Places / Before you drive
What a Minnesota state park permit costs, and when you don't need one
Every Minnesota state park permit price and discount the DNR lists, when permits expire, where staffed offices keep short hours, and the free-day date that is about to pass.
Byline pending. Compiled from public sources; awaiting a named contributor. Compiled .
Lake Itasca from the Mississippi Headwaters, July 2017.
Photo: Sheltoneasley, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not taken by MNIRL; resized. Credits
What should I do?
Read from the sources below
Who this applies to
Anyone who visits Minnesota state parks, or is choosing between a day permit and a year-round one.
By when
Before you arrive. A free day covers entrance only, not camping, rentals or tours.
Whom to call or check
- Minnesota DNR permit pagePrices and where to buy
- Your local libraryAsk whether a state park pass is in
What to do
- Count your likely visits. At $7 a day, the $35 year-round permit pays for itself on the fifth visit (our arithmetic).
- Buy online before you leave. Many park offices are staffed for only a few hours.
- If you qualify for a military, tribal or school permit, bring the documents the DNR lists. They must be shown to DNR staff in person.
- Library passes: call first, they are limited and expire after seven days.
Time-sensitive, through . Free entrance day: Friday, November 27, 2026. Entrance only, not camping, rentals or tours.
The DNR lists no senior discount.
Quick read
- One day
- $7
- Year-round
- $35
- Free days
- Four a year. The only one listed on November 6, 2026 is Friday, November 27.
- Senior discount
- None, per the DNR
Minnesota charges per vehicle, not per person. The DNR's permit page is short, but a few of the useful details sit on other pages. Here they are together, read on November 6, 2026.
| Permit | Price | Notes from the DNR |
|---|---|---|
| One-day vehicle | $7 | Yodel, Reserve MN, ranger station or park pay station |
| Overnight vehicle | $7 | Good until 4 p.m. the next day; does not include a campsite |
| Year-round vehicle | $35 | Valid one year from the month of purchase; Reserve MN is the only online option |
| Additional year-round vehicle | $26 | Same owner as the first permit; expires the same month |
| Year-round motorcycle | $30 | Wallet card or sticker |
| Year-round, disability eligibility | $12 | Minnesota residents with a Federal Access Pass or a Minnesota disability plate or hang tag, plus proof of vehicle ownership |
| One-day, group of 10 or more vehicles | $5 per vehicle | Contact the park at least 24 hours ahead; expires 10 p.m.; no overnight use |
| Bulk year-round, 50 or more | $30 each | Smaller bulk orders by email to the DNR |
| Replacement for a lost permit | $26 | Bought as a reduced-price multiple-vehicle permit |
How long it lasts
The DNR says year-round vehicle permits are valid for one year from the month of purchase. Our earlier draft read that as running through the last day of that month the next year, which would give nearly 13 months if you buy early in a month. The permit page does not spell that out, so confirm the exact expiry on your permit. If you stay overnight, a one-day permit is good through 4 p.m. the next day, but it does not include a campsite, which you reserve separately.
Where to buy, and why before you leave
The DNR recommends buying before you leave home. One-day permits sell online through Yodel (which the DNR calls the fewest steps) and Reserve MN, and either in person at a staffed ranger station, a park pay station or the DNR License Center in St. Paul. Year-round permits sell online only through Reserve MN. If you buy online, the DNR asks you to display the confirmation number on your dashboard. Year-round buyers print a temporary permit if they can. Vehicles without a permit may be ticketed. Hours vary widely, and several parks have no one on site much of the day.
| Park | Hours listed |
|---|---|
| Gooseberry Falls | Visitor center 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily (no permit needed in its lot) |
| Temperance River | Ranger station noon to 3 p.m. daily; closed November 6 to 10, 2026 |
| Cascade River | Office 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Judge C.R. Magney | No office; staffed Memorial Day to Labor Day only |
| Grand Portage | Information desk 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily |
At Itasca, the Brower Visitor Center was listed as open year-round and selling permits. Itasca recorded 529,815 visits in 2024 per the DNR's fact page.
When you pay nothing
The DNR holds four free days a year. The only one it listed on November 6, 2026 is Friday, November 27, 2026. Those days cover entrance only, not camping, rentals or tours, and an overnight stay does not need a permit until camping or lodging check-out time. Separately, participating public libraries lend free passes that expire after seven days. The DNR says you must check them out in person, passes are limited, and they cover only the vehicle fee, so call your library first.
| Who | What the DNR says |
|---|---|
| Active duty and dependents, veterans with a service-connected disability, Purple Heart recipients | Free year-round permit. Show military orders or a federal access pass with ID, or VA documentation, to DNR staff in person |
| Members of Minnesota's 11 federally recognized tribes | Free permit with unlimited access; show a listed tribal ID in person |
| K-12 school trips | Free one-day permit for vehicles carrying students, chaperones, teachers or coaches; arrange with the park in advance |
| Library borrowers | Free seven-day pass from participating libraries in select areas; limited; covers vehicle fee only |
| Specialty license plate holders | Unlimited park access without a separate permit; price not listed on the page |
| Seniors | No senior discount is offered |
A permit doesn't cover everything
A permit gets the vehicle in, nothing more. At Split Rock Lighthouse, tours are a separate Minnesota Historical Society fee: a $25 Keeper's Tour and an $8 grounds pass were listed on November 6, 2026. And at a few spots you may not need one: Gooseberry Falls' wayside and visitor center lot requires no permit, according to the DNR.
Common mistakes
Showing up at a park with a short-hours office and no permit. Buying a one-day permit for an overnight stay and assuming it holds the campsite. Assuming a senior discount exists. Expecting free-day entrance to cover a tour or rental. Showing up at a library for a pass that is already checked out. Buying an additional year-round vehicle permit for a vehicle with a different owner.
What differs by park
The price is statewide. What differs is how easily you can buy in person, from Gooseberry's daily visitor center to Magney's no-office model, and whether a park lot sits outside the permit rule.
What to do
Decide how many visits you expect: at $7 a day, the DNR's $35 year-round permit pays for itself on the fifth visit (our arithmetic). Buy online before you leave. Display the confirmation number if required. If you qualify for the disability, military, tribal or school permit, bring the documents the DNR lists, because they must be shown to DNR staff in person.
What we could not confirm
When the DNR's other three free days fall in 2027, since only one was listed. Whether the $35 permit runs to the end of the month a year later. The effective date for these prices. Which libraries have passes now. We did not test the online buying process.
How this was made
Primary sources (6)
- State agencydnr.state.mn.us/state-parks/permit.html
- State agencydnr.state.mn.us/state-parks/free-entrance-days-minnesota-state-parks.html
- State agencydnr.state.mn.us/state-parks/minnesota-state-parks-library-program.html
- State agencydnr.state.mn.us/state-parks/park.html
- State agencydnr.state.mn.us/faq/mnfacts/state_parks.html
- State historical societymnhs.org/splitrock/visit/hours
- Date checked
- Sources opened and read on . Rules and prices change; confirm with the source before you act.
- Method
- Desk research. Agency pages and statutes were opened and read on the dates shown, and each claim is tied to the page it came from. Figures we calculated say so. No place was visited and no one was interviewed.
- Review status
- Draft AI research draft, human review pending. No named person has reviewed this page, and nobody from MNIRL has checked it in person. What our labels mean.
What we do not know
- Whether a rule, fee or hour changed after the date checked.
- Anything about a specific place on a specific day: nobody has gone to see.
Found a mistake?
Email rice.john.nextgenai@gmail.com with the page and a source. We review each one and note corrections on the page.
Every claim, with its source
Each line shows what was claimed, the label for how we know, the page it came from and what it does not establish. What these labels mean.
Vehicle permits cost $7 for one day or overnight, $35 year-round, $26 for an additional vehicle or a lost-permit replacement, $30 for a motorcycle, $12 for eligible disability permits and $5 per vehicle for groups of 10 or more, with bulk year-round permits at $30 each for 50 or more.
Official source checkedSource: dnr.state.mn.us · Checked by AI research draft, human review pending
Limits: The page shows a 2026 permit but no effective date for prices. Year-round permits are valid one year from the month of purchase; the exact expiry day is not stated.
The only free park day the DNR listed on 2026-11-06 was Friday, November 27, 2026; free days cover entrance and overnight stays until check-out, not camping, rentals, tours or other amenity fees.
Official source checkedSource: dnr.state.mn.us · Checked by AI research draft, human review pending
Limits: Confirmed on the live page 2026-11-06. This date passes after 2026-11-27 and must be removed or replaced then. The page says there are four a year but lists no other dates.
Participating libraries lend state park passes that expire after seven days, must be checked out in person, and are limited.
Official source checkedSource: dnr.state.mn.us · Checked by AI research draft, human review pending
Limits: We did not check which libraries currently have passes.
Itasca State Park's Brower Visitor Center is open year-round and sells vehicle permits.
Published by the providerSource: dnr.state.mn.us · Checked by AI research draft, human review pending
Limits: Hours are not repeated here because they change.
The DNR lists no senior discount, free permits for eligible military and veterans, tribal members and school trips, and an overnight $7 permit valid until 4 p.m. the next day without a campsite.
Official source checkedSource: dnr.state.mn.us · Checked by AI research draft, human review pending
Limits: Documents must be shown to DNR staff in person; eligibility rules are on the page.
The DNR recorded 529,815 visits to Itasca State Park in 2024.
Published by the providerSource: dnr.state.mn.us · Checked by AI research draft, human review pending
Limits: Page updated May 2025.
Itasca State Park has a Google Maps listing, where visitors post their own ratings and reviews.
Published by the providerSource: maps.google.com · Checked by AI research draft, human review pending
Limits: A link only. We do not copy Google's ratings, review counts or review text; read them on the listing.
The Minnesota Historical Society listed a $25 Keeper's Tour and an $8 Grounds Pass at Split Rock Lighthouse for the 2026 fall and winter season.
Published by the providerSource: mnhs.org · Checked by AI research draft, human review pending
Limits: Season-bound; recheck after January 4, 2027.
Read next
Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0. Not taken by MNIRL; resized. Credits
Draft Lake Superior Compiled
Seven North Shore state parks, and what sets each one apart
A park-by-park reading of the Minnesota DNR's own pages, with hours, fees and 2024 visit counts side by side, for choosing where to stop on Lake Superior's shore instead of treating the parks as one long waterfall.
Illustrative. Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0. Not taken by MNIRL; resized. Credits
Draft On the water Compiled
Public boat launches in Minnesota: finding one, and what the law expects at the ramp
How to find a public boat launch, what the DNR says is illegal when you leave the water, the cleaning methods it recommends, child life jacket and registration rules with fees, and what the DNR pages do not say.