DNR: Fort Snelling State Park temporarily closes due to flooding
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Fort Snelling State Park in St. Paul is temporarily off limits to the public due to flooding.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources made the call for safety concerns because of the rising waters in the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers that touch the park.
"The safety of park visitors and staff is our number one priority," said Ann Pierce, DNR Parks and Trails Division director. "We know Minnesotans are eager to get outside and enjoy the recreational opportunities in beautiful state parks like Fort Snelling. We will reopen the park as soon as it's safe to do so."
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Closures began at 8 a.m. Friday and it will remain shut down until flood waters recede and DNR staff are able to assess conditions.
Rachel Hopper, managers of visitor services and outreach in the parks and trails division, told WCCO there were early signs of flooding on April 9 and they've been monitoring conditions since then.
"We're always loath to see a close especially in spring and summer so we're very hopeful though that this go around, the damages in to the park from the flooding will be minimal," she said.
Significant flooding in 2019 caused $300,000 in damages to buildings, roads and trails and the park lost $230,000 in revenue because it was shuttered for six months.
It's unclear when the park will reopen, but it will take some time.
"There's quite a bit of work that goes into cleaning up the park, repairing any damages before we open it, but we're hopeful that it will be much quicker than the 2019 flooding," Hopper said.
After every flood there are lessons learned and officials reassess infrastructure and future needs, especially as the impact from climate change makes intense rainfalls more common. Water lines were significantly damaged and repaired in a way to minimize future damage, Hopper noted.
DFL Gov. Tim Walz in his budget proposal is pitching more funding to the DNR so it can make state parks and trails more resilient to flooding, and additional dollars so the agency can better monitor water flow in rivers.
The state legislature is considering these plans and more as it crafts the next two-year state budget.
There's free entry to state parks on Saturday. Several other parks and recreation areas are experiencing high water conditions that limit access, so visitors should be aware of current conditions. You can find a list here.