Minnesota Land of 10,000 Lakes and Over 60 State Parks

We’re lucky to live in such an awesome state that has so many lakes and State Parks.  Fifteen of the State Parks are in the Arrowhead Region and practically in our backyard. With waterfalls running this time of the year is especially a wonderful time to visit one of our State Parks.  When you plan your trip up to Voyageur this summer be sure to plan a little extra time to visit one of the State Parks on your way.

From the DNR- Minnesota state park facts and figures:
One-day vehicle permit sales, year to date (through April 30, 2014):

2014: 12,057
2013: 11,045
Year-round vehicle permit sales, year to date (through April 30, 2014):

2014:  17,417
2013:  17,184
Number of parks and recreation areas:  76

Oldest: Itasca State Park (established in 1891)
Newest: La Salle Lake State Recreation Area (acquired Fall 2011)
Largest: St. Croix State Park (31,775 acres)
Smallest: Franz Jevne State Park (118 acres)
Top three state parks for overnight visits in 2013:

1. Itasca State Park
2. Whitewater State Park
3. St. Croix State Park

Top three state parks for estimated overall visits in 2013:

1. Fort Snelling State Park
2. Gooseberry Falls State Park
3. Itasca State Park

Overnight accommodations at state parks and recreation areas:

Reservable camping and lodging units: 3,477
Unreservable (first-come, first-served) sites: 1,353
Camper cabins: 83
Percentage of the reservable sites that were reserved as of May 19: 90 percent
Return to the economy:

Day visitors: $26.23/person/day
Overnight visitors: $23.16/person/day

(Updated April 2014)