Tourism leaders across northwestern Minnesota, northeastern North Dakota, prepare for busy summer season

Jun. 10—PARK RAPIDS — As Madison Leiweke carefully stepped across the rocks at the headwaters of the Mississippi, her younger brother Samuel Leiweke found himself waist-deep in Lake Itasca — despite reminders from his parents of the car ride that would follow.

Itasca State Park is a regular summer vacation stop for the Leiweke family, who was visiting on May 31 from Nashville, Tennessee. As parents Stephen and Lauri Leiweke watched their children play from the bank of the river, Stephen Leiweke said his mother used to come to northern Minnesota each summer. That tradition has continued with his own family.

"We come up here every couple of years and Itasca State Park is always someplace we like to stop so the kids can walk across the Mississippi," Stephen Leiweke said.

Each year, more than 500,000 people visit Itasca State Park.

Across northwest Minnesota and northeast North Dakota, tourism leaders are expecting this summer to look more like summer 2019 than any summer since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Between early reservation numbers, events returning in full force and an expected pent-up travel demand from Canada, many expect this year to be the strongest year for tourism since the pandemic began.

At Itasca, June, July and August are the park's busiest months every year. Connie Cox, Itasca State Park naturalist, expects this year to be no different. By the end of May, the park's more than 250 campsites and 69 lodging units were filling up fast for the whole summer.

"Looking at our calendars already, our calendars are filling in very quickly," Cox said. "Weekends are almost totally full."

The park's lakes, paved trails and hiking trails mean visitors can hike, bike and boat during their visit. Private vendors located on site offer boat and bike rental, as well as narrated boat tours. The park has two cafes. Construction is ongoing on a new section of bike trail, expected to open in July.

"We always get so many people that wonder if it's a national park, just because of the variety we have to offer," Cox said.

In Grand Forks, summer events like community festivals, fairs, sporting events and weekly farmers markets draw visitors, said Julie Rygg, executive director of Visit Greater Grand Forks.

"We're lucky to have so many of those attractions that not only appeal to our local residents, but also attract visitors who are looking at coming for a weekend," Rygg said.

She hopes

Canadian traffic will return

in full force now that all COVID-19 restrictions at the U.S.-Canada border have been lifted. On May 11, the U.S. dropped its last COVID-19 restriction when it stopped requiring proof of vaccination to enter the country. This summer is the first summer since 2019 without COVID-19 restrictions to cross the U.S.-Canada border.

"We're very optimistic that that will help bring those visitors from Canada, whether they're coming for a tournament or just that weekend getaway," Rygg said.

In North Dakota's Rendezvous Region, the far northeast corner of the state, Rendezvous Region Tourism Council Chair Angelle French has similar hopes for Canadian visitors.

"I think there are a lot of Canadians, now that all the restrictions are lifted, that are ready to come back, camp and see the area," French said.

With outdoor recreation destinations like Icelandic State Park and the Pembina Gorge State Recreation Area,

soon to be Pembina Gorge State Park,

outdoor activities like biking, hiking, RVing and kayaking bring visitors to the area. The impact of the loss of Canadian visitors was especially visible at local campgrounds, where Canadians would often park their RVs and return each weekend, French said.

French expects summer 2023 to look more like summer 2019 than the previous years.

"It sounds like we're looking to bounce back to close to pre-COVID levels," she said. "This year we're hoping to get back, and if not this year, then next year."

This year, one of the Rendezvous Region Tourism Council's projects is installing Talking Trail locations around the region. Talking Trail is a Bismarck-based business that creates self-guided audio tours of historically and culturally relevant sites in an area. In each location, a sign will prompt visitors to use the Talking Trail app or website to listen to a story about the location. The council plans to install 40 locations this year and 40 next year.

"We want this to be where people can come out and explore the region, learn about history and preserve a lot of this history," French said.

Along with outdoor recreation, community celebrations draw visitors to the small towns in northeast North Dakota, said Lule Naas, Nelson County Job Development Authority director and Destination Red River project manager. These celebrations include couch and canoe races at McVille Day and the Aneta Turkey Barbecue.

"It's small communities that put a lot of volunteers, a lot of time and effort into making things fun and doing unique things that celebrate who we are," Naas said.

Destination Red River is working to increase visitors in rural Grand Forks, Nelson, Walsh and Pembina counties with the

help of development consultant Roger Brooks.

At Minnesota's Lake of the Woods, summer is already off to a busy start, said Joe Henry, executive director of Lake of the Woods Tourism.

"We expect it to be a really great summer — in fact, it started out really strong," Henry said. "It sure helps that the fish are biting."

With a "healthy lake full of walleye," Henry says fishing is the biggest draw to Lake of the Woods. The area has fishing opportunities for the most experienced anglers who brings their own boat and gear, or for people new to fishing, with boat and equipment rentals and guide services available.

"It makes it nice for people who don't know fishing very much — puts everybody in the game," Henry said.

COVID-19 border restrictions stifled travel to the Northwest Angle, a remote part of Minnesota separated from the rest of the state by Lake of the Woods, Henry said. To get to the Angle by land, travelers have to cross the U.S.-Canada border twice.

Last summer, Canada also resumed the Remote Area Border Crossing program, which allows visitors with a permit to cross the border in some remote areas, including the Northwest Angle Area, without presenting themselves at a port of entry. An application for that permit can be completed online.

A Remote Area Border Crossing permit could come in handy for an angler who wants to stop for a shore lunch on one of the remote islands on the Canada side of Lake of the Woods, Henry said.

Between lifted travel restrictions and the ability to apply for Remote Area Border Crossing permits online, travel within the Lake of the Woods area is getting easier, Henry said.

"That, of course, is pro-tourism," he said.