Due to rising waters on the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers, Fort Snelling State Park will close to the public starting at 8 a.m. on Friday.
The park will remain closed until floodwaters recede and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources staff are able to assess conditions within the park and address any safety issues resulting from the flood, DNR officials said in a statement.
“The safety of park visitors and staff is our number one priority,” said Ann Pierce, director of the DNR’s parks and trails division. “We know Minnesotans are eager to get outside and enjoy the recreational opportunities in beautiful state parks like Fort Snelling. We will reopen the park as soon as it’s safe to do so.”
Several other parks and recreation areas across the state also are experiencing high-water conditions that might affect access to certain roads, trails or areas. People should visit park-specific websites to check visitor alerts before heading out, park officials said.
The Mississippi River is expected to crest at 19 feet on April 27. On Thursday, the river was at 16.3 feet; the river reaches major flood stage in downtown St. Paul at 17 feet.
The expected crest of the St. Croix River at Stillwater — projected to be Wednesday — jumped to 690 feet above sea level, up a foot from earlier this week, according to the National Weather Service. Major flood stage is 689 feet.
Heavy snow in western Wisconsin earlier this week combined with this week’s rain is “giving us another foot of rise as we go into Stillwater,” said Mike Griesinger, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service.
“Fortunately, for now, anyway, next week looks pretty quiet,” Griesinger said. “It doesn’t look like we’ll see any weather systems until that last weekend of April.”
