Banning State Park

To start the summer adventure season we made a last-minute decision to reserve a camper cabin for one night at Banning State Park. We are on a mission to visit all of Minnesota’s state parks and Banning was a park we knew we wanted to spend more than just an afternoon visiting. An added bonus is that early in the summer the mosquitoes are far less numerous than they are later in the season.

• 

Big Spring Falls

We started our Banning State Park adventure in the Sandstone section with a short hike to Big Spring Falls. To access the trail to Big Spring Falls, you’ll have to drive into the town of Sandstone. See the state park page for directions. It’s just under a mile to trek to the falls and hike back. Most of the trail is easy with a few sections to navigate large rocks and steep climbs.

• 

After Big Spring Falls, we drove to the main park and checked into our camper cabin. We were fortunate to snag the cabin, as it’s the only one in the park. We enjoy staying in the state park’s camper cabins for the convenience of a waterproof shelter and beds with mattresses. You still get the feel of roughing it with a few creature comforts.

• 

• 

• 

Wolf Creek Falls

Our next hike was to Wolf Creek Falls. The trail is easily accessible right from the campground. The trail starts with a wide path in the woods and transitions to rougher and rockier terrain as you approach the falls. From the campground, the hike was about 1.6 miles.

We took a short hiking break to roast hot dogs for dinner at our campsite and play a game of Trash Pandas before ending our day with a 2-mile hike on Quarry Loop Trail. Banning State Park was once the location of Banning Sandstone Quarry. There are several spots along Quarry Trail to see remnants of the quarrying operation that existed here until the early 1900s.

• 

Banning State Park was the perfect place to start the summer adventure season. For more on our state park adventures, visit our posts on the parks of southwestern Minnesota, the parks of the North Shore as well as Itasca, Interstate and Gooseberry Falls to name a few.

Happy Adventuring, Rochelle