Popularity increasing for program letting library patrons check out free Minnesota state park passes

A little-known program that aims to give low-income Minnesotans a chance to check out state parks for free is proving successful two years after it began, according to state Department of Natural Resources leaders.

The Minnesota State Parks Library Program, which allows patrons to check out a one-week park pass at dozens of libraries around the state, is growing in popularity, with 3,180 checked out from June of last year through this May. It's a big increase from the 1,960 used in the program's first year, partly because more passes have been made available.

"We really created the program to make sure that accessing our parks and trails [is] available to everyone, including people who may not be able to afford it," said Arielle Courtney, a partnership development consultant with the state Department of Natural Resource's parks and trails division.

A daily vehicle pass to enter a state park costs $7, while a yearlong membership is $35.

In most cases, the free passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are good starting the day they are checked out. A few libraries offer pass reservations.

The program began by providing 122 park passes at 71 libraries across the state. By 2022, it offered 175 passes at 99 libraries, with all of the state's 12 library systems participating in at least one location.

July — when nearly two-thirds were loaned out — was the most popular month, a DNR report said.

"When it started, we didn't know if it was going to work," said Jim Weikum, executive director of the Arrowhead Library System in northeast Minnesota.

But the Duluth Public Library has seen a "really strong response" to the program, Weikum said, with many patrons using passes to visit Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and other parks along the North Shore. Having so many choices nearby, he said, creates "almost an instant demand."

The Duluth library's passes were checked out 62% of the time, the report showed — the highest rate statewide.

Research shows spending time in nature can benefit people's health.

Three days in nature is optimal to detox the mind and body, said Jean Larson, director of the University of Minnesota's Nature-Based Therapeutics program. But even 15 minutes a day is valuable, she said, calling the state parks program "marvelous."

The passes promote the idea that visiting a state park isn't only for certain kinds of people, she said.

In a survey by the DNR, pass users said their top state park destinations were Itasca in Park Rapids, Forestville/Mystery Cave in southern Minnesota and Great River Bluffs in Winona. The most popular activities were hiking, sightseeing and photographing nature, the report said.

One pass gets an entire car into a park, said Ann Wahlstrom, branch manager at the North St. Paul Library in Ramsey County, which has four passes available. They have been checked out 145 times in the program's two years, she said.

"A few people have said, 'I'm going to get to as many as possible,'" she said.

She sees seniors checking out the passes most often, she said, though immigrant families are increasingly using them, too.

People "have expressed some surprise" that the program existed, she said.

Courtney, of the DNR, said the state initially wanted community members to discover the program themselves, but "now I think we understand there's more room for promotion."

The program costs the DNR about $5,250 annually in lost entrance fees; the money comes from the DNR's Parks and Trails Legacy Fund. Officials say it will continue through 2025 and will likely expand after that.