All 75 of Minnesota's state parks will be free for visitors on Friday, continuing a new tradition aimed at getting people active and outside on the day after Thanksgiving.
This marks the third year for the Free Park Friday promotion, which allows visitors to skip paying the usual $7 one-day permit fee. Some parks will offer special programs to mark the day, including a "family turkey trek" at Blue Mounds State Park in Luverne and instruction on starting a fire without matches or a lighter at Tettegouche State Park on the north shore of Lake Superior.
Lt. Gov. Tina Smith said she hopes to visit Judge Magney State Park on the North Shore on Friday, and she encouraged other Minnesotans to explore the parks near them. Most places in Minnesota are within about 30 miles of a state park.
"On Friday after Thanksgiving," Smith said, "I can't think of anything better than visiting one of Minnesota's spectacular State Parks, with free admission."
The fire-starting program at Tettegouche State Park will run from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Friday. The "turkey trek" event in Luverne, a 1-mile hike with a naturalist to seek out wild turkeys, will take place from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. At Whitewater State Park near Winona, park staff will lead a program on how beavers survive and thrive in cold weather and a nature hike from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Erin Golden
