Place: North St. Paul
Trail Head (next to the Windmill)
Join Dorian Grilley, Executive Director of the Bike Alliance
of Minnesota, for an easy two hour ride along a portion of the Gateway Trail.
Call 612-725-2724 to reserve your place. All ages welcome, bring your own bike.
Announcements And Special Items of Interest Click here for Rest Rooms 2012-13 Season Activation Dates for Rest Rooms & Water. Click here for Many Uses, One Trail Reminder Trail Passes Required for Horse Riders/Skiers & Group Permits for large groups. Click here for What's New Pictures from June 4, 2011 National Trails Day Observed at Hadley Rest Stop. Click here for What's New Gateway Brown's Creek Trail Association Buys a Leaf Blower For Trail Maintenance. Click here for Membership to join or renew membership for 2012-13 Click here for History of the Gateway State Trail To Play a short video history of the Gateway Trail. Click here for Trail Use Tips for information on car break-ins at trail parking lots. Click here for What's New Vandalism at Highway 96 overpass prompts offer of $250 reward by Gateway Brown's Creek Trail Association. Click here for Parking New 31 place parking lot, toilets and water at North St. Paul Trail Head near the windmill. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ GTA Now Gateway-Brown's Creek Trail Association
The Board of Directors of the Gateway Trail Association voted recently to change the name of Association to the Gateway-Brown's Creek Trail Association. This change reflects the achievement of the Association’s long-term advocacy for the acquisition of the 6½ mile Brown's Creek Trail (formerly the Zephyr Rail Line) by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources earlier this year. Having linked the two great river cities of Stillwater on the St. Croix with St. Paul on the Mississippi we will now continue our advocacy for the extension the this trail system to William O’Brien State Park thereby further enhancing this unique and great recreational resource. We would be pleased to have your support in helping us achieve this goal. One of the ways you may help is by joining the new Gateway-Brown's Creek Trail Association which you may do by clicking on Membership and completing the application. Note that our membership dues are reasonably priced to encourage broader support for this non-profit organization. With your help we can continue make things happen. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
A SIMULATED WALK DOWN THE BROWN'S CREEK TRAIL
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Washington County
combined resources along with a $1000
contribution from the Gateway Trail Association to purchase the old
Zephyr Line railroad earlier this year. Click here to view DNR map of the Brown's Creek Trail. Time Line For Conversion Spring 2012: Design begins for entire corridor. Begin removing rails and their supporting ties. Fall 2012:
Redevelop railroad bridge over St. Croix Trail/ Highway 95 and begin
paving. Brown's Creek Park, Stillwater, MN
Brown's Creek Trail passing under Highway 5.
Ravine alongside the Brown's Creek Trail
Bridge over Brown's Creek.
Brown's Creek Descending into Stillwater.
Brown's Creek Trail Bridge passing over Highway 95.
Approaching Stillwater Train Station.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CENTURY AVE BRIDGE & N.ST.PAUL TRAIL HEAD DEDICATIONS
Left to Right Greg Coughlin, Metro District State Aid Engineer, MnDOT; Senator Chuck Wiger; Forrest Boe, Deputy Director, DNR Division of Parks and Trails; U.S. Representative Betty McCollum; Mike Kuehn, Mayor, City of North Saint Paul; Carmen Sarrack, Mayor, City of Oakdale; Noreen Farrell, Board Member, Gateway Brown's Creek Trail Association; Dan Collins, Board Member, Gateway Brown's Creek Trail Association; State Representative Leon Lillie.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Congresswoman Betty McCullum and the North St. Paul High School ROTC Honor Guard. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Gateway Brown's Creek Trail Association Board Members Noreen Farrell and Bob Hagstrom cut cake at the new North St. Paul Trail Head & RestStop on the trail.
Paul Johnson,Maplewood Historical Socieity, resting after a ride on his circa 1880 penney farthing bicycle. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
North St.Paul Mayor Mike Kuehn dedicates the North St. Paul Trail Head & Rest Stop. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dan Collins, Gateway Brown's Creek Trail Association Board Member and Master of Ceremonies speaks at dedication. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A Fall Walk on the Gateway-Brown's Creek Trail Scot and Jody walk Maggi at Highway 96 overpass, September 1 9, 2011 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ MANNING AVE BRIDGE NOW OPEN
The Manning Avenue opened early this November to runners, bladers, walkers,bikers and horses thus passing over high speed County Road 15. There are some finishing details to complete which will require the closing of the bridge for short times next summer (2012) and there will be a dedication of the bridge sometime next spring. See What's New for historical detail of this two year project.
Antique bridge in place on Manning Ave November 20 in the culmination of a 2 year project. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Four New Construction and Improvement Projects Affecting The Gateway Trail
1. The Mahtomedi School District has begun the process of building a new elementary school which will be located next to the Gateway Trail at the intersection with Jamaca Avenue and is planned for completion in the Fall of 2012. A school bus entrance and exit has been approved that will cut across the Trail at this point. Work on the school will probably begin in the Fall of 2011. We will provide more details/pictures in the future.
2. The Cayuga Trail Head located near downtown St. Paul will be reconfigured and the trail extended to University Avenue as a result of a project by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. This project will replace the current Maryland Avenue bridge which runs over I-35E and improve the on-off ramps in the area. This project is expected to begin in 2013. The attached link to the Department of Transportation includes more information and a map of the area. Link to dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/cayuga/images/cayugalayout.pdf We will provide more information as this project develops.
3. A drinking fountain is to be installed at the Community Gardens as the trail crosses Arlington Avenue. The drinking fountain will be a welcome sight on the south end and will also provide water for the beautiful Community Gardens adjacent to the Trail. The fountain is expected to be installed in September of 2011.
4 The Minnesota Department of Transportation will begin work on a project to improve traffic flow at Highway 36 and Hilton Trail. A ramp over the Gateway Trail will connect to the frontage road. The project is expected to begin in 2012. Attached is a link to the Minnesota Department of Transportation website which provides more information on this project including a map of the project. Link to dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/hwy36pinesprings/images/th36_hilton.pdf ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Zephyr Line Purchase Completed
Purchase of the Zephyr Line by the DNR was included in the Bonding Bill recently signed by Governor Dayton according to the Minneapolis Tribune July 24, 2011. The new State Trail will be called the Browns Creek State Trail and may be available for use by the summer of 2012. The Browns Creek Trail will follow the 6 1/2 mile rail line of the old Minnesota Zephyr Line, a spur line running off the Gateway Trail from Highway 96 to the train station in Stillwater. A portion of the new trail at the point of intersection with the Gateway Trail is shown below. We will provide more information as it is available.
See link to Minneapolis Tribune July 24, 2011 for more detail. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Future Plans to Extend the Gateway Trail
