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!

We did an Urban Sketching event at this park. We were there to sketch the paper machete Mexican…read moresculptures. So colorful and lively. I was surprised at how many people were walking about enjoying this artwork. I parked off the island and walked over the bridge. Didn't realize there was parking right on the island. Either way, the walk was not an issue and the parking limit was 4 hours off the island so plenty of time. Definitely worth a trip to check out this outdoor exhibit.

This great little park on a small island in the middle of the Mississippi river offers, grave view…read moreof the magnificent river, and some easy walks around the island for relaxation. To get here, you have to come to the middle part of the Wabasha St. Bridge, and then come down the spiral staircases. Great photo opportunities all around the island. If you go north across the bridge, you will reach downtown Saint Paul, where there is a number of restaurants; to the south there is also a number of small eateries. So nice place to spend half a day with nature, but not going too far from the city. A great destination for out-of-town visitors to get a glimpse of the magnificent Mississippi river within walking distance from downtown Saint Paul. There are a few spots that look like they can use some cleaning and landscaping, but hey, it's a free public park!

Wow, what a beautiful place and way bigger than I thought! Got out on a Saturday morning for a…read morewalk. Started at the central Park entrance off of Dale street walked all the way to the nature center, around the boardwalk and back--it was a lovely path. Much of it was paved, but there was some dirt/wooden trails once you got to the nature center. They have bathrooms, but I couldn't find a water fountain which was a bummer. Definitely a cool spot right in the middle of the neighborhood. It is a busy place though so the parking lot does fill up but there's also a few parking lots and plenty of street parking.

A gem of a park in Roseville and it's bigger than it looks at first glance. Check both sides of…read moreVictoria street. Past the east end parking lot there is an open area with plant and flower types lightly explained with rock formations. There are walking paths circling the park. There is the better known area on the west end of the roadway with playground and picnic equipment.

Very nice neighborhood park Gathered here with friends for…read morememorial weekend bbq Lots of space and picnic tables and garbage /recycle area Bbq grills available but bring your own charcoal Beach area is small but clean and perfect for the kids Lots of parking

This is an ok little lake/swim/beach area. The water is fairly clean for being a lake that is not…read moreconsidered up north. They must rake the beach so that all the creepy floaty thingys stay at bay. The fish however really like to bite at this one which kind of creeps me out. I mush prefer a good chlorinated swimming pool, but those aren't always available. There are lifeguards at this location. The swimming area is quite small and quite shallow, but I think its made more for the kiddies not for doing any serious laps or anything. Basically its a nice little area to go cool off in. The park itself is nice. There are picnic tables up the hill. It's clean and well maintained. Flat surface parking, but it does fill up pretty quickly making it difficult to find a spot on a really warm day.

Good for walking breaks. Nice park that I used to take my kids to when they were small. The bike…read morepark was new to me so glad to see it being used. The bike repair stations are a nice touch. I love the trails and boardwalk but it's not my favorite lake to swim in due to the algae.

6/3/22: Compared to La Lake Park, Carver Lake is an actual park. It has a park loop trail that's…read more3.8 miles and is good for walking, running, hiking & mountain biking. There's a section with a free parking lot, a small beach for swimming (no lifeguard), bathrooms and an actual paved trail, as well as dirt trails. There is also a slight incline on the trails, which is nice for those wanting an extra workout challenge. The trails are also well maintained. The bonus was that the weather was perfect today (no bugs) and we saw a deer! If you go deep into the woods, you don't hear the traffic and it really feels like you're deep in nature. Carver Lake is better for outdoor activity compared to La Lake Park. They're probably less than a mile apart, so if you're close to both, just go to Carver.

Such a neat nature preserve! It feels like a hidden gem! I wouldn't have know about this place, but…read moreluckily a friend brought me here a couple of months ago! Then just recently, I brought a friend here. There are trails and plenty of picnic spots! I like getting local takeout or coffee, eating and catching up with a friend, then walking the trails. (While eating we enjoyed seeing plenty of cute dogs)! It's also a cool place to get creative with portrait photography! I'll definitely be back

This is a great place to walk around and enjoy the sights and sounds of Minnesota nature and not…read morehave to go too far from the city. It's also a free park with plenty of amenities so you can't beat that. Trails are very easy to traverse and the loops available you could do a very short or moderately long walk (or run, bike, whatever). There is a small lake you can walk over if water is your thing and lots of birds and deer. The Discovery Center does have events every so often, so check the website for a calendar of what's happening.

This park is located in the heart of downtown St. Paul and is pretty basic. It spans 4.2 acres and…read morewas developed in 1922. There is metered street parking, with a 2-hour limit, in front of the park and there is other metered parking and commercial garages with in a reasonable walking distance. This park is very scenic and has a lot of potential. It sits up high and overlooks the Mississippi River. The park has some decent green space pockets that could be used for picnic and possibly frisbee or playing a light game of catch. It has a bunch of trees that provide a decent amount of shade. There is also a nice paved walkway around the parks perimeter that can be used to walk/jog. You will find some benches along that walkway that had a bunch of homeless people sleeping on them and a few people from nearby offices eating their lunch. The park could be maintained a bit better but, it is not horrible. The park an arcing pergola and two operational fountains. They are the best part of the park and make for some very nice pictures. The park is riddled with a bunch of homeless, as I mentioned, they were on the benches and one was in the fountain. The park has hosted events such as Saint Paul Winter Carnival, Country Flannel Night, Food Truck Friday: Voices of the Community, Francis Ford Coppola Winery Happy Hour, Hops & Hounds, and UCare Sunday Music in the Park. Either way, this is a nice park to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the big city, whether to sit and hang out, eat lunch, walk along the river overlook or just chill by the fountains.

This is an ideal park for panoramas. You won't get a better view of Raspberry Island and the bustle…read moreof St. Paul can be momentarily forgotten while walking here.

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!