Devil Track Lake was the site of a Fourth of July boat parade. More than 25 watercraft participated in the July 4th parade, circling the lake in a long line of boats and jet skis. Many were decked out in American flags on a hot sticky day, perfect for such an activity as this. Staff photo/Brian Larsen
A quick drive through the Grand Marais Recreation Park on June 16 left one to wonder if COVID-19 was over and done with. Campers and RVs filled the park. It looked like every square inch of the campground was taken.
How was that possible when the park only fully opened the day before?
With Highway 61 under major construction through Grand Marais and many stores open under restricted hours because of a lack of J1 Visa workers this summer—or closed completely because of the rules surrounding the COVID-19 virus—plus a heat wave coupled with high humidity hitting the Northland, it belied belief why the tourist park would be crammed so full of people. The Rec Park
Manager Dave Tersteeg had an explanation for the profound business in the city-owned campground, and he shared it with the park board at the board’s July 7 meeting.
The reason for the large volume of campers was easy to explain, said Tersteeg; the closure of the state and federal campgrounds in June left people with few options to pick from. “Tent sites in particular saw the biggest gains in occupancy, once we opened them up for the last two weeks of June,” he said.
State park campgrounds at Cascade and Magney are still closed. Because of our vast inventory, especially drop-in, no-reservable sites, we have been able to accommodate displaced campers who didn’t get the last minute email cancellation from the state and are showing up at these sites for their summer vacations.
“We have never felt so appreciated and busy.”
“Despite being partially closed the first two weeks of June, revenue for the month finished 8.8 percent up ($20,330 more than last June) versus June 2019,” Tersteeg said.
Campground guests, said Dave, “Are behaving and are so happy to be here. Bathouses have been functioning adequately, and no one has complained about Bathhouse Number Two being closed for the season.”
The 4th of July weekend, which is always a big weekend at the park, “passed without major incidents,” noted Tersteeg in his park report.
Even with the crush of business, Tersteeg noted the park was down $108,000 over last year because of being closed in April and May.
Still, he is optimistic the numbers will approach last year’s final number with the way the business has ramped up.
Following the COVID- 19 guidelines, the park has closed all group sites and bike trail sites, about 20 small sites in all. “They are too small to follow the social distancing guidelines,” he said, adding, “Sometimes, less is more.”
Summer storage rates for Canadians
With the border closed between the US and Canada, Dave explained that there were five Canadians who rent trailer space at the park on the 12-month plan who aren’t allowed to come here and stay in the park until those restrictions are lifted. “We currently do not offer a summer storage rate, but in light of the border closure, these guests cannot access their trailers this summer and it seems unjust to charge full price. Consider a “COVID-19” rate for these guests that is less than the $757 monthly rate.”
After some discussion the park board settled on a monthly charge of $500 per month for the folks from Canada.
2021 booking discussion held
After several months of discussing making changes to the way the park books its guests, Tersteeg presented three options to the board. “Now is the time to decide, so we may let our summer guests know in advance.”
The board selected option two, which opens reservations on a month-by-month basis, starting six-months in advance. All of the month of May dates opens in November 1 of each year, June in December, July in January, etc.
Tersteeg has to wordsmith the policy a bit he said, but it’s good to let current and future guests know about the change.
Stolz leaving park board
Jennifer Stolz is moving out of the city limits to Devil Track Lake so she has to give up her seat on the park board. This was Jennifer’s last meeting and the park board members thanked her for service to the park. Tersteeg said he hopes the position will be filled soon. Anyone living in Grand Marais who is interested can apply through city hall.
Leave a Reply