I can’t speak for other states, but Minnesota is actively restoring the State Park buildings that are very outdated and usually not very accessible. It's been a big initiative in the last 10-15 years and we have been advocating to get our exhibits, trails, and buildings updated. Our biggest hurdle is how much money we have been allotted, and we were very fortunate that William O'Brien, Minneopa, and Myre-Big Island qualified for the Get Out More funds. 

Also, one visitor center gets new displays every year, and with those updates we always consider visitor needs. All are designed with quieter areas for people to wind down, and also feature fidget toys and headphones that people can use to relax. The first places to get updated are and will be the parks with interpreters (about 20). Lake Carlos State Park just completed their update and Sibley State Park is being worked on right now.

Any brand new Minnesota State Park buildings have quiet rooms built into them and separate areas for nursing parents.

There are designated ADA accessible trails in some parks. Our Riverside Trail at William O’Brien is a 1.6 mile loop that meets the ADA pitch and grade requirements. Other designated trails around the state will also have either asphalt or a specific crushed rock size that’s still accessible for all.

Track wheelchairs open up a whole bunch of opportunities because they can go up to 5 miles in a charge on most terrains and hills. Our website lists every single park that has track chairs and the map will designate a green line on trails that the track chairs have been proven to work on. They're like little tanks – they can go a lot of places. And you can use them in winter, too. They’re free rentals, but need a reservation year-round to ensure availability. Also I should mention that anybody with a mobility need can use the track chairs – whether you're in a wheelchair or you had a knee replaced.

are there accessible campsites and camper cabins available?

If you don’t have much experience in nature, our guided walks or workshops might make the wilderness feel more accessible. Up at Tettegouche State Park there is a class to learn spoon whittling, while Lake Carlos and Afton State Park offer snowshoe making. It really just depends on what you're interested in and how far you want to travel. 

We talked about being able to check out the track chairs year round. Here at William O'Brien, we groom all of our trails – our ski, hiking, and snowshoe trails. A lot of people appreciate that. Every park operation is different and it really depends on staff levels. Because all staff is reduced in the winter. For example: we have about 15 people staffed during the summer and only 5 in the winter.  

We also do programming during the winter, so some parks have ski and snowshoe rentals. These rentals give everyone an opportunity to try expensive winter activities by renting gear for under $10.

We are really adaptable humans as naturalists. We have a plan and we have several back up plans in case a person attending a workshop or program didn’t relay the accommodations they need. So if we're going on a hike and we see someone show up needing to use a walker, we pivot and find a new trail that might be completely flat or we might shorten the hike a little bit.  

We're always making experiences accessible on the fly. We're very accommodating. These quick changes to our programs happen a lot and it's fun knowing every single day is going to be different from the last. You never know what's gonna happen.

It will depend on a park’s staffing ability as to what hours they’ll be available, but all of that will be on a park’s website. For William O’Brien in particular, during the summer, we have night security who are on location past midnight Thursday thru Sunday for emergencies. Some parks have staff who live on site, so they can come and help out if any assistance is needed.

The parks and local emergency services have such a good relationship that response time to get to the park is always as quick as possible. Now we have lots of first responders who answer to things as well. Also, we’re usually a resting spot for sheriffs to do paperwork, so they help out in the off chance something happens while they’re there. It really depends on how remote your park is.  

We also know that phone service can get sketchy, so at every Ranger station, there is a hard line that you can use to call out for emergencies.

speaking of phone service – is there anything for folks to use so they know where they are in the park?

We have physical and electronic maps. If you're a techie person, Avenza Maps is a great app that has free downloads of all the state parks – different maps for different seasons because some of our trails might not be open during the winter. If you're worried about getting lost, it has a nifty blue dot showing your location on our park maps. It runs off of satellite, so you don't have to worry about losing service and not knowing where you are. There's a lot of other maps on that app as well. Some you have to pay for, but all the State Park ones are free.

ParkFinder is the best and preferred way to check accessibility before visiting. Otherwise, feel free to give us a call and leave a message if we don’t answer (or we won’t have a way to call you back). Never hesitate to ask us questions, we're right here. There really are no dumb questions. 

If you have anxiety around phones, you can also e-mail our general DNR Info Center or email a specific park and we can answer questions that way.

On each park's page, there is an alerts tab where we inform people if a trail is closed or there won’t be access to certain amenities. Always read those things (or call to confirm) before you come.

If there isn’t a certain accommodation listed on a park’s website, calling or emailing us is the best way to go.