Monday (March 1) is going to be the busiest day of the year – and the most lucrative – for the Wright County Parks & Recreation Department. At 8 a.m. Monday, the on-line application portal to reserve campsites in Collinwood and Schroeder Parks will open…and the reservations will be disappearing quickly.
Last year when reservations opened for the two campgrounds – prior to COVID-19 taking over life as we knew it – the credit card transactions were coming in fast and furious. Campground revenue is approximately $200,000 a year. In 2020, Wright County Parks & Recreation took in $105,000 of that in the first 24 hours, including $93,000 in the first 30 minutes.
It has been projected that, if someone is looking to reserve a campground space for the weekends of Memorial Day, 4th of July or Labor Day, they will likely have to be made in the first five minutes because, after that, they will be gone.
There are a couple of important elements that those looking to reserve campground space need to be aware of. Foremost is that the reservation software has changed since the end of the camping season last year. If you have a bookmark that doesn’t include the new site (perfectmind.com) in the web address, it is not correct.
The new website to pre-register can be found at https://wrightcountyparksandrec.perfectmind.com/SocialSite/MemberRegistration/MemberSignIn. It is strongly urged that those interested in reserving campsites be pre-registered because available spots will go away quickly and it will be required – whether you pre-register or wait until the site goes live Monday to do the registration.
While shelter reservations are still open on the registration portal, the campground portion was made dormant at noon today (Feb. 26). However, there is a link to preview what you will see on the site when it opens for business Monday. It can be found at http://www.co.wright.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/21527/Campsite-Reservation-Instructions and can be used to preview the site or print out to have with you as a guidance tool when sites open.
In way of advice for those who will utilizing the campground rental site and tips on things to avoid, Parks & Recreation has put out a release explaining the nuances at http://www.co.wright.mn.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2351.
The only certainty at 8 a.m. Monday morning is there will be a flood of people going on the Wright County Parks & Recreation web page to make reservations. If you want to get the prime campsites you want for a specific time period, reviewing all this information will greatly enhance your odds of landing the spaces and dates you’re looking for.