Need a place to get away from it all but don’t want to rough it at the Grey Cloud Dunes or head clear out of town?

Ravine Regional Park off Keats Avenue, could be for you.

Consisting of 515 acres of hills and heavily wooded ravine along with old field and prairie, the park features both summer and winter features for the avid outdoors person, including (for summertime) bicycling, a canoe and kayak launch, fishing pier, grilling area, and hiking trails, along with rentable indoor facilities.

Reached with a self-service pay station at the entrance off Keats Avenue, the summertime offerings at Ravine Regional Park include several trail loops, from paved bike trails to “minimum maintenance” options.

Come winter, the hiking trails convert to ski and snowshoe routes, although an occasional “steep hill”—it’s a ravine after all—mean that one should maintain an awarenesses of their surroundings. With most winter trails one way, a two-way connector or two allows one to choose their own path through the environment. The park includes Paleozoic (greek: “Old Life”) rocks along with Precambrian (very old) bedrock and powder mill volcanic rocks as well, for the short list.

True to name, Ravine Regional Park exists along an old rock break (“fault”) extending towards Old Cottage Grove to the northeast and Mississippi River to the southwest, the fault inactive today but still very much relevant to the present as it relates to water transfer and recharge.

Among the wildlife that call the park home are grouse, rabbits, ermine, deer, and many bird species.

With so much to explore and just minutes from home, Ravine Regional Park on Keats Avenue is a local treasure. Why not check it out today?

Vehicle permits are required on all vehicles entering the park.