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!

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.

Everything you wanted to know about the historic St. Croix river dividing Mn & Wi is on display at…read morethis national center on the north end of St. Croix Falls. The attendant offered to let me watch an 18 minute video but I figured the weather is so nice I'd rather be outside. There is a viewing deck, some places to sit outside. A short walking path and a few places to explore. Inside has the usual displays for all ages to understand and interact and a gift shop ($$$$) .

Trying to be more intentional about exploring parks around Minneapolis this year, and Hidden Falls…read moreseemed like the perfect place to start. We usually default to Minnehaha Falls across the river, but I'd never actually explored this side--which looks to be really sprawling with new townhomes and modular single family homes. We parked near the dam and walked along the trail to reach the stairs leading down to Hidden Falls. Heads up: the walk down is a little precarious since there's no railing for most of the stairs, but it's not very steep and the trek itself is pretty short. The falls themselves were a bit disappointing at the moment--more of a trickle than a waterfall--but it is early in the season. That said, the forested park area it winds through was really nice, and made the visit worth it regardless. I can already tell this place is probably stunning in the summer when everything is green and flowing! Even with the lower water level, it was a great way to explore somewhere new and great to see there were so many people already exploring the park with it being chilly still!

Beautiful park near the city. Grabbed some take out and found an empty picnic table in the middle…read moreof the day - lots of parking! Watched a few boats launch, saw some geese, enjoyed watching people along the shore. Picnic tables near the water at the North Entrance. Check it out!

Paradise Park was a great pit stop for our family in Chisago City on our way to northern…read moreWisconsin. It is a spacious park with tons of space. The highlight was the huge metal slides. The kids also liked the zip lines and the playground.

The name says it all. I didn't expect such a cool park hidden away in the back of Chisago City…read more Hidden across from the skating park by highway 8 is this awesome park. Upon reaching the playground from the parking lot, I first noticed a huge black hole at the end of a wooden bridge and a sign. I thought it was some kind of sewage hole but boy was I wrong! It's the entryway to a huge covered slide!!!! And a few feet away is a wide wavy double slide! Even better, next to the slides is another course - a zip line swing!! Oh man, in all my years I've never seen such cool playground courses in a park. Then you also have a complete playground course with many different slides, climbing Bridges, tunnels, rock climbing, money bars and a swivel bar with swings alongside. This park was definitely a paradise kind of park. Even I had to experience the slides & zip line for myself. Need a little adrenaline? This is where. Take a walk on the path down the dock to the fishing pier or alongside a small beach. It was a great small park filled with fun playgrounds for kids. Dogs are welcome here

I'm visiting family and we took our six kids to this part to spend time at the splash pad and…read moreplayground one morning. What a beautiful space! There are small rain gardens featuring native plants and plenty of lawn and field all around plus the baseball fields. But we only came here for the kid attractions. The splash pad has three different fountains that will be running at a time, 6 in total, that alternate with three coming up from the ground and three coming from rocks. And then, this is my favorite part, the water from the splash pad spills into a man-made stream. I actually had a lot of fun looking through the beautiful rocks and organizing them by look and feel with the kids. Find the button to turn on the splash pad on the short blue pole by the fountains. There was a small playground that didn't get much attention while I was there, but the large playground has a lot going on for little kids as well as big kids. There's even one really close tonight that you can only get to by climbing up a few rope ladders. They did have porta potties nearby, but the only thing missing is a bathroom. I love that they have a partial fence separating the main playground from the parking lot, and a shaded gazebo for grown-ups to sit at. I wish I had a park like this in my city near Atlanta! It would get so much action. I was actually surprised this place wasn't swarming with people and we visited on a summer Tuesday morning.

Great views, easy hike, and lots of fun things to learn on the trails right in the heart of Taylors…read moreFalls. Currently the visitors center is closed for the season but the trails are still accessible. We did the glacial potholes trails which was full of rock climbers. Great views of the St Croix River. Probably spent 15-20 minutes at this trail. Then we did the Walter F Mondale trail till we decided to turn back. Lots of nature to see including hawks, robins, chipmunks, squirrels, etc. Lots of great photo ops too! Probably spent 30-45 minutes on this one. Also they have port a potty's at the parking lot which is helpful while the restrooms are closed for the season.

This is a great nature park. I've loved it every time we have come (beware it's extra busy when…read morethe leaves change color!). I visited this most recent time with a four year old who absolutely loved clambering and climbing around the unique rock formations. The park had some great views over the river which come fall are even better. I am awaiting the day we get to make use of the campgrounds!

Beautiful day and have the place to myself. Utterly…read morefantastic and lots of Hawks. No water in Lake Alice still.

Lovely state park! The trails were wide open and well maintained. The scenery this time of the year…read moreisn't the best but we still enjoyed exploring this park. We did the Hardwood Hills Loop, an easy trail about 4.2 miles and took us 1.5 hours. Plenty of parking. Great visitor center, heated bathrooms with flush toilets.

After a few duds, we were exploring other area parks while visiting family in Hudson. This was the…read morewinner! Expansive play area with towers, sandbox, slides galore, climbing walls, covered picnic area, benches, swings, tire swing, etc. There are also baseball fields, bathrooms available, and a great view of the Hudson water tower. The area is pretty enclosed, with much of it fenced, so we played with confidence that our wanderer child would be contained. :-)