If you’d like to spend the Memorial Day weekend in the great outdoors — there are still some camping sites available at state parks .
The chief of the DNR’s state parks bureau, Todd Coffelt, says some campers have already locked in their campsites online. “The reservation system helps us manage half of the sites available to folks — so 50 percent of all the camping sites can be reserved ahead of time,” Coffelt says. “The other half are on a walk-in basis.”
He has some advice if you haven’t pre-registered. “They have an opportunity to go out, take a drive and see what’s available. But at the same time I’d really want to encourage everybody if you are late…you are gonna want to make sure you give a call ahead to your local park or the park of your choice and see what their overview about who is coming, who is not coming and what is available for facilities, campsites and access,” Coffelt says
Coffelt recommends you do a little inventory of your stuff before heading out. He says it’s a chance for you to get your gear out and see what you have and what you need to get for the coming season. One thing Coffelt says you shouldn’t take with you is firewood, so you don’t spread the emerald ash borer.
“The reality is, we don’t want firewood coming in from other states and we don’t want wood from Iowa going to other states,” Coffelt says. He says there have been some counties that have quarantined firewood within their boundaries. Although it is not illegal to transport firewood within the state it is still strongly recommended that firewood should be obtained only within the county where it will be burned.
“All firewood that’s transported needs to have a tag on it that has location of purchase, location of harvest,” Coffelt says. He says they encourage you to burn any firewood you bring in.
You can find out more about parks and events on the DNR’s website at: www.iowadnr.gov