Beautiful place! AllTrails app makes it easy to choose trails. Would have been nice to have bathrooms open.

Childrens pond was great. Could see families enjoying. I am disabled and use hiking sticks on trails and they were maintained and easily hiked by me. I even did the railroad tie stairs but if not used to hiking be careful and stick to other trails.

Excellent park for 40-120 minute walks. Great for kids. Up on the hill is a reasonably rugged trail. Indoors nature center has lots live animals and fish. During winter there are ski/snowshoe rentals and groomed trails.

A very nice quiet and quaint park with a beautiful nature center. The nature center has a lot of rotating exhibits inside and outside. They have parking on both east and west areas of the park. The west area is by the old gravesite and old state hospital, the east side is by the nature center and pawn. A lot of nice things to do in the area and go check it out! Picnic benches a lot of different areas as well so pack a picnic :-)

Very nice place for family it individuals. They have plenty of hiking on and off of paved paths and booked can use the paved paths. Theres a nice pond and plenty of wildlife for a place so close to town. The nature center has plenty to explore plus a bird observation area. Definitely will be going back.

Great place to educate yourself and your kids. Great time for all ages and fanistaisic hiking trails (some paved other not). Beautiful views everywhere. 77/77

Very beautiful nature preserve with multiple trails. A very nice way to spend a few hours hiking in a peaceful environment.

My family and I had a great time! Lots of interesting things to see and touch. I liked the projection microscope, and the girls loved the live northern saw where owl and the American kestrel. I also liked the live turtles. The see-through beehive was pretty cool too. We also had a neat walk in the forest seeing some birds.

Really great paved and many off-path trails to discover. I especially like those ascending/descending trails. The only thing that is negative about the place is the amount of people on it now, but you cant hide a great place like this for long.

Beautiful area. Indoors exhibition closed due to Covid19 but the grounds would be great to hike.

This place is amazing, I truly hope you can take the time to visit specially if you have children. The Nature Center is very interesting, they have a small library and a bird observation area. They also keep some animals there like snakes, bees, birds, a tarantula, turtles and fish. We had a lot of fun as a family and we definitely will come back. Its free, but we encourage you to donate whatever you can to support the center. The people who work there are incredibly nice, we had a wonderful young lady showing us around, Brooke, very kind, patient and well informed. The center offers a lot of educational and interactive displays like a microscope, a cavern, a fossil observation spot, and a dinosaur head!. My kids and I had fun and learned a lot. The hiking trails look nice too, we did some exploring around the pond and saw ducks, flowers, took tons of pictures and simply enjoyed being there. Go and check out this amazing place.

Lots of great paths. Not to crazy busy. Shops and centers were closed due to COVID but it was still very enjoyable to get outside. People were all compliant with COVID safe practices.

Q.Hill is a neighborhood park with the charm of the wooded area that must have engulfed this region in bygone days. It also has the remnants of the gravel quarry where lime stone was mined and ground into a fertilizer to sweeten the farm land of the area. A place where I walk my dog almost daily.

Wonderfully maintained. A great place to exercise outdoors

Great place for a family event. All ages are entertain. Expect teens with parent around. :)

Its a excellent place near to rochester MN. Summer and winter both climate .. kids will enjoy this place. ITs good place to get relaxation at near to town..

Miles of trails.I didnt know this jem existed right near Rochester. Its a very cool and natural place.

Good get away with multiple trails.. was a bit crowded when we got there.

Creatures of the Niiight (as SpongeBob might say)- going on yet this week (14th - 17th, with a virtual event on 18th)!!We went last night; had a great time.Kids were looking to enjoy the experience of being in the park after dark and learning a few things as well!

Fully renovated! The Quarry Hill Nature Center has been the Natural Science gem of Olmsted County in the City of Rochester. The new look changed it from a science fair exhibit to a modern museum and interactive zoo. This is quite possibly the best nature park and science center in the area, and it is absolutely free. If there is one attraction worth recommending to visitors this should be it.

Went snowshoeing today. Five dollars for a 4 hour rental. There were great trails for all levels of snowshoers. Got within about 20-30 yards of 8 deer. Will definitely be back.

This is a fun place to bring your children, there are quite a few things for them to look at and theyre regularly have activity days for children. We went to an event to learn about animal tracks and it was well worth the ten dollars.

I have only been here a few times but truly loved it. Over the holidays I brought my nieces and nephews here so they could look at the fish and run off some energy and they loved it. There is so much for everyone to do and enjoy. Even the grown ups had fun bird watching and feeding the fish! I cant wait to bring them back in the summer when we can explore more outside!

Nice place, scenic, quiet.We saw one snake so next time worry about that.

Inside a beautiful park there is a public Earth Sciences classroom fit for both children and adults. This building may look modest from the outside but on the inside its an art piece dedicated to the local ecosystem.Their library is complete with any information you could ever want to know about the areas wildlife. Ive been coming to the nature center for over 30 years and always love my time here.Fantastic place to bring kids for a small adventure

Pure nature within the city limits...Great meditation site!

Lot of wildlife and trails. Worth seeing for a relaxing day outside.

This is our favorite place in Rochester to go walking and biking. They have great paved trails along with unpaved trails through the woods. You can see 4 or 5 distinct habitats as you venture through the park. Our kids love the nature center. My favorite part is the large fish aquarium. They have recently updated the facility and it really breathed life into the place. Hope you make it out.

Beautiful place! Lots of birds, insects, and other animals to observe here. Bring a bike or binoculars!

Nice trails and so much history!

Total hidden gem. Loved all the animals.

Fun experience for family and birthdays too. Helps people think outside. Outside learning.

Whether you like biking, walking or canoeing its your destination

This is a favorite nature spot for our family. There are well kept walking trails that are great for walking, biking, etc. And there are trails for those folks that want explore off the main path to find hidden views. The Nature Center itself has been recently updated and is a great place to learn more about nature.

Great shelter house! Clean and cared for. I will be back to try the bike trails.

Great place for a hike that is within 15 min of Rochester. Dont forget your ice cleats

Great place to take kids both in the summer but especially in the winter when it is too cold to be outside. Fun way to show them some animals.

Quarry Hill is an invaluable resource in our community -- providing educational opportunities, promoting conservation and conversation, offering plenty of space so that we can get outside and move around. The open house has been a huge success and gave some of our young relatives some screen-free times.

This has been a large part of my family amd schools commuimty for year. Love it here

The nature center has always been a great place to visit, for a walk on the forest paths or around the pond. Wildlife abounds. With their new building and the renovation of the Nature Center, it is just getting better. What an amazing resource for our community!

Our favorite place to spend time in Rochester. The new updates are fantastic. The staff are the nicest and most helpful people you could meet. The exhibits are engaging for both young and old.

Im at peace there and I love to go walking not the family the dog a whole lot of places to do that anymore

Nice nature center-free! A nice amount of animals in the building and nice trails, would like to come back in the summer for the cave tours, every other Sunday.

This place has expanded since I was young. Theres so much to do inside the nature center. Had a really fun time and both me and my daughter learned a lot.

I had a very fun visit.

Great summer camps. They are very willing to allow all abilities participate in their summer camps. They allow you to send support staff with your child. Great place. Year around activities. Love cross country skiing in the winter.

Love this place! The center itself was a big hit with kids. They loved the snakes and turtles. They have really neat programs and tons of things to learn and see. The park itself is really fun to explore. Weve already decided were going fossil hunting our next visit.

Free, but donations are appreciated. We visit every season. The walking trails are nice and wide open.

Quarry Hill staff is absolutely amazing and the new setup is really fun. 100% improvment on something already awesome.

Awesome little place to visit (for free!) has a lot of trails that are a great way to burn off the little ones energy.Can feel a little cramped if you accidentally visit when there is a class/school field trip there.

Workers here are always kind and underatanding. I love walking here. Makes for some amaving pictures. They always do an amazing job keeping up the trails

The nature center has some wonderful information on the native species found in MN. The live animals are very well taken care of and its nice to see some species of snake that would be harder to find in the wild.

Great hiking around Rochester. Can get busy at times tho

Neat place. My Granddaughter had her Birthday party there. Lots of fun activities.

Pretty neat place. Enjoyed the cave tour. Signing could have been a little better for those of us not familiar with the park. The sign pointing the direction to the cave should have been at the fork in the road instead of a little ways down the path. Also need signs showing the way back to the parking lot. Otherwise we really enjoyed it.

Great spot for all ages! Visiting the redesigned nature center is my toddler’s favorite way to spend a morning. The staff is helpful and accommodating. We love visiting quarry hill!

Always love going to Quarry hill to walk and look around. Finally got to spot the Queen Bee in their bee hive.

Awesome park, especially with the new (at least new to me) updates. Bring the kids and dog and enjoy the beautiful nature center! Go out on the several miles of groomed trails and take a visit to the abandoned quarry where, if you search carefully, you may find some old fossils. If youre a geocacher there are several caches around the area, including a couple of puzzle caches.

Great hiking and birding. Very friendly and helpful staff. Great programs offered regularly.

Its great by rochesters standards

QHNC is great for the whole family. Every year they have great day camps for the kids and they keep improving them every year! Its great to hike in, ride a bike in, walk a dog or two or let kids run around. They even have birthday parties there for a very reasonable rate with an educational component!

Very nice nature center, and a spacious parking lot. Went on a short stroll up and down a trail here, but the ol converse arent great for hiking. They had a beehive inside the building which was really neat, and tiny bee doors to the outside - very cute!

Stunning park that’s perfect for families

A great place enjoy nature, hike. There are lots of summer and other seasonal activities for kids.

Best nature center I have seen. It’s free and they have more animals than some zoos I been. Very family friendly. The hiking trails are even labeled if they are appropriate for the family.

Free, fun activity for all ages

Great place to explore outdoors and many things to look at and learn inside

Great place for kids on a child day. Lots of animals. Also trails you can hike year round

Love taking our digs here to hike and explore!

A Nature buffs dream...a former stone quarry turned into a nature preserve. You can go into the Nature Center to learn the history of Quarry Hill, look at exhibits that show what was discovered there or what wildlife reside there. There are plenty of things to keep the whole family occupied.

The animals all look healthy and well cared for. This was a great place to walk around and look at MN animals.

Great hiking trails, gorgeous views everywhere, and very clean! The volunteers are helpful, they have great programs for everyone, and my kids LOVE the nature center. They never want to leave without seeing all the animals that are on display. Also, great place for Pokemon GO.

Great science Center. Great fishing pond and trails to walk. Much to discover.

Daily visits, great paths, love our fairy garden

Quarry hill is a wonderful place to take a hike in the summer time or go snow shoeing or ski in the winter time. We love walking the dog here. I have had multiple people tell me they cant believe a place like this is in Rochester. Great place for families as well.

Great history, and terrific walking trails

I really do like this place. There are quite a few trails that are both paved and grass to run or hike on. The nature center is pretty awesome especially for kids and its a great green space inside the city.

Quarry hill is great for photography

Park is beautiful and well maintained. Paths are clearly marked. Great naturalist-led learning activities!

This was the best Nature Center I have ever been too! We were from out of town and met family here to do something fun and free! It was delightful and we learned a lot! Got to see tons of different kinds of birds feeding in the bird feeders, read books, and explored the other animals inside. It was negative temperatures outside so we stayed inside but I would love to come back when its warmer out!

The nature center itself is small but nice and well laid out. There are a lot of turtles and some other wildlife as well as an indoor beehive. It was really neat. We went hiking around it over to a quarry which our kids loved climbing up and on. Really neat area and its free!

Absolutely love this place. Its free to visit (unless you choose to donate). A nice education center with live animals (turtles, fish, birds, ect.) A pond to walk around and several walking trails. We take our son there for picnics, to walk and look at all the animals inside and outside.

Our 5 yr old son attended day camp here. AMAZING staff and programs. He had a blast and we are looking forward to next summer!

Awesome!! Bring the family, this place is great.

This place is a great excuse to get off the couch and spend some time walking & enjoying the community.

Awesome gem in Rochester! Great for hiking! Nature Center was excellent-our toddler had a great time indoors today!

Beautiful place to go for a walk. Lots of wildlife to see, especially birds. I would like to go back and see more of it. It is nice for a free nature area. Good for a nice day trip for a few hours.

A great park, right in town. Perfect for nature walks.

A lovely place for an evening walk!

The older kids love it almost as much as my 15 month old! It could entertain him for hours.

Wonderful bird, squirrel, chipmunk viewing area. Saw a redheaded woodpecker, bluejay, cardinal, and hummingbird. The reading nook and tree play space was safe and fun AND they let you feed the fish tank of local fish with minnows!

Wonderful nature center especially since the remodel. We really love the library/childrens reading nook.

I grew up here and I never get sick of walking these trails. Loads of history and theres even a nature center with lots of fun things to explore for kids and adults alike

Great walking or running trails,lots of trees,birds and a visitors center with birds,snakes and turtles. Free parking. Loved it!!

Nice, small, nature preserve thats close to downtown Rochester. Woods, hills, and a wetlands area. The cave is actually an old underground food storage that is gated. You cannot enter.

Great place to explore and the indoor learning space is fun for kids. The staff is friendly and helpful.

Everything from dads man cave to moms decoration ideas...kids will be estatic to the core...lots of knowledge of the time and beyond!

This nature center has so much to look at. We were very impressed, and shocked it was all free. Definitely recommend a visit, or two, or three..

Great place to bring the kiddies!

Its always soooo much fun to go on an adventure here.