While you are at Blue Mounds State Park be sure and take a little drive to the Pipestone National Monument. This is where the Plains Indians would go to quarry catlinite or Pipestone.  Traditionally it was used to make ceremonial pipes.

It is a very pretty spot to walk with a bit of history as well.

Blue Mounds State Park - Pipestone MN

Hi, my name is Karen and I would like to introduce you to our Minnesota State Parks.
Our state parks have a wonderful easy to use website that introduces you to each state park.
 http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/index.html
You can make reservations, take a virtual tour of many of the parks as well as view individual campsites when making a reservation.
My goal is to visit each state park and encourage others to join me in our parks.

My first park to share is going to be one I look forward to sharing with my Grandkids when they get a bit older. It is down in Pipestone Minnesota in the southwestern corner of our state.

What is really fun is the buffalo, you can't get real close but there is a viewing platform to stand on.

This part of Minnesota is mostly flat prairie/farm land except for the mound that is a part of the park and you can hike to the top of.

Yes that really is a trail and it goes straight up.

Blue Mounds Park also has a lake with a really nice swimming beach, unfortunately the picture I took did not turn out, but you get a glimpse of it in this picture with a volleyball net and part of the swings at the playground.

The campground is nice but not a lot of trees separate each campsite.

There are several state parks within easy reach of here as well as the old pipestone quarry that was used by the Indians. This is nice as you have a variety of things you can see and do.

Lake Elmo Park Reserve - Lake Elmo

Lake Elmo Park Reserve

10th Street, Lake Elmo

Washington County Parks

Lake Elmo Park Reserve has a lot to offer. You could spend an entire day here and then some.  They have picnic areas, 3 playgrounds, a boat launch into Lake Elmo, a fishing pier, a man made filtered and clorinated beach, an equestrian center, two campgrounds (one modern for campers) and miles of walking paths and hiking trails.

It is a county park, so its either $5 for a day pass, or its $25 for an annual pass to any of the county parks. We decided to invest in the annual pass, afterall it'll only take 5 visits to one of the many parks to make it worth it.

This playground is HUGE.  

Its almost like they took 3 different large playgrounds
and made them into 1 giant park. They also have
the small ship you see that is
designed for smaller children.

After playing at the playground for quite some time,
we wandered down one of the many paths that circle
the park reserve. It was a very quiet peaceful walk through
grasslands and trees.  Part of the path takes you down to
the fishing pier and then follows the lake shore
for some time.

While walking the paths we found another smaller playground,
much less people than the main one had and much more quiet.
It had a covered picnic area with dozens of picnic tables,
and a shelter with a bathroom.

This "North" park had a beautiful sitting area. I
absolutely loved the beauty and tranquility of this
space. 

As we continued walking the paths we found another playground.
Both the North and South playgrounds had shelters, ample picnic tables
and plenty of room to run and play.

There was a ton of wildlife, this is a wonderful place for
someone who enjoys spending time
outdoors and in nature.
(Can you spot the deer in the photo above?)

There were plenty of signs to direct you to
each area of the park. As long
as you followed the signs, you weren't
going to find yourself lost. 

This park is great, we spent 4 hours there
and if I had prepared better (more drinks)
I could have spent much more time there.

Kargel Park - Woodbury

Kargel Park

9301 Tamarack Road, Woodbury

Kargel Park in Woodbury is one of our favorite parks because it doesn't tend to be very busy.  It isn't a "large" park but does have some nice features for kids of all ages. As you can see in the picture above, there is a playset for bigger kids and a separate playset for younger children.  The building does have a bathroom but it is only accessible when you have rented it out for a function. There is a sidewalk that runs along Tamarack Road if you were wanting to go walking, but it doesn't go anyplace too interesting.

They have 2 infant swings available along with two standard swings

I love the rock wall feature, I can't wait for our kids to get big enough to enjoy this.

The building can be rented out to host events and parties. We rented it out for our daughter's 1st birthday party. It cost about $100 to rent for the entire day, they provided tables and chairs.  They only required us to clean up as much of the mess as possible before closing up.