For outdoorsy folk, it doesn’t get much better than the 700 acres of trails, swimming quarries, rock climbing walls, and more that’s on offer at Quarry Park and Nature Preserve. Home to oaks, aspens, yellow ladyslippers, Indian paintbrush, and prickly pear cactus, plant enthusiasts will love it here.

Scenic woodlands, open prairie, wetland, and unquarried bedrock all wrestle for your attention, while the 20 former granite mining quarries are still visible in large man-made hills formed from quarried rock remnants. It's our number one pick for good reason.

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How many of these abandoned US quarries have you seen?