Nerstrand Big Woods State Park — Hotel in Northfield

This is a beautiful par for this area. You won't find much in farm country so for that it gets 5 stars. Be warned it is muddy when it rains and in the Spring through early summer on some of the trails. The park is protecting their wildflower species so you have to stay on the trail. In the spring guides volunteer to tell you about flora/fauna. There is also Rice Lake SP (30 miles South) if you want a quieter and more secluded experience but the facilities are not as nice. The stream that makes the falls is impassable at times so if you want to hike across the stream call first. The natural park is tons of fun for the kids and this is a little Gem in the middle of nowhere. The camprgounds are well kept and have bathrooms/showers. The camprgound is seasonal only. I will say the clearance in the campground is iffy so if you have a large 5th wheel or bus it may not be passable around the loop. Its a very busy park, the campground is smoky in the summers as the sites are close to each other but it's still natural and pretty. There are sites with tree cover and sites with only a few trees. There is a dump and fresh water (not sure if it is potable or not). There is not a lot to do in this area so a 1 to 2 night stay would be sufficient. In the late Summer/Fall the water falls are pretty dry and there is nowhere to swim for the little ones. This is not a swimming place for adults. Its fun to walk the stream and explore though. You can go pretty far. A weekday would be prefered for a stay as sometimes it gets crowded...

I love this place with all my heart. It’s so beautiful, is kept very clean, and they seem to always be adding something here or there that makes the place better. The latest thing I saw was a new couple of installations for children’s play equipment… They were very earth friendly, and aesthetically beautiful.

There are miles and miles of walking trails, at all sorts of different difficulty ranges. They even have a trail for snowshoeing in the winter!

They have a day rate, or you can actually just buy a pass inside the building during business hours. If you are there after hours, you can just put your money in an envelope outside the door of the building, and slide it in the slot. The envelopes have little tear off tabs you can put in your windshield so you can park there without being ticketed by the Ranger that drives around every now and again.

By the way, I think the building that is open during business hours also sells some T-shirts and sweatshirts and other memorabilia.

The river is gorgeous, and the falls are everything! I love the autumn here, but I have to say pretty much any season at Big Woods will take your breath away. I am including a picture of the falls from fall 2017, and one of the walking path I took...

This place is super cool! This was our first time trying it out & we were very impressed. There was a ravine behind our campsite that the kids (& grownups too) loved to explore and at dusk, the WHOLE area lit up with hundreds & hundreds of fireflies! It was truly magical! The campsite itself was private & roomy with a more than ample tent pad (probably enough space for 4- 2 person tents (on pea rock)) The falls were gorgeous & overall kid friendly (shallow water to wade in prior to, as well as behind the falls), but were a little crowded mid- day. We went in the early morning however & had them all to ourselves. Very clean bathrooms with modern amenities (hot water & showers) & any staff/ rangers we encountered were very helpful & friendly. There were also plenty of hiking trails to choose from. We did the hidden falls trail from our campground & it was only about a 10-15 minute walk (the shorter path is a bit steep though, but still manageable). Beaver trail was wooded & lovely, & although there were some persistent gnats, the forest scenery was absolutely breathtaking & totally worth that minor annoyance! We...