OutdoorMN News - State parks and forests still have campsites available for Fourth of July weekend

[Rick]

Campers looking for a place to get away for the Fourth of July holiday weekend may be relieved to find out that there are still plenty of campsites available at Minnesota state parks, state recreation areas and state forests. 

As of mid-week, several state parks and recreation areas in northwestern and southern Minnesota still had 10 or more campsites available for four-day stays (arriving June 30 and departing July 4).

In northwestern Minnesota, those parks included:

• Lake Bronson State Park, which has a beach and a lookout tower.
• Old Mill State Park.
• Schoolcraft State Park.
• Zippel Bay State Park, on the south shore of Lake of the Woods.

In southern Minnesota, those parks included:

• Blue Mounds State Park.
• Fort Ridgely State Park.
• Kilen Woods State Park.
• Lac qui Parle State Park.
• Myre-Big Island State Park.
• Rice Lake State Park.

Many additional parks have sites available for shorter stays. To find out exactly where the remaining sites are available, visit www.mndnr.gov/reservations and use the “search all parks” function for the dates when you plan to travel. As travel plans change, there are sometimes cancellations, so the inventory of available sites changes all the time.

Reservations are now required for all overnight stays at Minnesota state parks and recreation areas, but campsites at state forest campgrounds are all first-come, first-served.

No time for an overnight stay? Just come for the day to hike, bike, rent a canoe or attend one of the many programs and special events scheduled throughout the weekend. Weekend programs include:

• Bruce the Bug Guy, 1-2 p.m. Saturday, July 1, Wild River State Park.
• Live mammals, 5-6 p.m. Saturday, July 1, St. Croix State Park.
• Live music, 6:30-8 p.m. Sunday, July 2, Itasca State Park.
• A red, white and blue scavenger hunt, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, July 3, Sibley State Park.
• A Fourth of July Flotilla down Tamarac River, 2-4 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, Big Bog State Recreation Area.
• Guided tours of Mystery Cave, Soudan Underground Mine and Hill Annex Mine. Reservations recommended; visit www.mndnr.gov/reservations for more information, including times and prices.
• For complete listings, visit the online calendar.

For more information, contact the DNR Information Center at [email protected] or 888-646-6367 (8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday).

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