Duluth's Canal Park Lots Shift From Free To Paid Parking May 15

Spring is in the air, and summer is coming soon. Seasonal businesses are opening up for the summer tourist season, which many would argue gets underway Memorial Day Weekend - just a couple of weeks away.

With the warmer temperatures and increasing numbers of visitors to Canal Park, the parking lots in this popular Duluth destination will be shifting from their offseason free lot parking to the summertime paid system as spots come into higher demand.

Many of the lots in Canal Park are managed by Interstate Parking, which operates in Duluth under the flag "Duluth Parking". They operate a number of lots around Downtown Duluth and in Canal Park, including 7 lots in Canal Park.

Those lots include the following, labeled as noted on the map below:

R - Lake Place Lot - 235 Canal Park Dr, Duluth, MN
S - Lake City Lot (DEDA) - 376 Canal Park Drive, Duluth, MN
T - Lighthouse Lot (DEDA) - 510 Canal Park Drive, Duluth, MN
U - Northwest Iron Lot (DEDA) - 370 Canal Park Dr, Duluth, MN
V - Sculptured Wall Lot - 315 Canal Park Drive, Duluth, MN
W - Steam Plant Lot (DEDA) - 21 Railroad St, Duluth, MN
X - Irvin Lot (DEDA) - 335 Harbor Drive, Duluth, MN

Duluth Parking

During the late fall, winter, and early spring, most of these Canal Park lots go free for the offseason. The date they shift to paid parking once again is coming soon.

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The lots that go free during the offseason have seen signs put out at entrance points, letting everyone know paid parking will resume for the summer season on May 15.

How much does it cost to park in these lots during the summer?

The lots all offer hourly rates that float around $1.00 per hour (some prices may vary, depending on location), with four of them also offering daily rates that allow you to park for the entire day and enjoy extended time in Canal Park. Those four lots are as follows:

R - Lake Place Lot - 235 Canal Park Dr, Duluth, MN
S - Lake City Lot (DEDA) - 376 Canal Park Drive, Duluth, MN
T - Lighthouse Lot (DEDA) - 510 Canal Park Drive, Duluth, MN
U - Northwest Iron Lot (DEDA) - 370 Canal Park Dr, Duluth, MN

The listed daily rate for these four lots on the Duluth Parking website is $12 per day.

The Sculptured Wall Lot (labeled V on the map, located near Chachos Tacos and Caribou Coffee) has an 80-minute max parking limit, and the Steam Plant Lot (W) and Irvin Lot (X) on either side of Railroad Street near Lake Avenue charge a flat hourly rate.

Did you know there's an app for that?

True of all of the parking managed by Duluth Parking, you can pay for your spot via a mobile app on your phone. The app will allow you to pay for your parking spot by entering the lot or zone number, parking spot number, and your license plate number. This is true not only for the parking lots, but also for many street parking locations in Downtown Duluth and in Canal Park.

If you want to download the app, you can find it here.

The nice thing is that the app will allow you to set up multiple vehicles on your account, remember previously-used lots, and extend parking time right from your phone. The app will even remind you when your parking time is about to expire. The only downside is that gone are the days of discovering someone else plugged a parking meter, leaving a bunch of time for the next person to show up after they leave.

If you don't have a smartphone or don't want to download the app, there are pay stations also available, where you can still pay with coins, paper money, or a credit card.