ST. PAUL, Minn. — You may be considering heading out this long weekend, but the government is warning you about the impact of flooding.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reports dozens of closures at its parks and recreation areas, including trails, beaches and some other amenities. However, Fort Snelling State Park is the only state park that is completely closed.
“Even with the recent flooding across the state, there are still many great opportunities to enjoy the outdoors this Fourth of July,” said DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen. “As long as you do a little extra planning, are willing to make adjustments, and can be flexible with your plans when you go, you can have a great outdoor experience with your family or friends.”
The DNR’s Recreation Compass is an easy-to-use resource for locating state, federal, and some local public recreation areas. Visitors can also find information on how to make a camping reservation or purchase a fishing license and much more on the DNR website.
The DNR offers the following guidelines for people traveling to any of its 64 parks and nine national forests:
- Do not drive on flooded roads. Hazards may be hidden under flood water.
- Follow road and path closures and signs. Do not drive around barricades.
- Report unsafe state forest trail conditions to your local DNR Forestry office (mndnr.gov/contact/locator.html). Unsafe state trail conditions should be reported to your local Parks and Trails office (mndnr.gov/state_trails/contact.html). Contact information for both can be found on the DNR website (mndnr.gov).
- Report conditions in state parks directly to the park. Contact information for individual state park websites can be found on the DNR’s List of State Parks and Recreation Areas (mndnr.gov/park-list).
In addition to Fort Snelling, Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park has suspended underground tours until further notice due to flooding in the mine. However, surface tours have resumed. Blue Mounds State Park, meanwhile, has suspended its bison and prairie tours due to wet conditions.
“We want people to know that most state parks and trails are fully operational over the holiday weekend, and our staff is working hard to address flood-affected areas,” said Ann Pierce, director of the Parks and Trails Division. “This is a fluid situation, so our best advice to people is to check the detailed visitor alerts on the DNR website as they finalize their plans. We also ask that people observe all closures to stay safe and avoid damaging sensitive resources.”
Jonas Kaplan
