Minnesota state parks are back in business in a big way.
Camping and lodging reservations made between 8 a.m. and midnight on Tuesday — the first day the reservation system was open following the government shutdown — was a record high, with some 4,140 reservations made for a total of 11,489 nights of camping and lodging.
"We had 162 reservations in the first five minutes," said Bill Anderson, reservation system manager in DNR Parks and Trails. "It was by far the busiest day in the history of our reservation system."
The previous all-time high was 1,761 reservations on June 2, 2008, when Minnesota state parks began allowing reservations a full year in advance, as opposed to the previous policy of 90 days.
Approximately three-fourths of the reservations made Tuesday were for overnight stays this year. The rest were for 2012. The highest number of reservations were for Itasca (379), Lake Carlos (278), Wild River (169), Sibley (167) and Bear Head Lake (160) state parks.
Other parks with more than 100 reservations included Temperance River, Tettegouche, Jay Cooke, Gooseberry Falls, Forestville/Mystery Cave, Whitewater, Split Rock Lighthouse, William O'Brien, McCarthy Beach and Father Hennepin.
Camden and St. Croix state parks remain closed due to extensive storm damage that occurred during the shutdown.
Due to the high call volume the reservation system has been experiencing, the DNR recommends making reservations online at stayatmnparks.com, if possible. For those who prefer to speak with an operator, reservations can be made at 866-857-2757.
Last-minute trips to state parks are also possible. About a third of campsites are available to campers on a first-come, first-served basis.
