Anoka County Parks

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Andover, MN
Anoka County Parks

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More than 11,500 acres of natural spaces with 14 parks, 3 conservation/natural areas, 2 campgrounds, Bunker Beach Water Park, Chomonix Golf Course, Wargo Nature Center, recreation activities, and programs opportunities. The county will not edit or alter posts or comments by citizens. However; the county may remove comments that do not promote civil discussion. The following will be removed:
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10/22/2026

🪨 Minnesota’s Geologic History 🪨
1. Minnesota contains some of the oldest rocks on earth; Morton Gneiss which can be found in western Minnesota has been dated to 3.6 billion years old.

2. Minnesota was the location of a continental rift 1.1 billion years ago. The continent attempted to separate, releasing lava across what is now the North Shore of Minnesota down into Iowa and parts of Kansas.

3. While Minnesota lacks dinosaur fossils you can find a wide variety of Marine fossils from 500-225 million years ago, including shark and early archosaur teeth.

4. In the banded iron formations of the Iron Range, you can find fossilized stromatolites; evidence of the first signs of life on the planet.

5. Known as the "Land of 10,000 lakes", Minnesota contains more than 15,000 lake basins. Only 4 of 87 counties in Minnesota are devoid of lakes and 1 county contains a salt lake.

10/20/2026

🍁🍂 Fall color alert in our parks!
C**n Rapids Dam Regional Park is turning into a vibrant kaleidoscope, perfect for river-front strolls and scenic selfies on the trails.

Feeling adventurous? Paddle through golden trees on the Mississippi with Voyageur canoe trips and catch the leaves dancing on the water.

Plus, don’t miss Wargo Nature Center’s Fall Festival this Saturday, October 24 from 1 – 3 pm. Play pioneer games, crank the c***r press, and enjoy the crisp fall air.

10/15/2026

More than 1,800 community members joined us at Heritage Lab, sponsored by Connexus. Visitors explored Minnesota’s rich history of mining, milling, and lumbering through fun, hands on activities for all ages. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event such a success, we loved celebrating the industries that shaped our region!

10/13/2026

🍁🍂 FREE Entrance Tuesday! 🍂🍁
Take a stroll through golden trails, snap a few season photos, or just relax under the changing canopy. However you enjoy fall, the parks are waiting for you!

10/08/2026

🍂 Spiders in the trees? If you’ve noticed silky tents at the ends of tree branches lately, you are likely seeing fall webworms.

Here’s what to know:
• These caterpillars create silky webbing that contain leaves, frass, and little leaf pieces.

• They can chew through entire leaf sections, sometimes defoliating parts of a tree during heavy infestations.

• Caterpillars are yellowish green, about 1 inch long, with fine white hairs and two rows of black spots along their back.

• Good news: They do not harm healthy trees.

• After about six weeks of feeding, they leave the webbing and tuck themselves into bark crevices or soil to form cocoons.

• They overwinter there and emerge as moths in spring.

Information from University of Minnesota and Michigan State University.

10/06/2026

🎉 Celebrate fall at Wargo Nature Center! We’ll crank up the c***r press, play pioneer games, and have fun self-guided nature activities.

🦺 You can also volunteer before the festival activities begin. Free opportunity for ages 11+ from 10 am to 12 pm.

🍎 FREE FALL FESTIVAL Saturday, October 24 | 1 - 3 pm
Wargo Nature Center 7701 Main Street, Lino Lakes, MN 55038

10/01/2026

Enjoy the month of October with these great activities:

FREE Lunch with a Naturalist: Minnesota's Geologic History 🪨 10/7 - (Ages 16+) Wargo; 11:30 am – 1 pm

FREE Once Upon a Story Time: Treasure of the Trees 🌳 10/13 - (Ages 2+ with Adult) Wargo; 9 – 10 am

FREE Walk with a Naturalist 🥾 10/17 - (All Ages) Manomin; 10:30 – 11:30 am

Fat Tire Biking 🚲 10/28 – (Ages 15+) Rice Creek Chain of Lakes; 4 – 6 pm

09/29/2026

After almost a dozen years of being a park services specialist, I’ve seen a lot of incidents and have responded to more emergencies than I can remember. Recently, a woman on her bicycle approached me at Bunker Hills and recognized me as one of the first responders to a terrible accident that took place at Bunker—one that I have never forgotten and think about often.

She and her husband, along with their young daughter, were riding their bicycles along the trails. The dad had a one-wheel tandem tag-a-long unit attached behind his bike, which provided an additional seat for his daughter. Somehow, the pin that held the tandem to the dad’s bike came undone, and the little girl went tumbling end over end along the trail, being dragged across the blacktop and badly wounded. Though she was wearing a helmet, she had several deep cuts and scrapes on her body, but the worst one was above her left eyebrow. She had a gaping gash deep enough that a grape would easily fit inside.

I figured she would need plastic surgery. I helped with the gauze, ice, and words of encouragement before the paramedics got there. Right before they put her in the ambulance, I remembered that I had a tiny stuffed animal in my medical bag. I gave it to the little girl, hoping to distract her from the trauma. She held on to it as they took her away to the hospital.

The woman told me that she was the mom of the little girl, and she would never forget how I helped her that day. Then, her daughter rode up on her bicycle. She was a lot taller as the incident occurred two years ago. Her mom introduced us and told her that I was the park services specialist who helped her that day. She showed me her scars from the accident. Surprisingly, the one on her forehead healed remarkably well, and I was so relieved. The girl told me that she still has the little stuffed animal that I gave her that day. She named it Pandy.

Sometimes incidents occur, and I never know the outcome or if I made a difference. In this case, I don’t have to wonder anymore. Park services specialists make a significant, positive impact in the lives of those we help. — Park Services Specialist, Sheila

09/22/2026

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”
– F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Great Gatsby”

Happy first day of autumn! 🍂 🤩

09/18/2026

Birds navigate using the setting sun, the stars, and the Earth's magnetic field. Many small songbirds like warblers, thrushes, and orioles migrate under the cover of darkness. Night air is calmer and cooler, which keeps their tiny bird bodies from overheating during longer flights. 🐦 🌃

Address

550 Bunker Lake Boulevard NW
Andover, MN
55304

Telephone

(763) 324-3300

Website

https://www.anokacountyparks.com/, https://www.anokacountyparks.com/wargo-nature-center

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