Marine on St. Croix/Washington County • Daily or annual park pass needed Big Marine Lake is popular with boaters and anglers, but the natural shoreline on its south end and beautifully clear water make it great for kayaking and canoeing, too. There are three public accesses to Big Marine Lake. We used the one at …
Stillwater/Washington County • Daily or annual park pass needed The centerpiece of Square Lake County Park is 200-acre Square Lake, our kayaking destination on a gorgeous summer day. The Metropolitan Council has designated the park a regional “Special Recreation Feature” because of the lake’s outstanding water quality. It’s known as one of Minnesota’s clearest lakes—something …
Hastings/Washington County • Daily or annual park pass needed St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park is another park in Washington County along the beautiful St. Croix River. The park hosts almost 10 miles of hiking trails across varied terrain, including both forest and upland prairie. All but a mile of them are natural-surface, either grass or …
Stillwater, Washington County • No fees When I Googled “best hikes in Stillwater” Fairy Falls Trail came up as #1. We soon found out why—it’s a lovely, secluded trail. While not long, it offers either a leisurely hike or more adventurous spur trails. What We Loved about Fairy Falls Trail Since it was early spring …
Afton, Washington County • Daily or Annual State Park Permit needed Within the Twin Cities area, both Afton State Park and William O’Brien State Park are open year-around, including for winter camping. I’ve gone winter camping just once—back in 7th grade in the upper Lower Peninsula in Michigan, where my family lived at the time. …
Hastings, Washington County • Daily or annual park fee required Afton State Park is unique with its camping in that they’re pack-in and walk-in campsites here—not car camping or RV sites. For the uninitiated, that means you’ll park your car in the lot, then pack your gear up to a mile to your site! It’s …
Hastings, Washington County • Daily or annual park fee required Afton State Park offers 20 miles of some of the best unpaved, natural-surface hiking in the Twin Cities metro. These dirt or mowed grass trails take us through diverse terrain and topography, making it both interesting and (sometimes) strenuous! Hiking and Trail Running are Both …
Washington County • Daily or annual park pass required William O’Brien is one of three state parks in the Twin Cities metro area, and one of two in Washington County. What’s Great About William O’Brien William O’Brien’s location in the St. Croix River valley and its easy access for Twin Citians make this a hugely …
Marine on St. Croix/Washington County • State Park Pass needed Hiking at William O’Brien State Park offers a wide variety of scenery and terrain, as well as a great workout. There are some good-size hills out there! From flat marshland to rolling prairie to tall hardwood forest, past a beaver pond and a small lake. …
Lake Elmo, Washington County • Park pass and Minnesota Ski Pass required My daughter and I took a cross country ski field trip to Lake Elmo Park Reserve this week. It was a fabulous winter day—the kind we look forward to all year. We’d had about 5 inches of fresh snow last weekend. Blue Sky. …