 miles of churning class IV rapids for those daring kayakers.

We came on MN State Park Day where entrance was free and this has been on my husband's list to…read morevisit so we gave it a go! We did a combination route along the Quarry Loop and Wolf Creek Trails and it was really great! I like how it also snaked past other trails like Hell's Gate and Deadman Trail, and you could hop off the trail for a bit and explore something else (like checking out the historic sandstone quarry ruins and the waterfall). Generous shade and well maintained, we had an awesome time!

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!

This was a nice campground with good rates. There aren't many sites and some of the RV sites were…read morereally small and right next to each other. The $20 tent campsite was fitting to our needs. I wish the fire pit was a smidge bigger. The ground was soft and had some full grown trees as well as some freshly planted trees. I wish that they would've raked the grass up after mowing as it got stuck all over our feet and legs. We didn't fish but saw some people pull some big ones out right off the dock. The water was nice and clear. The bathrooms and showers were clean but could use a fresh coat of paint. They lost out on some money from us because the workers weren't there the day we were there to sell us wood so we had to go to a nearby gas station. Although it wasn't bad, we could still hear the highway. We enjoyed our stay and would come again.