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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Late July target for new campground opening

Facility won’t open before new info kiosk is operational

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 5/24/17

LAKE VERMILION— The new state park campground here is all but ready to go, but it could be several weeks before the new facility is opened for overnight visitors.

And that doesn’t please park …

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Late July target for new campground opening

Facility won’t open before new info kiosk is operational

Posted

LAKE VERMILION— The new state park campground here is all but ready to go, but it could be several weeks before the new facility is opened for overnight visitors.

And that doesn’t please park manager Jim Essig. “We’re getting pounded right now by people who want to know when we’re going to open,” he said. “We’re still likely looking at mid-July,” said Essig. “I wish it were sooner.”

While park staff still need to run the campground’s water system and operate the gray water recycling system, those functions can be tested and most likely brought on line in a matter of days.

It’s other timelines that are now getting in the way of the campground’s earlier opening. Among them is the completion of construction of a new visitor contact center located on the park’s entrance road. The new center will include a self-service kiosk with maps and information about the park as well as a vault toilet. The center is designed to orient visitors to the new park’s facilities, including the new campground. Contractors were working on site prep for the kiosk and road pulloff this week, with a completion date for the kiosk and outhouses set for June 29, although Essig said the project may not meet that deadline.

Meanwhile, the DNR has hired a sign-making company to manufacturer wayfaring signs for the park, and DNR officials would like to see the signs in place prior to opening of the campground. “We don’t have a date for sure when those might be installed,” said Essig.

It remains unclear exactly how and when the DNR will begin accepting reservations for the campground. Essig said he expects the DNR’s St. Paul office will issue a press release, which Essig worries could open the floodgates for reservations. “The 33 campsites will probably go fast,” he predicted, possibly within a matter of hours of the announcement.

Construction was also underway this week on the portion of the Mesabi Trail that will connect the new state park segment with the sections around Tower and Soudan. That job is slated for completion on June 30, said Essig, which will make it possible to travel entirely by bike trail from Tower to the new park. The opening of the campground, however, is not contingent on completion of the trail.