Fans of the great outdoors will be happy to learn that camping season is once again making its way to Iowa. On Saturday, May 6, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a Camping Kickoff statewide at all of Iowa’s state parks.

Almost all state parks across Iowa will host special events to mark the day, including runs, guided hikes, volunteer opportunities and workshops. The goal of the event is to get people outdoors in order to enjoy everything the Iowa DNR has to offer.

Iowa has 71 state parks with a total of over 4,700 campsites spread out across the state. According to the DNR, these parks receive millions of visits each year, and almost a million people spent at least one night camping in a state park last year. Events like this weekend’s camping kickoff serve to get even more people out into the parks to enjoy the outdoors..

Rock Creek State Park, the DNR site closest to Grinnell, has several events planned throughout the day on Saturday. Visitors can participate in tree planting, a bird and plant identification session, a nature hike and, after sundown, friend of the park Bob Meakins will host an astronomy discussion and viewing with his telescope.

More information about the events offered at any of the Iowa DNR’s state parks this Saturday can be found here: http://www.iowadnr.gov/Things-to-Do/Camping/Camping-Kickoff.