ST PAUL, Minn. — Get out and enjoy the great outdoors at one of Minnesota's state parks this Saturday - for free!
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) waives entrance fees on four days each year, one day each season. This year's spring free park day is Saturday, April 27.
Minnesota has 65 state parks and nine recreation areas. According to the DNR, most Minnesotans live within 30 miles of at least one state park. The DNR says free park day is designed to encourage families to spend time together outdoors, as research shows is can have benefits for health and well-being.
Other free park days this year will be:
- Saturday, June 8, 2024
- Friday, Nov. 29, 2024
Visitors should note that while you get into a park or recreation area for free, the entrance fee waiver doesn't cover other park fees for activities like camping, tours, or rentals.
According to the DNR, Minnesota state parks received nearly 10 million visitors and 1 million campers every year. The most popular parks are Gooseberry Falls, northeast of Two Harbors on the North Shore; Fort Snelling in St. Paul; Itasca, the headwaters of the Mississippi River; and Tettegouche and Split Rock Lighthouse, also on the North Shore.
Find a complete list of Minnesota state parks and recreation areas on the Minnesota DNR website.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
