A great state park just a short drive from the metro. Theres a variety of hiking and cross country ski trial lengths available. Theres also trails for horseback riding. Most trails are well marked and maintained. The best time to come is during the week in the evening to enjoy the sunset on the lakes.

Awesome venue for a family outing. We took 2 of the grandkids and completed the 2 mile walking path. Very good covid-19 protocol including the other hikers. Great bonding experience with the grands coupled with a great outdoor visual and fresh air.

Lake Maria is gorgeous in the fall - we went and hiked the hiking club trail on the perfect Saturday, the leaves were in their prime. The hiking trails were very accessible for all hiking levels but be aware many of the trails are shared trails with horses, so be on the lookout for horse dung.

This is a beautiful park, filled with oaks, rolling hills and several lakes. The road to Western side where Little Mary Lake resides was closed at the time, so this review pertains to the trails by Slough Lake and Lake Maria. I was there past the peak of Fall colors, still the trail was awash in the reds and oranges of oak trees. It must be bright in early Autumn.

Rugged terrain at times, lots of trails so you can get a very scenic walk in. During non covid, they have indoor rest rooms.

One of the best State Parks near the cities. Wildlife, hiking, horseback riding, private camping. A must visit destination!

Took advantage of a day with perfect weather and drove out here with my son. I enjoyed the walk, while he complained about hills (On the Big Woods Loop if i remember correctly), but they were not too bad. Excited to go back on a backpacking trip.

Beautiful park. Go the entire big woods trail. I think a lot of people turn back halfway, and theyre really missing out on a completely different part of the experience. Really beautiful fall colors, diverse flora, easy trails, and lots of scenic places to rest.

Quiet and not too busy. Very peaceful!

Great fall colors hike with lots of choices in varied difficulty and length of hikes.

Took my daughter up here for a little hike and she loved it. I have been coming up here for a long time and it never gets old. Its hard to believe how easy it is to escape the city life, considering Monticello is like 5 miles from this place. Great place to fish, too. Worth checking out with the family.

If you’re looking for the trails make sure to go to the trailhead. The lake access/picnic area will lead you to short trails. According to the map, it looks like they connect, but this year the trails are closed for some reason. Definitely have to come back for some more trail time.

Even if you dont have time to stop and do some hiking, a drive through the park in the fall is wonderful!

We backpacked nearly a mile into our site. It was very quiet and wooded. I highly recommend a weekend camping trip at lake Maria. The lake itself can only be accessed by land from two locations and the bass fishing was unsuccessful.

Backpacking campsites only makes this place great! Hiking and horseback trails in a setting where you can still get reception makes this a good spot to get that wilderness feel while remaining connected.That being said, when you go to the wilderness, I highly recommend you completely unplug from the overly online world in order to enjoy solitude or close personal interaction with otjers and wildlife that is sorely lacking from most of our lives.

Get here early! Parking spots fill up early.

Well kept trails and has backpack campsites so you can be secluded. Great way to introduce children to backpacking. You can make the hike short or long.

Im new atl this and I was surprised how much forest-like it was instead of a park experience. (You can camp here).Fun if you are looking for a camping spot, but I was looking for places to forage for edible and medicinal weeds. I would like to find more open plains and prairies.

Wonderful state park... like all the MN parks.Nice picnic table locations. Lots of great trails. Old growth woods.

High traffic around. We couldnt find much information about this place. The campsites are hike in only. The closest one we could find was 3/4 of a mile in from parking and it was a longer hike than we anticipated for the amount of gear we brought and had to hike to the campsite passing tons of families with loads of children on the way. The camp site was okay but surrounded by high trafficked trails. The registration was weird and confusing on the website.

Real nice trails not a lot of bugs. Great backpacking sites. Expect gun shots well into the night from nearby landowners. If you can get around that awesome park

Great quiet place to fish! They have three docks to fish off of, and there isn’t much traffic on the lake so that is also nice. The drive into the park is also very nice with lots of hiking paths along the way too.

A great network of hiking trails, beautiful fall colors in the season, and nice hike-in camping sites. Plenty of horse traffic on the weekends, so if horses terrify you, find another park.

Super close to the Twin Cities one can explore the trails and the beauty of this park. I highly recommend renting one of the backpack sites. You will feel like you are the only person in the park. 10 out of 10, will do it again.

Great place for hiking and if you have horses there are trails for them also. Alot of Maples and Oaks so it should be pretty colorful in the fall.

This is a gorgeous park full of deciduous trees. The paths are well kept.

Great well maintained trails. Only downside is they allow horses on most of them.

My entire family really enjoys Maria State Park. There are so many different trails and picnic areas.It is great for the kids!

Peak fall color 10/10/20! Great easy hiking trails to do with kiddos

Awesome smaller State Park not far from the Cities. Went at open but never got too busy ( Saturday) b4 I left. Lots on rustic paths through forest & by wetlands.

I trail run here and its wonderful.

A local treasure. A park with great character, abundant wildlife, and loads of old growth trees. Great in any season but fall is the best. Cabins are semi-rustic and just far enuff away (3/4 mile hike) to feel secluded. Perfect overnight or day trip park.

Nice park, lots of parking, beautiful lake

Nice park for a good Walk or a canoe

A little out of the way, but really worth the stop. Not a lot of people and a great place for a quiet walk in the woods. Very large trees and plenty of wildlife.

A wonderful state park to spend the day hiking or to do a backpack camping trip. First time yesterday visiting the park. Will definitely need to go back to do the camping

Very cool park. Lots of terrain changes and lush surroundings. The trails are pretty short, but there are a lot of them

Nice hike with the dog. Very quiet buildings closed

Great park. Lots of dogs and horse back riders with plenty of lengthy trails to choose from!

Nice small lake area to have hiking trip or picnic, not worth to go for purpose though

The trails are great and open. The picnic area and the boat access is setup inconvenient to lake views. Theres lots of kayak and canoe traffic at the launch. Having more Lakeshore cleared for seating area would be more convenient. The naturalist center is really just a warm location/cool location to use a water source restroom. The kids were disappointed there was no mounted deer inside.

Wonderful walks in the forest. Too bad the buckthorn is invading.

Beautiful location trails and remote campsites!! So fun exploring here!

Beautiful. Nice walking trails, lots of water features, has picnic area, docks, canoe area, wide walking paths, horse trails, camping spots, and looks like you can rent the canoes. Only complaint is the horse flies are awful.. But thats nature for ya..

Beautiful park. Great trails.

A hidden gem and one of the best State Parks in Minnesota. All campsites require a small hike in, giving you the seclusion and nature your soul needs only a short drive out of the city, and for a little more get a secluded camper cabin (especially fun in winter with a wood stove). Some nice old forest and rolling hills with small ponds and marsh around every corner.

Nice park conveniently located close to Twin Cities. There are several miles of hiking trails that are spectacular in the fall and are nice to hike during the rest of the year as well. The trails are nice and flowing and will generally be an easy hike for people of all ages, particularly kids.The campsites are remote, being all backpack campsites, and some are on the water while others have no water. They all have access to pit toilets, however, which are generally in good repair.

Beautiful park

Lots of hiking trails, wildlife and great lake for kayaking

A hidden gem close to the twin cities. Beautiful place to hike, canoe, or go back packing.

Its a great small park. Not a lot to do unless youre backpacking. The camp sites are very clean and nice. Theres outdoor toilets close enough to each campsite that you dont need to worry.

Nice big lake, good for kayaking or turtle watching, but don’t jump in for a swim. Very stinky water! Also, they supposedly rent kayaks but when you get there, you’ll only find one (and a bunch of canoes) as 2 of their kayaks were stolen over a year ago. I wish it would have said something about how many they had on the voice recording. I ended up turning around and getting my own kayak from home (my original plan was just to rent 2 with my friend since it is reasonably priced). I will say it is nice that they allow dogs though. They get an extra star back for that!

Beautiful trails. Be sure to buy a park pass online!

Great park thats so close. Had a very nice walk and decided to come back for fall colors too! Photos are from a trail.

Beautiful place to take a quiet hike and reflect. No place to swim, but the trails are lovely.

Pretty easy hike through a historicly important region of Minnesota.

This is my favorite state park near the cities for camping. I love the seclusion of the sites, which are clearly picked well - every time I try a different site, I get a new experience of how beautiful this park is. Its a delight to be immersed in these woods. Ive also done the candlelight walk in the winter and it is a different world, beautiful in a completely different way. I will be returning to this park for many years to come.

Wonderful nature escape, right here in central MN. Looking forward to our return visit.

Great place for a day or even a 1 hour stop! Many trails!

Great place to take a nature walk!

Took a my children canoeing. Had a great time! We even saw 2 Pelicans.

Great for hikes, up and down trails through densely forested area. Small picnic area all the way in.

Beautiful natural forests with lakes and elevation points scattered throughout. Nice secluded campsites with trails winding around terrain. Very spectacular scenery.Amenities are limited. Not many spaces for electricity. There are some cabins for rent and group camp zones. Bathrooms are scarce. But most facilities seem clean.

Nice park, but probably best enjoyed by horseback or snowshoe. Lots of trails through woods, swamps, and mosquitoes. Canoes and kayaks on two of the lakes.

40+ miles of trails. Great forest walks. Some marshes and lakes views. Great place to get away.

Small park for small walks and small talks.

Great place to camp out, trails are absolutely gorgeous for hiking. Canoe and Kayak rentals Available for fishing or just enjoying the scenery.

A short drive from the Twin Cities and an absolutely beautiful park. Lots of walking paths, canoe rental, horseback riding (need to bring your own), and fishing.

Love this park. Both long and short hiking trails, and great CC skiing during the winter. Beautiful landscape located just a short drive up 94 from the Twin Cities. Has activities throughout the year for families.

My favorite place to hike and watch the sunset.

If you have the hiking club this parks trail is a must-do

Nice hiking trails. There is a few places that need a little work as water has cut ruts. There are some hills that are a little steep for those out of shape.

This our favorite place to hike.

Minnesota State Parks are a great place to get in touch with your nature side. This location is just outside of the metro and offers good trails to hike that are not too hard and has a nice lake access. There are rules for overnight usage, but for my visit I just needed a little hike to smell the fresh air and enjoy nature. Spend a few hours outdoors and see the trees, plants, and other stuff that is around you!

Great hiking trails!

Beautiful and peaceful surroundings with trails that wind around trees and tall grasses.

Great park. Be ready to walk, though!

Very clean and well kept. Plenty of trails for an afternoon of hiking!

Beautiful, great trails.

A nice and low trafficked lake to kayak on!

Beautiful hardwood forest with new prairie.

A wonderful place to walk with your family and enjoy nature

Great hiking in the summer. Great snow shoeing in the winter.

Great little park that is pretty close to Minneapolis. Beautiful scenery. Backpacking sites or hike-cabins only but it sees a lot of day users. Canoe rentals available.

Nice park, some trails closed, some need maintenance .

I love this place. I frequently use their horse trails. The trails are well maintained and well marked. The horse trailer parking lot is roomy and well designed.

Its awesome that there is big woods camping near the TC. Real close, but we camped off season so it was isolated. Lots of wood to harvest and the camp was well maintained.

I liked the park but the kids did not. I chose the wrong time of year to come and it was really buggy. This is now called the bug park in early summer. That said, the open area by the boat launch was great for a picnic and there were many many trails and we tried four different trails before calling it a day. We will try again in the fall.

Great hiking trails

Scenic wooded ponds, wildlife, nice hiking trails.

Very beautiful fall scenery

The trails are nice for beginners. Went on a Sunday in july and encountered a lot of horse flys and other pests that would not leave me alone for the entire hike so bring some outdoors pest spray with you. There is a fishing dock on the southernmost lake trail. The lake is a bit weedy but does provide a nice spot for fishing!

Really enjoy Lake Maria. Its my go to for day hikes or a quick overnight.

Beautiful area- our first time to this State Park

Great hiking trails - so many birds. Good for photography also.

Very nice, needs more sites to take on humans, and more humans to remove waste. Or designate toilet that this toilet is for this site. Cuz the human will poop when most convenient.

Beautiful spot to camp, flies were awful on the trails!

Nice and quiet place to paddle!

So serene!

Beautiful fall foliage, remote campsites, great way to ease into backpack camping!