Cook County News Herald

State park changes coming this summer




The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has announced that some key customer service improvements are coming to Minnesota state parks and recreation areas this summer.

According to DNR Parks and Trails Division Director Erika Rivers, the following changes, which begin taking effect in early May, are important steps to modernize services and meet the needs of today’s visitors to the state’s 75 parks and recreation areas.

Summer 2016 changes include:

. Campsites that are 100 percent reservable at all Minnesota state parks and recreation areas. Previously, up to one-third of state park campsites were not available for advanced reservation and could only be rented by walk-in guests at the parks on a first-come, first served basis. In a 2014-2015 pilot project, about a quarter of state parks made all of their campsites reservable. Based on positive customer response, the Parks and Trails Division decided to expand this service statewide in 2016. Campsites can be reserved online at www.mndnr.gov/reservations or via phone: 866-857-2757. . Same-day reservations. For spontaneous travelers and families with busy schedules, same-day reservations will soon be available at many of Minnesota state parks’ most popular destinations (some locations will require infrastructure upgrades before implementation). Previously,

. Easier, more convenient registration and orientation. Signs, maps and publications are being redesigned to be easier to use and to appeal to a new generation of visitors.

“Self-service has become commonplace at grocery stores, libraries and airports,” Rivers said. “Implementing 100 percent reservable campsites and self-service experiences are time-saving measures for our park visitors and saves resources for state government.”

For more information, visit www.mndnr.gov/selfservice or contact the DNR Information Center at info.dnr@state.mn.us, 651-296-6157 or 888-646-6367 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.



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