Nerstrand Woods State Park
About
To enter the state parks, you need a state permit. Potable water and non-potable rinse water are available at the RV dump station.
Amenities & Services
Water
Reviews
Based on 1,496 reviews
I had a great visit to Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. The trails are well maintained and easy to follow, and the wooded setting makes it a peaceful place to spend time outdoors. Hidden Falls is definitely worth the walk and is a nice highlight of the park. The area was clean, quiet, and well cared for, with plenty of space to hike and enjoy nature. It’s a great spot for a relaxing day outside, and I would definitely come back again.
Great Park with some really nice trails. Park ranger Andy there super nice and very knowledgeable. Beautiful area with the hidden falls. Learned a lot about trees and rock formations that was super interesting. Also learned about a specific species of flowers that only grows in three counties in Minnesota and nowhere else in the world! Would be an absolutely fantastic field trip for a school or a group of homeschool kids.
Our first time here and we highly recommend. Thursday afternoon was perfect, Hardly anyone here. Beautiful park with clearly marked and well maintained trails. Check the website for the rangers hours (limited right now), you may need to purchase day pass online. Our planned destination was hidden falls. Not a lot of water this time, but still a beautiful hike! Dog friendly.
It’s a great gift to the area that this special place is set aside. A lot of nice hills and beautiful trees. Good heart workout and nice hiking club hike. There are areas of ropes which are intended to preserve an endangered species. One of the farther east trails absolutely stinks from a chicken farm nearby. Otherwise, it is a great place and I hope to go back soon.
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park is a surprising hidden gem among the prairie and farmland of southern Minnesota. It offers lots of well cared for hiking trails with moderate elevation changes. There are a number of interesting interpretive markers. Prairie Creek is very shallow, so the water flow of Hidden Falls varies greatly depending on recent rainfall. The photos and videos included in this review are after a couple days of rain.