Sandstone, MN

Sandstone is a Pine County city of 2,462 residents in the 2020 census, on the Kettle River where I-35 and Minnesota 18 and 23 run through the community. The river and the old quarry give the town its shape more clearly than a population number: Robinson Quarry Park sits on the eastern edge of the city in a former sandstone quarry, with historic structures and rock walls left in the landscape. The city keeps the park open year-round, so the quarry remains part of the calendar in every season.

Robinson Park stays in use year-round for hiking, fishing, camping, bouldering, climbing, and winter ice climbing. Downstream, Banning State Park carries the Kettle through a whitewater stretch, and the Kettle River Paddle Festival links the two parks with a three-mile run for canoeists and kayakers. Sandstone also connects to the Munger State Trail and the Audubon Center of the North Woods. The local map is a small highway city whose quarry past and river recreation still meet at the edge of town.