Northern Minnesota State Park Officials Issue Warning To Visitors Ahead Of Holiday Weekend

As Memorial Day Weekend approaches, officials with the Minnesota DNR's Parks and Trails division are issuing an important alert for people who may be planning to visit one of Northern Minnesota's popular state parks.

The last two weeks or so have been a wild time in Northeastern Minnesota, with three large wildfires, a line of damaging severe storms, and a couple of days of powerful wind and waves impacting the region.

In a social media post on Wednesday, the Minnesota DNR shared that those storms late last week caused significant damage around one state park that could impact your visit.

'Significant tree damage' at a North Shore state park

Thunderstorms on May 15 left their mark in parts of the Northland, including at Tettegouche State Park in the Silver Bay area along the North Shore.

The Minnesota DNR says powerful thunderstorms hit the area around Silver Bay and Beaver Bay, with extreme winds damaging a number of trees in the park and around the area.

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Downed trees are blocking many trails and destinations in the area, including on Shovel Point and the campground at Hayes Lake. The DNR says "significant cleanup efforts" are underway, with some closures in effect due to the aftermath and cleanup efforts.

The DNR says if you are making plans to visit Tettegouche State Park for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, you should check in with the park's website for the latest alerts about the park or at the park headquarters for information about closures and impacted areas.

In addition, they ask that visitors give crews time and space to complete their cleanup efforts as quickly as possible.