Good to Know
You do need to have a vehicle permit
Any vehicle you take into the park needs to have a Minnesota state park vehicle permit. Carpooling is cool!
You don't need to obtain one before arriving, but need to pick one up the first chance you get. If you are arriving before 4PM, stop by the park office first to get your permit. Otherwise you can wait until the office reopens at 9AM. The park staff inspects windshields in the morning to check for compliance and the group leader is held responsible for any violations. The permits are valid for 12 months and help fund the park’s operations.
For more information, including current pricing options, visit the MN DNR site.
NOTE: Because of the change in dates, if you bought a permit for last year’s Werecamp it will still be valid for the 2020 camp!
What should I bring?
Sleeping bag/bedroll
Flashlight
Slippers or house shoes for the main lodge (avoid tracking snow in)
What should I leave behind?
Liquor (state law prohibits all alcohol in state parks)
Drones (FAA may not care, but MN law bans drones in state parks)
Pets (State law doesn’t allow pets to enter state park buildings. Service animals are permitted (which does not include companion animals). All animals must be closely attended at all times: it is not acceptable to bring a pet and keep them outside or in a vehicle).
Rules
All attendees of Werecamp must observe all Minnesota state park rules. If you are unfamiliar with these rules, please take a moment to review them here.
While MNFurs has a unified Code of Conduct now, Werecamp operates with a specialized version in order to observe state park rules. As such, you should read the entire Werecamp Code of Conduct, even if you are familiar with the MNFurs Code of Conduct.
Travel Planning
We care about your safety. We at Werecamp strongly recommend traveling during daylight hours. Pay attention to weather forecasts and know what to expect. The side road leading to the Group Center is not paved and there are no lights. While it is plowed and salted, there is always some remaining snow, ice, and moisture; after dark the road may become slick, making it riskier to drive at night (it’s dark by around 6pm). You don’t want to need a tow truck on your vacation weekend. If you have questions please feel free to contact us.
Food Plan
Because we are cooking for so many people, and reflecting on typical furry sleeping/eating habits, our meal plan this year is:
• Breakfast 8-10am
• Dinner 5-7pm
Outside of these hours we will still have basic snacks, and hot drinks, and the odd surprise.
The kitchen will be closed to all use between midnight and 7am. If you want to borrow fridge space for your own dietary needs and/or cook specific meals for your own small group, arrangements can be made prior to Werecamp with kitchen staff in the midday and late night spots. Please contact us to make arrangements.
Staff Time
Because of the time required to set up for Werecamp and then clean and scrub camp before the checkout inspection, only staff will be allowed to stay Thursday and Sunday nights. Staff must be able to wake up by 7am and stay onsite to 11am on Monday for all the cleaning that needs to be done. Specific exemptions can be made for non-staff that carpool with staff who need to stay overnight, but must be cleared prior to event.
Staff also will be arriving earlier: between 3 and 7 PM Thursday, preferably before 5 PM. If you would like to extend your time at Werecamp and are willing to take on some obligations for helping run the event, becoming staff is a great way to do that. There’s much to be set up, cleaned and prepared for the weekend.