Quarry Park and Nature Reserve Review

This place is awsome! Only downside is all the trash visitors leave... miles of garbage all over, and the park has garbage cans everywhere to use, but people have still managed to trash the place.

Great place for families or solo trips to enjoy some natural Minnesota beauty, swim and hike! The trails ultimately loop, so its impossible to get lost, but there's quite a bit of trail to cover. The trails are well maintained and you can pick a short, easy 20 min loop or hike all afternoon.

This place is so much fun. Mile's of bike and walking trails. Exploring new areas is the best part. Love the new family swimming area, and it only costs 5 dollars.

Great place to go for a day walk/hike. The lakes are beautiful and you can climb some of the rock faces.

Amazing park, and the main quarry is a great spot to swim, relax, or cliff jump. There are many interesting and fun fellow humans as well!

Fun place but the larger cliffs are a less family friendly area with lots of college students and teens.

This was our first trip to the quarries of the summer, and it was absolutely beautiful! The water was great, the walk is always nice and relaxing. Lots of pretty neat stuff to look at whilst making the short trek to the swimming hole. My husband and I spend most of our summers here when we're not working, and have made so many great memories! We are in recovery also, and during the summer, usually once a month or so, someone from the recovery circle plans big quarry day fun with food, friends, fun and swimming. This has been a favorite place of mine for years, since my dad brought my brother and I as teenagers, but since I met my husband it's become even more special! Highly recommend!

ranges were very rude and watching us consistently. drones flew over us and recorded us aswell. we never touched the water or doing anything wrong and were being angry

Lots of walking trails. Had the kids and the puppies exhausted. We all slept good that night.

Beautiful place to go swimming and kid friendly! $20 for an annual tag! So worth it!

Very nice place to go swimming with friends and family.

(3/5 when being 'lawful') super fun quarry climbing.

Cliff jumping in quarry 2. Max height was probably 30 feet.

Went there for the first time today with my rc crawler and had a blast, will be going back very soon

clear sailing, relishable sights that will make you laugh alot, a gratifying experience to hold in the memory banks. Fresh air without the feel of pollution.

This place is awesome, quarry #2 is a big party where there is more times than not music, a lot of people chillin, party rafts (you have to bring your own) and there is of course many different cliff jumping spots with heights varying. Bring bug spray and food + drinks also, shoes or sandals as you will need to walk to this lcation. And dont forget to pay to park. The sheriff is always checking for an annual permit in your windows or license plates with daily pay fee in the drop box. Have fun, be safe, and help cheer on first time jumpers, small kids, and spectacular dives or belly flop-ooohs, and those brave people who dare to ride the floating bike (a bike that floats & stays at quarry #2) off the cliffs.

Very fun! We went trout fishing and had a picnic! Whole family just loved it! Don't forget your sunscreen.

Really nice water for swimming, perfect cliffs for jumping and nice trails for walking or biking. I came here on a Tuesday and I had a lot of fun, although there were more people than wanted. I would not recommend going on a Saturday or Friday though, there would be way too many people.

Well cared for and close enough to the cities for a nice drive! Enjoyed this in summer and winter - summertime is definitely busier but it s a unique opportunity to swim in the quarries! You don t know what you re missing until you see this place for yourself

the bodies of water are cool and clean to jump in and swim in. my fav is the bigger quarry, of course for the higher cliffs. they have updated a few things at the park since that last time ive been there 3 years ago. there are nice shelters and picnic areas. the park does look cleaner and is more open.

Awesome place, easy hike and lovely to see during the last snow.

Beautiful and awsome. Its by far the best swimming hold around. You gotta respect the park rangers though. They do a good job of keeping the youngsters from having too much fun. I just wish they would allow adults to partake. If your a smoker just go back to the path, and away from the water. Please people! Let's be respectful and not litter!

Love visiting the quarries! Nice trails and well maintained. Fun for the whole family.

I enjoyed this place a lot as a teen in the early 2000s, I think it's much more well known now a days however cyz it was really crowded the day we went and it wasn't even what I consider a nice summer day. We had fun, and I recommended the beach side if your going with kids or are not a dare devil. Its less crowded and the cliffs aren't as high and one even has steps so the climbing is easy. The water is cold but beautiful definitely clearer than any lake I've ever been to.

A fantastic park. Walking paths, as well as designated swimming areas to cool off in. Paths are marked well. Off road singletrack mtb trails in areas. Walking, biking, running, skiing - this park has it all. In the winter there are groomed and lit xcountry ski trails. If I'm not mistaken the ski trails are maintained by the owners and staff at Revolution Cycle and Ski as well as fellow bike enthusiasts. Don't quote me on it, but I believe the owners of Revolution Cycle and Ski are long time members of MORC which is a chapter of the IMBA. Revolution Cycle and Ski also maintains the Jail Trail as well. If you are looking for the best bike & ski shop in St. Cloud, look no further than Revolution Cycle and Ski. If you've never been there, and/or don't utilize their sales and service... you're missing out.

Saw lots off high school kids and was full off fun activities

Great place to swim, not too far from the Twin Cities. The whole park is kept clean, the water never feels scuzzy, even at the end of the summer. There is typically a large contingent of adolescents, but it s a free country, so you might hear Old Town Road and Cardi B a few times while you re there.

Very fun and beautiful place. Gets kinda crowded on weekends.

Really cool area with great walking trails. inexpensive to get into as well.

Very cool rock structures and swimming holes. Trail is much bigger than shown on Google maps. Great place to walk around as well!

Another terrific bike ride in a park of friendly people! Hats off to Stearns County for providing this peaceful park.

Really fun lace to hike and swim, but can get very busy

U have to take a 15min walk on trails before u even get back to go swimming...

Very nice trails! Good for all levels of hiking. Great place to bring your dog for a walk!

Unbelievably beautiful! Easy walking & breath taking views!

Its fun had a great time! Love it will make this a regular spot!

A great county park. Have spent many hours here hiking and exploring the very interesting sights. The piles of granite are very cool to look at.

Very good place to walk in the natural even while close to the city

Great place to go walking, running, swimming, fishing, skiing, trout fishing or just get some fresh air. It does get sloppy in the spring or if it has been really rainy.

I have never been here but over the last 2 years Google keeps insisting that I've been here and that I write a review. When in fact I go to the business area after the park. Just a tip of advice Google, you should really update your system because it's off by quite a bit and I'd much rather put in a review of places I've actually been.

Fun places to explore!
Good place to be outside.

Fun to jump off the cliffs. Couple fishing holes and plenty of trails!

We had heard lots of great things bout this park. Such a beautiful place to swim. How in the land of 10,000 lakes can so much beauty be tucked away? By far one of the prettiest ponds I've seen in MN. It can get busy on weekends, still nothing like what we've seen at other popular MN beaches.

Even though I lost my sunglasses while jumping off the cliffs into the water, I had a lot of fun.

Great place to go outside and walk around. Good swimming holes and historic notes everywhere. Links to the state parks, lots of trails.

If you bring a life jacket, you can swim okay. There isn't any changing rooms so you gotta bring ur own stuff

The pools are to small for the amount of people who come here. It is overrun with highschool kids and the gate attendant is not all that friendly of a person. It's a nice area with impressive views and a nice shaded trail. I recommend coming early or before school ends to get the most out of it.

Wonderful hiking trails, nice swimming areas. Lots of variety to do and learn

Lots of fun trails to hike on, as well as a great swimming location in the summer.

25ft cliff jump at 100+ ft quarry. Great water and lots of fun. It should be free (5$ 1 day 20$ for year) considering there are no life guards, scam for money if you ask me. Great other wise

Great swimming spot and I loved how they opened Quarry 11 for families!!! I would give this place four stars because they turned us away because the parking lot was overflowing. Luckily we only live 10 minutes away, but if we drove from Minneapolis, we'd be super ticked off! They should have prepared themselves for hot weekend days, like overflow parking lot(s). Oddly, we returned a week later and the parking lot was nearly full and they closed a section of parking lot for a plastic rock climbing wall??? Anyway the reason for full five stars is this place provides a true swimming experience, unlike St. Cloud Park & Rec's atrocious and unsafe rule related to coast guard approved flotations at their community *coughs* wading pools (still can't believe they took out the municipal pool *rolls eyes*). We've lived in NY, VA, and IL and was able to use the coast guard approved flotations at community pools and we can't here in St. Cloud. Strange, so quarry is our place to go for a true, positive, and productive swimming experience!

This place is beautiful. Great for friends and families. Trails are clearly marked. Maps provided. There a several quarries, places to fish, hike, walk, picnic areas, and even rock-climbing.

Stearns county sherriffs office is ruining good peoples experience. Will never come back or donate to stearns county

Beautiful park, lots of trails, nook's, crannys, and places to get lost in. If you haven't been here yet, make some time and visit.

it was so fun. this place will become an unforgettable experience for me and my friends. the only downside was that we went when it was showering so there were lots of mosquitoes and gnats. the water is very nice and a little cold but what do ya expect when it s 70 degrees.

This place is amazing to get exercise or see beautiful scenery. I cannot wait for fishing to open up in the park in a week!

Really cool! Emerald Green pools dot the forest surrounded by mounds of granite slabs. Safe from wind on a November afternoon.

Enjoy a patch of nature in the middle of the suburbs.

It was awasome but the pool heater was broken today.

Not great for scuba divers, vary busy at swimming hole

What a neat place! An old granite quarry with trails and a nature preserve, there is plenty to take in. When you done hiking or climbing one of the many quarry walls take a dip in one of the swimming holes or cast a rod out and catch some trout. There is also cliffs ranging from 5ft to 30ft you can jump off to cool off. Definitely a great summer day, unfortunately we went on a cold November day but still very nice.

Very very awesome place! Get there early to avoid the kids, bring a floaty!

I love this place. Almost forget your close to the city.

Nice well marked trails, good views, deep green water in the swimming areas. Be sure to bring cash for parking.

This place is an awesome place to hike. Can't wait to try biking or one of the swimming holes.