Minnehaha Falls located in Minneapolis, MN. is noted to be one of the oldest and most popular parks in Minneapolis. At the present time, it is experiencing its first drought in over a decade so I am glad we decided to take the time to explore it earlier this summer. When deciding to visit, we were unsure of what to expect but the pictures online made the park look very alluring. What we knew for sure is there was a waterfall and we would have a very nice hike.

Upon arrival we were turned around because we couldn’t determine where to start. We parked and stood in one spot looking until we saw a flow of traffic and a stream of water. We followed the crowd (masked up, of course) and immediately heard the flow of the waterfalls. Although we were behind the cascade of water, we could tell the view was going to be astounding. We decided to hike a short trail that would place us directly in front of the waterfall. The scenery was thrilling. We stood around with other bystanders taking pictures and watching a gentleman scale the walls in an attempt to reach the top of the waterfall.

After basking in the beauty of the waterfall, we took off on our hike to see what else was going on. My husband and son had a race to the top of some rocks, my husband crossed a small body of water using a log and finally we found the road less traveled. We were one of few families that decided to take the hike that would place us on a “beach” in front of the Mississippi River. The hike was very quiet and whole others were present, we had once again stumbled upon complete tranquility.

After listening to the flow of the water and skipping rocks on the water, we headed back to the waterfall. We took more pictures from another angle. We grabbed treats from the ice cream truck before heading to the house of John H. Stevens for a quick tour.

After hearing the latest news, I am devastated that tourists and even the residents of the city of Minneapolis are not having an opportunity to enjoy this historic park. It is definitely family oriented and gives you another opportunity to enjoy God’s creations.