River Bend Nature Center

Always have fun here. Great trails and extremely well kept.

Beautiful place with lots of trails, river views, a water fall and scenic views for your delight. Birds in different colors and sizes, deer, squirrels, frogs, snails, turtles and more you can find to feed your curiosity. There are two main areas for parking, very clean and spacious.

Definitely a place the you need to visit with friends and family, so you can have a relaxing time surrounded by nature.

I love the River Bend Nature Center. #faribaultmn

The riverbend nature center is a real gem. It is as large and as nice as many of our state parks and is free to the public. It is not uncommon for me to see more deer than people and the wildflowers are abundant. It has a nice mix of prairie, woods, bluffs, and river.

A beautiful rustic path along the Straight River. Comfortable to walk the owl path, it's calm, and the nature sounds are abundantly clear. If you stay quiet the whitetail, finches, and cardinals appear with out a doubt. Great picnic areas for a park lunch.

Growing up near here, field trips to the nature Center were always a highlight. As I grew up, I came to understand this place is entirely privately funded; there is no city, state or county control.
River Bend Nature Center is physically and programmatically well-maintained. Trails are groomed and cared for, and they have programs for all ages to learn about nature and take part in activities.
I especially loved mountain biking here as a teenager and just recently returned to ride the trails again after many years away.
I was glad to find it as it was twenty years ago — with enlightening displays, engaging and helpful staff and volunteers, and the well-known trails that inspired my love of nature many years ago.

It has many types of ecosystems here and many miles of trails to go through. I cannot wait to come back this summer when full foliage is in full effect! Some flats, hills, woods, the river, a little marsh land, some parie like land.

Really beautiful park with 10 miles of trails and a nice variety of topography.

I prefer to be alone in nature as far from people as possible. That's how I mentally reset. Kind of a walking meditation, I suppose. If that's what you're into, I recommend exploring well beyond the trails near the Interpretive Center. The longer you walk, the less likely you are to see someone, and the more likely you are to see some of the hidden beauty.

With trails that are delightfully easy to navigate, and exciting surprises around every turn, this park is well worth a long drive. A massive eagle even perched on a tree so near to me!

This is one of the most beautiful nature areas in the mid-west. We love it. Great trails.

I have always loved coming here. Biking, hiking, walking and running.. It's got every kind of trail you are hoping for. It's also safe and very kid friendly!

Lovely nature center. Loved the waterfall and walking paths. Nice wetland area.

Nice place .. Located few minutes from Saint Paul. If you want to go to a place outside of the cities for peace.

The Riverbend Nature Center is a great place to relax get back to Mother Nature and if you're lucky you even get to see some of that mother nature like I did today a deer barely but got to see it some frogs Turtles and some ducks.

I love this place!!! Visit as many times as I can a year. We have taken many walks there.. follow a lot of deer trails now as we have traveled all the routed trails. 🥰 Very peaceful and has a lot of background to learn.

We LOVE Riverbend. We go weekly. With Kids, my husband and I go alone, we bring our dog sometimes. It's great for EVERYONE AND ANYONE. Highly recommend it. The photo is of my son we went with his kindergarten class. He was a bear.. They do a great job. Highly recommend it for field trips as well.

Gorgeous trails along many many miles or adventure!

What a great place to take photos! So much nature to explore with my children. Very friendly staff and knowledgeable. They were able to answer all my questions.

Love hiking here. Lots of trails and beautiful scenery.

Love the River Bend Nature Center. I happened to hear some leaves crackling on the trail. Turned in time to see a deer run across the trail. Further down l saw a beaver lodge. Coming back l did see a beaver busily swimming along in another lake or pond. The trees are awesome looking. Enjoyed my day at the nature center.

River Bend is a little jewel in the Faribault area. The trails are quite variable, ranging from prairies to dense forests to riverside clearings, and they are well maintained. Some are paved and some aren't, so you can choose how much effort you want to put in to your hike. There is a great outdoor natural play area that my kids adore, and the visitors' center is a big hit with them, too. There are lots of nature-themed toys and books for the little ones inside, and caretakers can relax nearby and read from the adult library or admire the wildlife that visits the feeding station next to the large observation windows. My family loves River Bend, and we make a point to come here at least once a month.