Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission
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A System of Greater
Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails


Regionally
Designated Facilities

SYSTEM OVERVIEW
Greater Minnesota's Regional system of parks and trails currently lists 66 facilities across several categories, including Natural Resource Based Parks, Special Recreation Feature Parks, Non-motorized Trails, Motorized Trails, and Mixed-use Trails. All facilities in the system have completed a unit master plan and evaluation by the Commission, becoming eligible for Legacy funding.
Click a facility name to review its basic Designation Application.
Additional attachments may be reviewed by contacting us at coordinator@gmrptcommission.org
(N) = Natural Resource-Based Park Classification
(S) = Special Recreation Feature Park Classification
(T) = Regional Trail Classification
​( * ) = New in 2022
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DISTRICT 1
Aitkin County Northwoods ATV Trail (T)
Big Falls Campground and Horse Camp (S)
Cook County Mountain Bike Trail System (S)
Duluth Hartley Park (N)
​Duluth Spirit Mountain Recreation Area (S)
Duluth Traverse (S)
Duluth Waabizheshikana the Marten Trail (T) *
Hermantown/Proctor Munger Trail Spur (T)
Lake County Mountain Bike Trails (T)
Lake Vermilion Trail (T)
Mesabi Trail (T)
Mille Lacs County Plains to Port Trail (T)
Sandstone Robinson Quarry Park (S)

DISTRICT 2
​Beltrami County Northland Regional Sports Park (S)
Cohasset Tioga Recreation Area (N)
Crow Wing County Milford Mine Memorial Park (S)
Lake Shore Gull Lake Trail (T)
Red Lake River Corridor (T)
​Lake of the Woods County Northerly Park (N) 
Warroad Point Park (S) *
DISTRICT 3
Detroit Lakes Detroit Mountain (S)
Douglas County Lake Brophy Park (N)
Douglas County Kensington Park (N)
Fergus Falls Glacial Edge Trail (T)
Frazee Wannigan Park (N) *
Granite Falls Memorial Park (N)
Lac qui Parle County Park (N)
Moorhead MB Johnson Park (N)
Moorhead River Corridor Trail (T)
Otter Tail County Heart of the Lakes (T)
Otter Tail County Phelps Mill County Park (S) *
​Swift County Appleton OHV Park (P) *
Willmar Robbins Island Park (N)

DISTRICT 4
Chisago County Sunrise Prairie Trail  (T)
Chisago County Swedish Immigrant Trail (T)
Elk River Woodland Trails Park (N)
Isanti County Irving & John Anderson Park (N)
Isanti County​ Springvale Park (N) *
​Morrison County Belle Prairie Park (N)
​Morrison County Soo Line Trail (T)
​Sherburne County Big Elk Lake Park (N) 
St. Cloud Beaver Island Trail (T)
Stearns County Kraemer Lake Park (N)
​
Stearns County/Benton County Great River Park Complex (N) 
Stearns County Lake Wobegon Trail (T)
Stearns County Rockville Park (N)
Stearns County Quarry Park (N)
Stearns County Warner Lake Park (N)
Wright County Bertram Park (N)
Wright County Collinwood Park (N)
​
Wright County Crow River Trail (T)
Wright County Great River Trail (T)
Wright County Robert Ney Park (N)
Wright County Stanley Eddy Park Reserve (N)
DISTRICT 5
Le Sueur County Lake
​Washington Park (N)

Lincoln County Hole In the Mountain Park (N)
Luverne Loop & Blue 
​Mounds Trail (T)

Lyon County Garvin Park (N)
Lyon County Twin Lakes Park (N)
Greater Mankato River Valley Trail System (T) *
McLeod County Dakota
​Rail Trail (T)

Redwood County Plum
​Creek Park (N)

Redwood Falls Ramsey Park (N)
​
Sibley County Henderson Scenic Byway Trail (T) *
DISTRICT 6
Austin Jay C. Hormel Nature Center (N)
Cannon Valley Trail (T)
Goodhue County Byllesby Park (S)
Olmsted County Chester Woods Park (N)
Olmsted County Oxbow
​Park/Zollman Zoo (S)

Red Wing He Mni Can - 
​
Barn Bluff Park (S)

Rochester Cascade Lake Park (N)
Rochester Gamehaven Park (N)
Rochester Quarry Hill Park (N)
Winona Bluffs Traverse (S)

Strategic Direction

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OVERVIEW
Prior to the establishment of the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission (GMRPTC) in 2013, Greater Minnesota did not have an established history of comprehensive planning for regional parks and trails. The documents and organizations highlighted below establish the criteria and protocol that grants the GMRPTC responsibility in this area.

MINNESOTA GREAT OUTDOORS WEBSITE
The new MN Great Outdoors website is a joint initiative of Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission, MN DNR and Metropolitan Council. The website will make trip planning easy and provide a great way to filter a search based on location, accessibility, amenities and features. Once a search is complete, the site provides the parks or trails that fit the parameters and users simply click through to the individual websites for more detail and planning assistance. One of the primary benefits to the designated facilities in Greater Minnesota is the ability for city and county facilities with smaller marketing budgets to gain greater exposure to a much larger audience of park and trail enthusiasts. mn.gov/greatoutdoors/

25 YEAR PARKS AND TRAILS LEGACY PLAN
The Parks and Trails Legacy Advisory Committee (LAC) was created as a part of the implementation of the 25-year Parks and Trails Legacy Plan. The Legacy Plan establishes the basic structure and guidelines both for the creation of the GMRPTC, and for the Regional System Plan it is responsible for creating. Learn more about the work of the Parks and Trails Legacy Advisory Committee, including the 25 year Legacy Plan, at http://www.legacy.leg.mn/ptlac.
​

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STRATEGIC PLAN
​
As defined in the Commission’s Strategic Plan (and guided by the Parks & Trails Legacy Plan), the Commission will evaluate, rank, and determine funding recommendations for regionally-significant projects of highest merit. As the 3-Step graphic illustrates, all regional park and trail projects will flow through the Commission’s evaluation process to ensure consistency with the protocol and criteria defined under the Strategic Plan.

The vetting process defined and implemented by the Commission through the Strategic Plan is the only route to Legacy or other funding sources as related to regional parks and trails in Greater Minnesota. The Commission is responsible for ensuring that the physical system plan that emerges over time only reflects parks and trails that are well-vetted and formally recognized as being regionally-significant and essential to meeting regional needs.

REPORTS

LEGISLATIVE REPORTS and FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS
​2015 Report
2016 Report
2017 Report
​
2018 Report
​2019 Report
2020 Report
​
2021 Report
GMRPTC REPORTS AND RESEARCH
Development of the Greater Minnesota Regional System requires continued system planning and research. The following key documents have been produced by the Commission or the Legacy Advisory Committee.
Mountain Bike Trail Inventory in Districts 1 and 2
Summary Report Legacy Impact at 10 Years
​Parks and Trails Legacy 10th Anniversary Report
​2021 Mountain Bike System Survey and Trail Count

ETeam REPORT
The ETeam reports to the Commission after its initial ranking and scoring evaluation in late summer. The introductory section highlights both the summary of the evaluation and several issues that are being addressed by the GMRPTC. The last section of this report documents the ranking and scoring results for each application.
ETeam Report 2014
ETeam Report 2015
ETeam Report 2016
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Questions? Contact coordinator@gmrptcommission.org
© 2021 Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission.
All Rights Reserved.

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