Is It Legal To Hitchhike In Minnesota?

When I was younger, hitchhiking was a pretty common way to get around. In today's world I would be horrified if I found out one of my kids was hitching rides with strangers.

I don't know if there are more weirdos these days or that we just hear about them more with all the media and internet available.

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A good friend of mine in high school, back in the 70's, moved to Spokane, Washington from Fargo in our junior year. The following summer, he decided he wanted to return to Fargo to catch up with the friends he had left. He packed a bag and stepped out onto Interstate 94 and stuck out his thumb.

After a few days, his parents figured out where he was and he headed back to Spokane the same way he came.

After high school I spent a lot of time driving back and forth to California. Around that time there were stories going around about a hitchhiker that was killing and eating parts of the unlucky drivers that had picked him up.

On one particular trip, in the middle of New Mexico, I saw a guy up ahead on the side of the road with his thumb out. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself when I saw he was holding a cardboard sign that said "I'm A Vegetarian". I thought to myself, I'm not falling for that one.

The smartest hitchhiker I ever knew was a friend that came to Minnesota from California to visit. He would hang around the airport's small plane hangers, when airports weren't so secure like today. When he saw someone getting in their small aircraft, he would ask where they were going. If they were going his way he would ask if he could catch a ride. Amazingly enough, it worked for him.

Anyway, is it legal to hitchhike in Minnesota?  It seems the simple answer would be, no. Here is the Minnesota statue on hitchhiking;