Quarry Park and Nature Preserve — Attraction in Waite Park

I was extremely displeased with this place. My family and I had come specifically to the St Cloud area of Minnesota after having finished some work in Minnesota, and we're really looking forward to finding a swimming hole to swim in. We ended up staying in a hotel out there just so we could do this, and mind you we are a blue collar family with very little money. When we got to the Quarry Park and nature preserve, we were charged $10 to enter this park, and we had to walk from the parking lot to the first Quarry we visited, which was completely taken over by college age students, with no families, and no beach. Then we had to walk another long-distance, carrying all of our beach materials, to the second quarry, where there was a tiny beach, filled to the brim, and all of the other smaller inlets, taken over by more College kids. That wasn't the worst of it though. We have two Australian Cattle dogs, who we were promising over and over, could swim in one of these swimming holes with us, and though there are signs all over the park stating that dogs were allowed to walk on the trails and the like, each of the swimming holes we came across, said no dogs allowed. I asked multiple people, that worked at this place, why dogs were not allowed, and they told me because of contamination issues the dogs would bring to the water LMAO! And I retorted, humans are dirtier than dogs and more disgusting, and bring more contamination to the water than the dogs do. Wild animals defecate and urinate near and or in the water constantly, and I have lived in areas like Colorado where humans are defecating in the rivers and the lakes! And these people have the audacity to tell me that my dogs are not allowed to swim with their family in a swimming hole because of contamination concerns?!? That is absolutely ridiculous! If you have a dog, and are a family that wants to go swimming in a swimming hole, don't bring your family here, don't waste your money and definitely don't waste your time! So we ended up going to a park somewhere else, and going into a splash pad, that our pups really enjoyed, as did our kids, and by the way...

This place has held the greatest memories for me since i found the place to bring my girlfriend swimming in the summer of 2012 when i was 17. My son and myself carried season passes since he was 6. He is now 10. My boy he could probably find his way out if deserted because of how often we would purposely try to get lost in the woods together on walks so i could develop his internal navigation system. We should have gotten a dog when he lived with me, but i am glad i got a dog to replace the sound of footsteps next to me as i stayed in the town he left.

My son rode bike through the woods since he was strong enough to pedal a big kid bike, even with training wheels digging into the dirt. I walked faster than he could bike back then, but nothing was more rememberable than the times he would fly behind me on his fat tire bike.

We also fished there quite a few times, our spot was near the cliff jumping area. He was a reason i didn’t need a fishing license, but we didn’t know that at first so he had to be the only one allowed to handle our fishing equipment and fish. It was how i got him to hold onto a pole for longer than it takes to become bored. He did not catch any fish. We started going to the beach instead. He can’t swim but he has the balls to jump off a baby cliff into the water after a half hour of convincing during my doggy paddle & V-bucks reward. He earned it and we love that beach.

Its $5 to park if you don’t buy a $20 season pass sticker for your vehicle. Its packed in the summer because of the beach and swimming area that has cliffs...

One of the most unique “natural” swimming locations I’ve ever come across. We try to make it every year, but my wife worries too much and doesn’t want to go. Too stressed about other people’s kids maybe getting hurt.

It’s a dangerous place if you do stupid stuff. The first time we were there a teenage girl did a flip off the big rock, over rotated, and smacked her face in the water knocking out her two front teeth. It’s dangerous.

But, if you want to just jump in feet first, it’s really fine. Plus you don’t HAVE to do anything of the sort. It’s an option if you’d like to. The last time we were there the kids just brought life jackets and a SUP board and floated around in the water in the middle. There aren’t a lot of places that are 100’ deep 10 feet from shore.

The water is deep. And cold. But no weeds, it’s too deep.

And that’s the “big” swimming area. The other area has a fake beach and smaller rocks to jump off. It’s a fun area also.

There are a lot of high school and college kids here. They do things kids that age do. Mostly dumb stuff showing off for girls. If you decide not to do stupid things, this place is awesome and perfectly safe. But if you are going to worry about what travesty might befall other people’s kids due to their reckless actions, this isn’t the place for you.

I just like being in a place around younger folk where everyone isn’t on their phone. It’s kind of weird, really. There are conversations and actual interactions. It’s a fun place and worth the hour drive...