News

Bismarck, ND – Gov. Burgum has declared February 2022 Winter Recreation Month, and a new state snowmobile trail app gives users one way to celebrate North Dakota has 13 state snowmobile trails totaling just over 2,800 miles. Snowmobile enthusiasts can now download the Snowmobile North Dakota app to track trips, track current location on a trail using GPS, get updates on trail conditions, locate nearby amenities, and save and load itineraries. 

BISMARCK, ND – On January 1, 2022, five North Dakota state parks will be joining 23 other states hosting First Day Hikes. The five locations in North Dakota include Lake Metigoshe, Icelandic, Turtle River, Fort Stevenson and Fort Abraham Lincoln State Parks. The North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department encourages everyone to kick the new year off in a healthy way by finding a First Day Hike event near you. Depending upon snow conditions, event opportunities may include hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, fat tire biking or even kick sledding! Full event details can be found on state park Facebook pages or online at parkrec.nd.gov/events. 

On January 1, 2022, five North Dakota state parks will be joining 23 other states hosting First Day Hikes! The five locations in North Dakota include Lake Metigoshe, Icelandic, Turtle River, Fort Stevenson and Fort Abraham Lincoln State Parks. Depending upon snow conditions, event opportunities in North Dakota may include hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, fat tire biking or even kick sledding!

North Dakota State Park annual permit holders will find a new option available to them this year. During the 67th Legislative Assembly, a bill was passed to allow members of the same household to buy two annual permits at a discounted price. This new option, the family permit, is now available for $55.  

BISMARCK, N.D. (SEPT. 20, 2021) – Gov. Doug Burgum today appointed Cody Schulz to lead the North Dakota Department of Parks and Recreation, citing his extensive record of public service and strong leadership at the state and county levels, including through some of the most challenging periods in recent state history.

As families prepare to enjoy North Dakota’s outdoor destinations over the Labor Day weekend, residents and visitors are encouraged to recreate responsibly by practicing fire safety. While recent moisture has provided some relief from fire starts over the past few weeks, dry conditions still persist in many areas of the state with 100 percent of North Dakota experiencing severe drought conditions.

North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department continues to keep up with changing visitor needs and industry trends through master planning processes.  This process provides an opportunity for stakeholders, park users and park managers to provide input and guidance to future development of state park properties.  This week the Lewis & Clark State Park master plan was signed by Andrea Travnicek, Director of the North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department. This plan will set the course for the next ten years of park development, and potential improvements and advancements at Lewis & Clark State Park.

Paul Taylor, deputy director of Parks and Recreation, has been appointed interim director effective Aug. 1. Taylor brings a strong background in park planning, design, and construction, most recently serving as chief of park planning and development for the Maryland National Capital Park & Planning Commission. Applications for the Parks and Recreation director will be accepted beginning July 30.

Bottineau, ND – Lake Metigoshe State Park is excited to host visual artist Aaron Michels. Aaron is a part of the ND Council on the Arts, Artist in Residency Program. His residency will run from July 26- August 2. 

Aaron Michels was born in Mohall, has lived throughout the US, and is currently living in Minot. He’s a visual artist, working primarily with photographic and watercolor depictions of nature and landscapes to include everything from macro images of flowers to giant mountain vistas. Aaron loves to travel and enjoys camping with his wife and two kids. He’s proud to have shared his love of camping and the outdoors with his family.

BISMARCK, ND – The North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department saw increased visitation in 2020 with 1.29 million visitors to the state parks and continues to maintain high visitation this year. While COVID-19 had certainly prompted increased travel, results of surveys conducted by the Department show that increase was on top of an already loyal and growing visitor base to North Dakota’s state parks. When looking ahead to future travel, 74.6% of visitor survey respondents indicated that they plan to visit a North Dakota state park within the next 12 months. At the time of the survey, COVID-19 had little influence on respondents’ future plans with only 9.8% indicating their plans to visit were prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.