The Minnesota national park sites are teaming up this year to bring a virtual National Park Week experience to you. Explore all six sites through live online activities, downloadable workbooks, solo adventuring in a local park, trip planning live chats, and connecting on social media.

Want to support your national park during National Park Week? Learn how today!

BARK Ranger Day

The BARK Ranger program is an opportunity to learn more about the ecosystem restoration at Coldwater Spring, and for dog owners to commit to doing their part to keeping this the best restored oak savanna prairie it can be. It's a fun and inclusive solution to help dogs and their owners enjoy the park while keeping it safe through stewardship. BARK stands for:

Bag your dog waste

Always keep your dog on a leash

Respect wildlife

Know where you can go

Prospective BARK Rangers will learn about the history of the site, go on a walking tour with national park staff, get sworn in as a BARK Ranger, and receive a BARK Ranger dog tag. The program is currently postponed while we shelter in place, but we will post new events as it becomes safe and appropriate to do so at parkconnection.org/events.

Off-leash pets threaten the safety of local wildlife and can cause damage to sensitive ecosystems. Not all people like dogs. Off-leash dogs, even friendly dogs, may alarm other visitors. There are a number of dog parks within the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area where your pet may run loose. Here are a few sites that offer pet-friendly facilities. Make sure to familiarize yourself with each park's pet policies and boundaries.