William O’Brien State Park in northern Washington County recently underwent a $5.25 million renovation to make the park’s day use area, campground and park office more accessible to people with mobility issues.
The park’s Walter F. Mondale Day Use Area will reopen to the public on May 1, and the park’s Riverway Campground and Riverside Group Camp will reopen on May 2. The lower area of the park has been closed since March 2024 while crews worked to improve accessibility.
Among the improvements: an accessible service counter and windows for visitors at the park office; various accessible paths from the Riverside Trail, parking lot and picnic shelters, and accessible picnic tables.
This project was funded by state bonding funds and the Get Out MORE (Modernize Outdoor Recreation Experiences) initiative. Get Out MORE is a $150 million initiative “to help ensure Minnesotans of all abilities and interests enjoy a world-class recreation system, whichever outdoor experience they choose,” DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen said.
A visitor tests out an all-terrain track chair at Myre-Big Island State Park near Albert Lea, Minn., on June 1, 2022. (Deborah Rose / Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)
The improvements are an example of how the Get Out MORE initiative, adopted in 2023, is “modernizing outdoor recreation experiences for Minnesotans,” Strommen said. “This project enhances access and helps welcome new users to public lands, which helps Minnesotans of all interests and abilities better connect with the outdoors.”
Get Out MORE funds also are being used to purchase two all-terrain track chairs for the park. The electric-powered chairs, which can be used on designated trails within the park, are available to anyone who has a need, and can help visitors explore areas of the state parks in new ways, often on trails that are not suitable for regular wheelchairs. There will be 23 track chairs in use in state parks in Minnesota by this summer, said Lauren Peck, a spokeswoman for the DNR.
“William O’Brien will be the first state park to get them in the St. Croix Valley area,” Peck said. “Up until now, we’ve had only one track chair in the metro area at Fort Snelling State Park, so adding two at William O’Brien will be really great, and I’m sure will get a lot of demand. The Fort Snelling one is really popular and gets a ton of use, so I’m sure William O’Brien will be the same.”
Track chairs are available year-round in some locations, and seasonally in others. Users must sign a waiver to check one out; no other documentation is required.
Universal design
A new accessible canoe/kayak launch on Lake Alice allows adaptive paddlers to safely transfer in and out of the water. (Courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)
Improvements to the park’s day use area, Riverway Campground and park office were made using universal design, which benefits all visitors, DNR officials said. The park office building now has additional accessible parking; ADA-compliant outdoor service counter and windows and new automatic door openers
When it reopens May 1, the day use area — including the public water access, beach and Riverside Trail — will have two new accessible restroom buildings; a new picnic shelter near Lake Alice beach; accessibility improvements to two existing picnic shelters, including accessible routes from parking, grills and new vault toilets; a safer parking lot with better beach access; a larger, more accessible swimming beach with an ADA-compliant route to the water’s edge, and a new accessible canoe/kayak launch on Lake Alice.
A stretch of the Riverside Trail along the St. Croix River was recently resurfaced as part of accessibility improvements at William O’Brien State Park. (Courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)
When it reopens on May 2, the Riverway Campground will have six ADA-compliant campsites; a resurfaced Riverside Trail; a new accessible route to the park amphitheater and a resurfaced and regraded overflow parking area and trail connections.
Campground shower building renovations are expected to be completed by June 1; campers will have “a rustic camping experience” with vault toilets during the month of May, according to the DNR.
“We’re excited to welcome the public back to this popular area of the park and offer improved amenities that all park visitors can enjoy,” said Ann Pierce, director of Minnesota DNR’s Parks and Trails Division.
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