A popular Minnesota state park is closing for nearly a year, starting next week, to allow for upgrades to accommodate the growing number of visitors.

Banning State Park includes more than 6,000 acres along the Kettle River near Sandstone, just east of Interstate 35.

It’s a popular destination for hikers, campers, paddlers and climbers — and that popularity has been growing. Park officials say annual visitor numbers have tripled since 2020.

“We love sharing Banning with so many people, but our current park infrastructure is really straining to support those numbers,” Clarissa Payne, Banning State Park supervisor, said in a news release. “The improvement projects will expand our capacity and improve the visitor experience.”

The planned improvements include expanded parking, new restroom and campground shower facilities, and accessibility upgrades for picnic areas, parking lots, trails, campsites and other facilities.

The Banning State Park campground closed in September. Most of the rest of the park — including all parking areas and hiking trails — will close Nov. 9.

The only areas that will remain open are the snowmobile trail that runs along the north and west sides of the park, and the Eldon climbing area at the south end of the park.

Day-use areas are set to reopen in October 2027, though the Department of Natural Resources said there’s a chance some parts of the park may reopen next summer if construction allows.

The campground will remain closed until May 2028.

Banning State Park was created in 1963, and includes the ruins of a sandstone quarry and a former town site that gave the park its name. The quarry and town were named for William L. Banning, former president of the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad.

Collected from Minnesota Public Radio News. View original source here.