CARLOS — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources offers free admission to all 75 Minnesota state parks and recreation areas on Saturday, June 11, to get all Minnesotans outdoors.
There are four days of the year when the DNR offers"Free Park Day" — vehicle permits to enter state parks and recreation areas are not required. June 11 is the third one of the year, and the last one falls on Friday, Nov 25.
The entrance fee waiver does not cover activities like camping, rentals or tours.
Research shows that spending time outdoors in nature provides multiple health and wellness benefits, according to the DNR.
“Minnesota state parks and recreation areas are open year-round to provide places for people to recharge from life’s everyday demands and be surrounded by the beauty of nature,” said Ann Pierce, director of the DNR Parks and Trails Division. “We hope that visitors who go to a state park or recreation area for the first time on Free Park Day will have fun and want to come back.”
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The upcoming Free Park Day coincides with National Get Outdoors Day, which occurs annually on the second Saturday in June.
More than 40 programs are offered in state parks and recreation areas throughout Minnesota in honor of National Get Outdoors Day. All programs are free, but some require pre-registration.
For a complete list of programs, with times and locations, visit the DNR’s events calendar ( mndnr.gov/State_Parks/Events.html ).
Contact the DNR Information Center by emailing info.dnr@state.mn.us or by calling 888-646-6367 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays.
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