Did You Know This Is Now Free To Do In Most Minnesota State Parks?

Minnesota's 64 state parks have a lot to offer. Beautiful scenery, phenomenal camping amenities, wonderful hiking, and a bunch of other activities.

Something I didn't realize about Minnesota state parks is that a law recently made it free to enjoy an extremely popular activity at most parks that you used to have to pay for.

Making it even better, many of these same parks also have free loaner equipment for you to have everything you need to get out and enjoy this newer freebie most people don't know about.

Enjoy this popular freebie now offered at most Minnesota state parks

Thanks to a 2024 law enacted by the Minnesota Legislature, it is now free to fish at most of Minnesota's state parks. That means you don't need to pay for a fishing license in order to wet a line - in most cases. There are a few exceptions, which I'll go over in a bit.

The 2024 statute states that a resident may fish by angling without a license in a state park, as long as the following conditions are met:

If you're fishing in a boat, float, or through the ice, you need to be on a body of water that is completely encompassed by the boundary of the state park.

If you're fishing from shore or wading into the water, you need to be on state-owned land within a state park.

There is one exception you need to know about. This license-free fishing opportunity doesn't apply to waters where a trout stamp is required. You can learn more about those bodies of water on the Minnesota DNR's trout and salmon fishing page.

READ MORE: The Minnesota DNR says these are the parks with the least bugs to pester you

It's also important to note that this only applies to (most) state parks, and not to state recreation areas or city, county, regional, or national parks.

You also still need a vehicle permit, and all normal park rules and fishing regulations (like limits, etc.) still apply. You can see the latest state regulations on the Minnesota DNR's fishing page.

What state parks does this apply to?

The Minnesota DNR has an interactive map that highlights fishing opportunities in state parks, which includes a majority of the state's 64 parks. The map (which you can see here) highlights what lakes you can only fish from shore, which you can fish from a boat, and what parks offer free loaner equipment to fish without needing your own gear.

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About half of the parks where you can fish for free also have the aforementioned loaner equipment, which makes visiting one of these parks the perfect place to go to try out fishing before you invest in your own gear.

Some of the parks with loaner gear include Jay Cooke State Park, Bear Head Lake State Park, Itasca State Park, Zippel Bay State Park, Fort Snelling State Park, Lake Louise State Park, and Interstate State Park.

Check out all of the parks with fishing opportunities here.