The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced Friday the rollout dates next week for the new campsite reservation system that will free up sites otherwise held back for those campers arriving without reservations.
About one-third of campsites at state parks were held back on a first-come, first-served basis. Beginning Tuesday, those sites become reservable.
Beginning at 8 a.m. Tuesday, the state will make the additional campsites available systemwide in three phases: Tuesday (southern Minnesota and metro-area parks); Wednesday (central, northwest), and Thursday (northeast).
The state has been testing the all-reservable system at 17 of the 75 state parks, and the DNR said the public response was positive.
A map detailing the location of the parks by region is online at mndnr.gov/selfservice.
To make campsite reservations, go online to mndnr.gov/reservations or call 1-866-857-2757.
In addition to the online reservations upgrade, the state Tuesday will rollout same-day reservations without a fee. Improvements to the self-registration system will come this summer, the DNR said.
All campsites at state forests remain first-come, first-served.
