A year of abundance for Minnesota's trails, parks

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is completing its 2014 season with this week's opening of a new trail connecting Stillwater to the Gateway State Trail.

In total, the agency spent more than $8 million building new projects or rehabbing old ones this construction season, including new cabins, trails and even a handful of yurts with wood burning stoves.

The Brown's Creek State Trail is a 6-mile paved trail built on the former site of the Minnesota Zephyr dinner train. It runs partly along Brown's Creek, a designated trout stream, from Stillwater to Grant, Minnesota.

Luke Skinner, deputy director for DNR parks and trails, said the trail will be used for bikers and hikers in the summer, and portions of it will be available for horseback riding. During the winter, parts of it will be groomed for snowshoeing and skiing.

There are about 1,200 miles of state trails in Minnesota, including 575 miles of paved trails. Brown's Creek trail represents one of the last connections needed for the Gateway State Trail, Skinner said. That means someone will be able to strap on a pair of rollerblades and make their way from Stillwater to Hutchinson without getting off the trails much.

The land cost more than $4.2 million to acquire from the former owner of the railroad. It was a partnership among Washington County, the DNR, Stillwater and the Gateway Brown's Creek Trail Association. It cost about $3.2 million to develop the site, which include new bridges and the deconstruction of the rail line.

Officials plan to put the finishing touches on the trail, including signs, by next spring. An opening celebration is planned next summer.

The agency has wrapped up a busy construction season this year that included $4.22 million for new projects and $3.88 million to rehab old projects, much of which was provided by Legacy Amendment sales tax revenue.

Here are some construction highlights from the Minnesota DNR:

• An 11,000-square-foot visitor center and MnDOT safety rest area with a view of Lake Superior opened at Tettegouche State Park in June.

• Four camper cabins opened in June at Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park in southeastern Minnesota.

• The 4-mile Vermilion Park Drive was paved at Lake Vermilion State Park, where work will begin next spring on a modern campground.

• A restroom building and visitor plaza opened at the Ray Berglund State Wayside on the North Shore in July.

• A 6-mile trail segment connecting the Paul Bunyan State Trail to Crow Wing State Park opened in July.

• Scott County took the lead to pave a 4-mile segment of the Minnesota Valley State Trail, which runs parallel to state Highway 101, from Memorial Park in Shakopee to the Wilkie Unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, east of Valleyfair.

• Renovation of an historic camp store into a guesthouse and a new, 5-mile segment of the bike trail at Itasca State Park were completed in September.

• Two historic shelters, Ladyslipper Lodge and Lakeview Lodge, were renovated at Gooseberry Falls State Park, and can now be rented by visitors.

• A new trailhead — with expanded parking, a changing station and a vault toilet — is near completion at Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area.

• Seven yurts were constructed this summer including two at Afton State Park, two at Glendalough State Park and three at Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area. They will open as soon as wood burning stoves are installed and final inspections are conducted.