Vermillion Falls Park — Attraction in Hastings

This park is great for anyone looking to go on a nice trail walk, hike, or bike ride. Some paths may be a little small for biking but I didn't find it difficult to find paths that would be suitable for biking. Furthermore, there is plenty of open lawn space to have a picnic as well. Although I did not explore the entire park, walking a little further down the trails and across the signature bridge with locks on it, one can also find space to take a dip in the water a little ways down from the falls. In terms of refreshments near the park there is a small plaza with a Dunkin' Donuts and a Dairy Queen very close. Once on the trails there is nowhere to go to the restroom but porta pottys are there in the open lawn area. The falls is situated right next to an old mill which is a great sight to see but I don't think it can be explored. Lastly, the falls are just a small part of the park experience here and the real fun lies in the trails beyond and...

The Vermillion Falls Park is gem that you may easily overlook as you drive past the Ardent Mills facility along side Highway 61 (Vermillion Street). Turn east onto 21st Street East, a short distance south of the mill, to get to the park entrance. I visited in late October when the trees were decked out in brilliant red and yellow. Beautiful! The falls are cut into a limestone escarpment. Although the river is small, the vertical drop of the main cascade is 35 feet and there are several smaller drops both upstream and downstream of the main falls. There is a hiking trail that crosses the river via a high bridge to the east of the falls. You'll find the chain-link fence along the sides of bridge is covered with padlocks left by lovers wanting to seal their commitment. It's well worth a stop. In good weather, bring a picnic...

My wife and I visited this park on a late fall day that was not very nice so maybe that clouded my judgement. We love nature and while I appreciate trying to preserve the small bits of nature left in metropolitan areas I am not a fan of the placement of the mill next to this beautiful waterfall. History is a part of some of our greatest parks and this park is no different I just wish they could have put the mill either up stream or down stream. That said I feel like the city, county, or state could do a little better job preserving this site. The infrastructure is there and quite nice but we saw a lot of trash and graffiti everywhere (which is more put on the people more then the operators). Leave no trace. Take only pictures leave only footprints. Sorry for the negative review I’m just...