Hiking

Once completed, Mississippi River Trail (MRT) will extend 27 miles along the Mississippi River from St. Paul to Hastings, providing scenic views of the river and connections to local parks and trails and other community destinations.  The trail will be paved and is intended for non-motorized uses such as ...

Located along the northern edge of Dakota County from Eagan to Lilydale, the Big Rivers Regional Trail is a scenic 4 1/2-mile paved trail that overlooks the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The views of the confluence were selected in the City Pages' 2014 Best of the ...

Dakota County’s newest park, 456-acre Whitetail Woods Regional Park, is located in Empire Township in the center of Dakota County, one mile north of the Vermillion River.   The park is bordered by the Vermillion Highlands Modified Wildlife Management Area to the east and the Vermillion River Wildlife and Aquatic Management ...

Miesville Ravine Park Reserve is a large nature preserve that provides miles of trails for you to enjoy the picturesque Cannon River Valley. Located at the confluence of Trout Brook and the Cannon River near Miesville, this beautiful park offers the feel of scenic southeastern Minnesota in our very own ...

Lake Byllesby Regional Park is nestled in the scenic Cannon River Valley on Lake Byllesby Reservoir, the largest lake in southern Dakota County. This beautiful park offers vast open space for a variety of year-round active sports or quiet recreation for company picnics, family reunions or other large and ...

This charming 57-acre park provides a quiet get-a-way in the midst of the West St. Paul, Minnesota area. The park features a large picnic area that overlooks Thompson Lake and miles of wooded trails that connect to the North Urban Regional Trail — a trail system that links Thompson ...

This state-of-the-art archery trail provides unique opportunities for archers to test their skills in a real environment. The Archery Trail is located at the Lower Spring Lake Park Reserve Trailhead in Spring Lake Park ...