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Dan Kraker

Minnesota's newest state park closer to completion

Lake Vermilion
The shore of Lake Vermilion near Soudan, Minn.
Derek Montgomery | MPR News

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Minnesota's first new state park in more than 30 years is a step closer to completion.

State officials including Gov. Mark Dayton and former Gov. Tim Pawlenty held a ceremonial ground breaking Friday for a campground at Lake Vermillion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park. When finished, it will accommodate more than 250 campers per night.

The park, located on the rocky shore of Lake Vermilion in northeastern Minnesota, sits on five miles of waterfront and includes both soft and hardwood forests.

The park opened to day use in 2010, after the state purchased the 3,000 acre property from U.S. Steel for $20 million. Pawlenty was governor when the park was created and he championed the cause.

Erika Rivers, director of Minnesota State Parks and Trails, said the park is geared towards the next generation of campers.

"They wanted to see campgrounds that would accommodate groups of people, rather than just individual campsites," Rivers said. "They wanted privacy in their camping experience, but they also wanted some of the creature comforts of home, like showers and bathrooms really close by."

The campground is expected to open in the fall of 2016. Rivers estimates it will cost about $60 million to complete the park.