Where: The cave and the state park/camping area are in two different locations.
Mystery Cave is HERE.
Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park entrance is HERE.
State Park Website
Was it worth it? Yes, I give the cave tour an 8/10.
I give the State Park a 5/10.
Highlight: The turquoise lake in the cave
Suggested time here: 2-5 hours
When we visited: August 2021
Mystery Cave
Mystery Cave was discovered in 1937. It’s the longest cave in Minnesota, with over 13 miles of underground passages! The Minnesota DNR offers cave tours throughout select months and if you’re looking for a fun day trip, I’d definitely suggest the cave tour!
How to Buy Tickets
Mystery Cave tours can be booked HERE. The tours are one hour long and right now, because of COVID, they are only offering the scenic tour. In other years they have also offered more adventurous caving tours. Advanced booking is not required but highly recommended since weekend tours can fill up fast.
Important note: You must also buy a ticket(s) for any children under 5 years old. They are free for the under 5’s but you still need to reserve a spot for them.
Things to Know Before You Go
If you’ve been inside a big cave before, this will be about on par with a usual cave experience. Just set up the expectation for kids that it’s going to by chilly, they won’t get to go off and explore on their own, they’ll have to listen to the guide the whole time and that there are NO bathrooms in the cave. One family with small kiddos had to leave about halfway through because the kids were getting too antsy.
No food/drinks/gum are allowed in the cave and you also aren’t allowed any backpacks or big bags (small purses are fine).
In the Cave
On the scenic tour, you’ll get to see quite a few different sections of the cave, including the underground lake (the lake was our fave part). The guide will point out all of the interesting rock formations as you go and you’ll have time to snap a quick photo as you walk past. You don’t have much time to dilly dally though, they move you through the sections pretty quickly.
Side note: This tour is wheelchair/stroller friendly
Visiting Historic Forestville in the State Park
If you drive a short 10 minutes from the cave, you’ll come to the state park entrance. Within the park you’ll find the historic town of Forestville. Forestville ceased to exist as at town as of 1910 but the DNR and the Minnesota Historical Society worked together to create a state park and historical site from its remnants.
There are historic town tours available on certain days in the summer/fall months but they are at an additional cost to the state park entry. See the details HERE. We did not do a tour of Forestville so I can’t say if it’s worth the extra cost or not. After just coming from the cave tour though, my kids were not at all interested in learning the history of the town. I think they were toured out. You can still walk by the buildings, you just can’t go in them without the tour.
Hiking at the State Park
We decided to do one hike in the Forestville town area and one hike at the outer part of the state park. You can find the state park trail map HERE.
We did the short trail to the Zumbro Hill Cemetery and to be honest, my kids complained most of the way. It was hot and buggy and most of the “trail” included a gravel road in the sun. They changed their tune when we found the small but serene cemetery though.
I really do love visiting old cemeteries! I think it’s so fascinating to read the names/dates on the old stones. My boys both ended up really loving this peaceful spot. If you do make your way to this state park, finding this tiny cemetery is a must do in my opinion!
Palisade Trail
On the state park brochure, it highlighted the Palisade Trail as a one mile walk below the “majestic cliffs” and along the river so it caught my eye. To get to the trailhead, you actually have to drive a few minutes outside the park. We passed by the parking lot the first time around because it wasn’t marked and it looked like private property but then after finding the lot, we weren’t exactly sure where the trail was. We ended up finding the trail entrance across the road but again, wasn’t the easiest to find.
This trail was pretty much a dud. It was mostly overgrown grass and although it did bring you alongside the river, it was too overgrown to actually see the river from the trail. I felt like Dora fighting my way through the tall grass/plants to get a photo of the water.
We all agreed there wasn’t anything too majestic about this hike. I got picked on because I was the one that chose this trail. Maybe the late summer is just not the best time for this one. If you go at another time, comment below and let me know your thoughts on it.
Overnight at the Wykoff Jail
You can definitely do this state park/cave tour as a day trip but if you’re looking for something quirky and have a night to spare, head to the town of Wykoff for an overnight in jail. See my blog post all about it HERE.
If you’ve got limited time for your visit, I’d say do the cave tour but skip the visit to Forestville State Park. I think you can find better hiking trails elsewhere.
Have you been to Mystery Cave or Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park? Please comment below!
More Info
- A Minnesota State Park pass is needed for the cave location and state park
- Pre-booking for the cave tour is highly recommended
- Wear closed toed shoes and something warm in the cave
- Scenic cave tour is ADA accessible
- There are a few places to eat in the nearby towns (we went to the A&W drive in)
- There are restrooms & a gift shop at the cave