Wargo After MEA Weekend: A Winter That Runs on Saturdays and Sign-Ups

Wargo Nature Center's daily 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. schedule runs from Memorial Day through MEA weekend. After that, the posted hours drop to Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Anoka County still schedules a lot at Wargo through the winter. Almost all of it lands on Saturdays, and much of it needs registration. If you live in Lino Lakes and plan to use Wargo and Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park Reserve between now and March, the dates and deadlines matter more than the hours on the door.

The building goes to weekdays, and the programs go to Saturdays

Here's the gap. Wargo's own page lists only weekday regular hours for the off-season. Meanwhile, the county's activities and events calendar puts the Fall Festival, the Hot Cocoa GPS Challenge and all four Winter Wildlife Tracking sessions at Wargo on Saturdays.

Holidays narrow the weekday schedule further. Wargo is closed on Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day and Presidents Day. It's open 9 a.m. to noon on Christmas Eve. If you count on a quick weekday visit to see the 18-foot maple tree display or the augmented-reality sandbox with the kids, check that list first.

Lino Lakes' late-fall calendar starts at The Rookery

Inside Lino Lakes, the late-fall calendar starts at The Rookery. The city's Scarecrow Crawl runs October 22 through November 1, with scarecrows set up along the pathway outside The Rookery Activity Center. Voting opens at 4:30 p.m. on October 22 and closes at 11:59 p.m. on November 1, and it's free to take part. Scarecrow entries had to be registered by October 21, so this year's lineup is set. You can still walk the path and vote.

November 1 is also the first big deadline of the winter. In its October 2026 program update, The Rookery lists three trips:

• Bentleyville by bus, Tuesday, November 24, 12:45 to 9:15 p.m. Register by November 1.
• The Honky Tonk Christmas Show from Sidekick Theater, Thursday, December 3, 9:40 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Register by November 1.
• An Andy & Bing Christmas, Tuesday, December 15. Register by November 8.

The same update lists Non-School Days programs at The Rookery on December 28, 29 and 30, with a December 13 registration deadline. For a household planning around the holidays, the dates to watch in the next three weeks are the sign-up deadlines, not the events themselves.

Saturdays at Wargo, October through March

Two days after the Crawl opens, Wargo's own season starts. On Saturday, October 24, the free Fall Festival runs 1 to 3 p.m. with the cider press, pioneer games and self-guided nature activities. That morning, from 10 a.m. to noon, a free Wargo Restoration Project Day asks volunteers to help with work like removing invasive species, picking up trash or light trail maintenance. The county says it goes ahead in any weather short of severe, and registration is encouraged. If your family can spare one Saturday morning and afternoon, you can do both.

After that, the Saturday calendar thins out and turns toward snow.

The Hot Cocoa GPS Challenge sends participants out on Wargo's peninsula with a GPS unit, searching the county's new GPS Challenge Course for the "ingredients" for a cup of hot chocolate. Children have to come with an adult 18 or older.

The tracking series costs the most time of anything on the calendar, and it's built to be taken as a set. Wargo has three wildlife trackers certified by Tracker Certification North America. Each session follows how the snow and animal activity change over the winter, and the county discounts the rate if you enroll in all four. If you're interested, sign up before December 12. Waiting until January means joining a series that has already started.

For weekday visitors, the lunch talks

Not everything moves to the weekend. Lunch with a Naturalist is free for ages 16 and up and runs on select Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Wargo. You bring your lunch, a naturalist gives a talk, and the group sometimes takes a walk on the trails afterward. The remaining topics:

• November 4: Owls of Minnesota
• December 2: Wildcats of Minnesota
• January 6: Snow Birds
• February 3: Wildlife Tracking

The February 3 talk on wildlife tracking falls between the third and fourth Saturday tracking sessions. A weekday visitor can get a taste of that series without signing up for the full set.

On Wednesday, October 28, the county also runs a Fat Tire Biking session from 4 to 6 p.m. at Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park Reserve. It's for ages 15 and up, and you'll need basic bike-riding skills, since staff take the group out on single track. The reserve's two single-track loops are both rated beginner. Rice Lake Trail is about 1.7 miles, and Sherman Lake Trail is about 1.8 miles.

What $5 rents at Wargo, and what it doesn't

Wargo's equipment rental page lists snowshoes and kick-sleds at $5 for up to two hours, for use on site only. GPS units for geocaching cost the same $5 for up to two hours. Rentals depend on the weather and go first come, first served. The renter has to be 18 or older and show a driver's license, and the county asks you to call ahead at 763-324-3350 to check what's available.

The page doesn't list cross-country skis or fat bikes. The one scheduled chance to try fat biking at Wargo without your own bike is the Winter Recreation Sampler on Tuesday, December 29, 1 to 3 p.m., for ages 5 and up. Families can try snowshoeing, kick-sledding and fat biking and play a winter game or two, "with a little luck" on the snow. It falls in the middle of The Rookery's December 28 to 30 Non-School Days. For many Lino Lakes families, that makes winter break the week to have Wargo, The Rookery and Rice Creek all on the calendar at once.

When the snow comes, Chomonix waits its turn

Cross-country skiing at Rice Creek Chain of Lakes happens at Chomonix Golf Course. One change at the top of the county's cross-country ski page is worth knowing before you buy anything:

You no longer need a Minnesota state ski pass for Anoka County Parks ski trails.

The same page explains why Chomonix often feels a step behind the first good snowfall. Grooming needs at least 4 to 6 inches of snow, depending on moisture. Crews roll the trails first and set classic tracks as the snow gets deeper. Getting through the whole system usually takes four days: two days to pack and roll after fresh snow, and two more to groom and set track. The order is fixed:

1. Bunker Hills Regional Park, including its park, golf course and skijor trails
2. Chomonix Golf Course
3. Rum River Central Regional Park

So after a snowfall, Lino Lakes skiers wait until Bunker Hills is done. Each status on the conditions report means something specific. "Rolled" means packed, with marginal skate skiing. "Groomed" means the skate deck has been combed. "Groomed and tracked" adds set tracks for classic skiing. "Ungroomed" means you break your own trail. The county links to a Chomonix trail conditions report and a Chomonix winter map, and both are worth checking before you load the car.

If you're new to skiing, the county's Learn to Cross-Country Ski session is on Monday, December 28, 1 to 3 p.m., for ages 12 and up. It's held at Bunker Hills Campground, not Chomonix, and all equipment is provided.

Wargo is at 7701 Main Street. If you put the Rookery deadlines of November 1 and 8, the tracking series start on December 12 and the December 29 Sampler on your calendar now, you'll catch most of what Lino Lakes' parks offer before spring.

At Jenelle Nelson, we love a good Lino Lakes Saturday too. If you're comparing communities and want to know which ones have a Wargo-style winter close by, Bjorn and I are happy to talk through the parks and trails along with the houses. Let's Connect.