Where:  9653 Keats Ave S, Cottage Grove, MN 55016
Washington County Ravine Park website

Was it worth it? Yes, I give it a 7/10

Highlight: Quiet trails

Suggested time here: 1-2 hours

When we visited: We have visited this park regularly since 2011

The Best Cottage Grove Hiking Trails

Cottage Grove definitely can’t boast about their abundance of good hiking trails but they have a winner with Ravine County Park. We’ve been coming here since my boys were babies and it’s an awesome place to go for a quick dose of nature when you need it!

What’s There to do at Ravine Park?

Trails

There are quite a few miles of trails at Ravine. See the SUMMER TRAIL MAP and the WINTER TRAIL MAP. One path is paved, which is great for biking, strollers and wheelchairs, and then the rest of the trails are unpaved. If you head here on a weekday, you’ll probably have the trails to yourself, which is the best part of this park!

Playground

The county recently demolished the old playground and then constructed a new one next to the main parking lot. I liked the old playground better. It was shady, had a really cool, tall (and kind of scary) slide that my kids loved and was geared towards older kids. The newfangled, fancy rubber floored one is for smaller children, which is fine, but means that it’s pretty boring for the older ones.

Fishing

If you’re a holder of a MN fishing license, you can fish in Ravine Lake. Find more fishing info HERE. We aren’t fisherpeople, but we always go on the dock for some turtle watching!

Winter Snowshoeing & Cross Country Skiing

We became hooked on snowshoeing this past winter and Ravine is a great place for it! There are two designated snowshoeing trails but you are welcome to snowshoe anywhere in the park, as long as you don’t go on the ski trails. Check the winter trail map above for more info on what is allowed on each of the trails.

• 

• 

Goats!

Seeing goats here was a fun surprise! The county brings them in a few times a year to eat the invasive plants. Check the park’s main website for up to date goat news!

Worth A Visit

I wouldn’t drive here from faraway places but if you live within 20 minutes or so of Ravine I think it’s definitely worth stopping by! If you live in Cottage Grove, this might become your new fave place to escape to!

If you’re looking for something else to do nearby, check out my posts on kayak rental on Grey Cloud Island, exploring Carpenter Nature Center in Hastings or the hitting the trails at the Grey Cloud Dunes Science Nature Area (post coming soon).

Have you been to Ravine Park?

Happy Exploring!

More Info

• You’ll need a Washington County Park Permit to visit (more info HERE)
• Leashed pets allowed
• Fishing allowed (with license)
• Do NOT keep any valuables in your vehicle, breaks ins happen.
• They have porta potties right now but I think there will be restrooms in the new picnic shelter (under construction currently)
• There are a few parking lots but the main one is by the playground