The daring kayakers and canoeists who shoot Blueberry Slide, Mother's Delight, Dragon's Tooth, Little Banning, and Hell's Gate each spring attract spectators to the park.

The topsoil is very thin and in the center of the park the river has cut down through Precambrian sandstone known as the Hinckley Formation and on into the bedrock, resulting in a gorge—up to 40 feet (12 m) tall at Hell's Gate—and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of rapids.

These were formed at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation when the river was swollen by the melting ice, and powerful eddies sent debris swirling around and around, literally drilling shafts into the streambed.

[4] The vegetation in this part of the Mille Lacs Uplands is still recovering from 19th century human industry and forest fires.

Today middle-successional species like birch and aspen are more prevalent than the Norway and eastern white pines that would have originally dominated the area.

Commonly spotted mammals include white-tailed deer, black bear, fox, coyote, raccoon, beaver, and snowshoe hare.

[4] The durable, pink-colored sandstone exposed by the river was an ideal construction material, and in 1892 quarrying began after the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad laid a spur to the outcrop.

Within the quarry most of the easily extractable high-quality sandstone was gone, and there was a nationwide architectural move away from stone to structural steel.

A bill to this effect was ratified in 1963, although the state didn't acquire enough land to begin developing recreational facilities until 1967.

[citation needed] Banning State Park's drive-in campground has 33 sites (11 with electrical hookups), a camper cabin, and showers.