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Afton State Park
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
6 reviews for Afton State Park
6 reviews in English
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Review from Dee T.
Royal Oak, MI
2/2/2011
Got our State Park pass when we re-upped with MPR, and visited Afton for the first time last fall. I imagine that it must be glorious out there when the leaves change color, but I still enjoyed our crisp fall day. We hiked the South Loop and had the trail mostly to ourselves. We saw trail runners, mountain bikers, and even young couples pushing strollers (with fat tires) down the groomed paths. The views of the St. Croix were spectacular.
It's a great place to get away from the city for a day, or even a weekend. We fully intend to go back for a quickie camping trip next summer, and to check out the color closer to home, too. -
Review from Nazgul W.
Minneapolis, MN
2/28/2012 1 photo
I like this park, and it's cool that it's no more than a 30-minute drive from Mpls. I stayed here in the winter months one time, which was fun. In the summer it's quite beautiful as well. They have a canoe site and cabins, neither of which I've tried. What I have tried, the backpack sites, are great once you reach them. Getting there, however, unless you're in pretty good shape, can be a real pain in the arse. It's a considerable hike and I remember the last part feeling like you're trying to scale a brick wall. If you're bringing food and beverage in, PACK MINIMALLY! I've only been to probably one other hike-in campground that was anywhere close to as much work to get to as this is. Once you get there, though, it's nice and isolated, serene. You chop up your own firewood from a large pile.
Afton is super convenient for Twin Cities residents, but perhaps we don't go here as often as we would because of that rigorous hike, plus it's almost too close to the city to really feel like a getaway. -
Review from Beth F.
Twin Cities, MN
6/12/2008
I'm still trying to figure out how after having lived in the Cities for most of my life I had never once come to the Afton State Park (it's just south of Stillwater on the St. Croix River and less than 30 minutes from the 'burb you know I love2hate: Woodbury). I don't fish or ski and motorized boats that go any faster than a pontoon boat make me nervous. But I do enjoy hiking, canoeing...I love camping and am anxiously awaiting an opportunity to go kayaking, so it's safe to say that I am one of those outdoorsy Minnesota girls.
I think I've mentioned in a previous review the fact that my parents never took my sister and me to Disneyworld when we were kids. The vast majority of our family vacations involved road trips to northern Minnesota where we would then disappear into the BWCA-W (that's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in case you're not down with the camping acronyms) for a week or two at a time. And I think this might be why we never went to Afton. It was always too close to home to ever make it feel like it was worth "wasting" a vacation on.
And maybe that's still true. But for a weekend camping trip? Seriously, it couldn't be more perfect.
A day pass into the park costs $5. But for $25, you have an all-access pass into the park. (And don't think you can sneak in without buying the pass. Appearances can be deceiving and even though it looks like you might be able to get away without buying the sticker for your vehicle, I saw those DNR guys carefully scrutinizing all the cars in the parking lot and writing out tickets to the offenders).
Overnight camping was $12 plus another $4 for firewood (cutting down your own wood or even scavenging for the dead stuff is strictly forbidden, so be prepared to cough up the extra $4 to pay for wood).
The campsites themselves are not accessible by vehicle so it's quite the adventure to get to them. It's a 3/4 mile hike, of which the final 1/4 mile is all uphill to the top of a bluff at what I would guess was a 20% grade. Yikes! But it's so worth it. And getting to the top of the bluff with all your gear on your back and realizing you made it leaves you with a great sense of accomplishment. Or it did me.
Pitching a tent and sleeping outside not your thing? They also have approximately 20 miles worth of hiking trails (some of which can also be used for horseback riding and biking), a fishing dock, a swimming area and tons of picnicking spots. All of which are free to use provided you have the park pass and pay the $4 for firewood if you want to have a fire (although I saw some charcoal burning grills in the picnic areas as well so you could always bring your own and use that).
The scenery is beautiful and relaxing and it made me feel so fortunate to realize that one of the things the state of Minnesota has done exceedingly well is to establish and maintain our parks, because Afton is only one of many. Check them out. -
Review from Prachee M.
Minneapolis, MN
7/7/2009
Huge park with a river running through it.
Less than 2 hours from Minneapolis.
Perfect for a day trip.
I went here with friends in May and really liked the size of it...a lot of people can be there without it feeling crowded. We went for a lazy afternoon picnic, spread out our mats on a grassy spot under a tree, ate hungrily and contentedly, watched the river flow, heard noisy motorized boats driven by hypercaffeinated drivers, gradually became horizontal, gave up attempts at conversation, and, snoozed. Got up for a longish walk to the restroom and then walked by the riverbank. My idea of a lovely afternoon. -
Review from steve u.
Minneapolis, MN
8/11/2009
this park is perfect for a quick weekend getaway without dealing with traffic or hassle. load up your packs and feel free to schlep some extra reading material given that you're only going to haul it a couple miles, tops.
the hiking is great, relaxing, with some good grades in there to get your heart rate up and in the early spring you can feel all heidi of the alps on the north side of the park with the view and the rolling meadows. there's a surprising amount of wildlife in this park as well, we've seen wild turkeys, loads of deer and a huge variety of birds. it was the first time that i'd seen my stepson totally into the notion of getting a bird book to identify the different types of birds that are out there.
there's pretty solid traffic from folks trail running and using the park for picnics along the river but interestingly enough the fact that you have to hike to the campsites and haul your kit keeps the noise levels down to nil. which is pretty awesome.
highly recommended, though i'm probably doing myself a big disservice by waxing poetic about this place. -
Review from Carrie S.
Saint Paul, MN
10/2/2009
I love Afton State Park - get a year pass and you get park access to EVERY minnesota state park. We take our dog here when she needs some nature time - ok lets be honest, we do too! We love the varying trails (prairie, woods, riverfront, etc.) and with it being a 15 minute drive from home, totally a great week night trip when it feels nearly deserted.
