Minneopa State Park

Leah Lambart

We really love this park. You can park and walk into the waterfall. If you're fairly fit you can hike down to the river and walk around the bottom of the waterfall. This time the water was low so we could wade in the stream. There are caves at the bottom and lots of interesting rock formations. Dogs are welcome at the falls if they're on a leash. There are several picnic tables at the top and restrooms.

Joseph McGie

This was a great park even if only for a day! Sadly we haven't stayed here yet for camping, but we did go to the falls and took a hike. All and all we spent roughly, 5 hours here along with a 3hr (round trip) drive from the Minneapolis. They don't have a ton of trails as it's a smaller state park in comparison, but we did ~7 miles of hiking while we're were there, so depending on your perspective, this could be a little or a lot. We walked 5 miles around the Buffalo enclosure which was a pretty flat east walk with lots of places to rest. The kiddos enjoyed the hike and while we had lots of water it was warmer (87°F), so they were a little warm by the end. My kids are 6-8 and we go on longer walks frequently so this maybe some context to consider with your own. They have a Buffalo drive through and while the kids were really excited about that, it was what we spent the least time while we're were there on. We spent about 10 minutes and once we saw the Buffalo for a while they were less interested. We did however spend a good amount of time near the waterfalls and along the river playing in the water. As a parent fyi, lots of good picture opportunities with the kids here and they really wanted to camp here sometime. There were also a couple other places near by in St Peter to go hiking as well including 7mile park. All and all, I have a solid recommendation for Minneopa as a day trip place for kids and hikers alike. I'll add more when we camp.

Hannah Shae

Tremendous waterfall and fun hike. Lovely walk with freshly misted sprinkles from the falls. Hike isn't the easiest and more challenging for some; if water levels too high path may be covered to get to falls base. By the stairs leading down to the falls base is a sign that says the trek is 70 steps down and 70 steps up. It is 0.15mi from top of the stairs to base of waterfall. Enjoy the trip!

Ann C

Another beautiful Minnesota State Park! Great spot for a day trip! It was very busy but it was also a great fall day when we went. The waterfalls were beautiful! We walked the road over to the other section of the park where the bison are kept. There is a nice walking trail around the bison enclosure. We ended up walking almost 8 miles. Dog friendly trails. Worth checking out!