Work is underway on the new Grand Portage State Park Visitors Center.
Grand Portage State Park will only be open on weekends until mid-August, while work continues on site preparation for a new 5,800 square foot visitor center.
Construction activities in hightraffic areas prompted the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials to close the park Monday through Thursday, beginning July 20, out of concern for visitor safety.
The park will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, but parking will be limited and the gift shop will remain closed for the rest of the summer.
For the next two to three weeks, construction workers will be pile driving within 20 feet of the trail to High Falls, Minnesota’s highest waterfall. Workers will also be operating forklifts, cement trucks, and other equipment along the trail and in the parking lot.
“High Falls is the main attraction at Grand Portage State Park, and the trail to the waterfall is heavily used,” said park manager Rick Novitsky. “We looked at our options and concluded that it is just not possible to mix visitor and construction traffic safely during the next few weeks.
“We regret any inconvenience caused by closing the park Monday through Thursday, but hope that anyone who wants to see the waterfall can either visit on a weekend or later in the summer.”
A partnership among the DNR, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), and the Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe has helped create the new facility, which will replace a 30-year-old double-wide trailer that previously served as the park office. Construction workers broke ground on June 15, and the DNR expects the new visitor center to open in June 2010.
The center will be fully accessible and will double as a MnDOT highway rest area with travel information as well as an exhibit hall showcasing the life and culture of the Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe, on whose land the park is located. The center will feature a view of the Pigeon River.
Construction crews will also be working on a new observation deck and a
30-foot “gathering shelter,” which will be used for programs and picnicking. Both of these structures will be located on the east side of the main trail.
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