Dad & Kid Outdoor Adventures
Get dirt under the fingernails. Hikes, bike rides, nature parks, and explore-with-kids spots.
The valley is flat, but there's more to explore than people think — riverside parks, nature playgrounds, miles of paved trail, and real woods and hills just east in lakes country. Here's where to take the kids when everyone needs to burn some energy outside.
Parks & green space in the metro
Big, walkable parks with playgrounds, shade, and room to roam.
Animals, trails & wheels
Worth the short drive (within 60 mi)
When you want real trees and hills.
A gated outdoor park, 20 minutes south
Everything above is free public land you can walk onto. This one charges, keeps a season and closes for weather, which makes it the one to check before you load the car.
Rope & Oak Children’s Nature ParkHickson, ND
Twelve acres of old-growth forest a mile north of Hickson, laid out as a half-mile trail with something to climb, dig or identify at every stop — two ziplines, a bicycle-powered roller coaster, a dino dig, a barefoot sensory trail, and ten geocache-style birdhouse puzzles that pay out a prize if you solve all of them. There is no food on site beyond a build-your-own trail mix bar and a water dispenser, but there are seven picnic tables and you are welcome to bring lunch. Closed-toe shoes are strongly recommended and they mean it — this is dirt and uneven ground, not rubber matting. They close for rain and bad weather and post it to their Facebook page, so check on the day rather than the week before.
- City: Hickson, ND — about 20 miles south of Fargo
- Address: 17449 50th St SE, Hickson, ND 58047
- Season: Open 27 May to 25 October
- Hours: Thu–Fri 12–6pm · Sat–Sun 10am–4pm; closed Mon–Wed
- Last admission: 90 minutes before closing
- Admission: $15 Thu–Fri · $19 Sat–Sun · 2 and under free
- Ages: Most exhibits built for 2–12; height and weight limits on some attractions
- Weather: They often close for rain — closures go to their Facebook page
- Phone: 701-540-8193
Read on the venue's own site September 11, 2026
Close-toed shoes and bug spray. Always. The mosquitoes here are a varsity team — especially near the river at dusk.
Every place on this page was read on its own website, and the date beside each one is the day we read it. What that date does and does not promise.
More in this section: Things To Do in Fargo-Moorhead