William O’Brien State Park Day Use Area, Riverway Campground to reopen in early May

MARINE ON ST. CROIX, Minn. (FOX 90 - The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says it will reopen William O’Brien State Park's Day Use Area and Riverway Campground in early May after more than a year of being closed for updates.

The Walter F. Mondale Day Use Area of the park will reopen on May 1, while state officials say the Riverway Campground will reopen May 2. Both areas closed in March 2024 for construction, including improvements to make the park more ADA-accessible.

The park is one of the closest Minnesota State Parks to the Twin Cities metro.

What were the improvements?

Local perspective:

Here’s what improvements were made to the Walter F. Mondale Day Use Area:

Two new accessible restroom buildings
New picnic shelter near Lake Alice beach
Accessibility improvements to two existing picnic shelters, including accessible routes from parking, grills and new vault toilets
Safer parking lot with better beach access
Larger, more accessible swimming beach with an ADA-compliant route to the water’s edge
New accessible canoe/kayak launch on Lake Alice

The $150 million project was a one-time investment, paid for by state bonding funds and the Get Out MORE Initiative.

What about the Riverway Campground?

Dig deeper:

Here are the enhancements made to the Riverway Campground:

Renovated shower building with a redesigned layout, variety of ADA-compliant fixtures and parking
Six ADA-compliant campsites
Resurfaced Riverside Trail
New accessible route to the park amphitheater
Resurfacing and regrading overflow parking and trail connections