News & Project Updates

Starting on Monday, May 19th, the Brown's Creek trail will be closed from Hazel Street to McKusick Road in Stillwater. The closure will last approximately two weeks as the County Road 5/Stonebridge Trail bridge is replaced.  The trail will be detoured for cars and bicycles as there is NO easy detour in the area for bicycles other than local roads.  We recommend you plan other routes during this time.  We will keep you updated on any impacts to the trail as the summer continues.

A HUGE thanks to the volunteers who came out and planted six varieties of native tree seedlings on the Gateway Trail south of Hadley Ave. The area was cleared when the sound wall was erected. This is the first tree planting to repopulate the tree canopy.

Visit the site Gallery to see a few photos from the day.

The GBCTA Board recently approved a five year strategic plan to hone our work through 2030. Click here to learn more.

The Gateway-Brown's Creek Trail Association is excited about its partnership with the DNR and Urban Roots at Arlington Gardens. The community garden on the west end of the Gateway Trail has struggled in recent years, and Urban Roots is not only revitalizing the garden, it is using them as a living classroom for young and old alike.

Thank you, Urban Roots, for all you are doing to enhance the trail, community, and environment.

During last week's GBCTA board meeting, DNR shared an update on some fixes to a sinking culvert and the stone bridge that will cause  construction closings on the Brown's Creek trail. The culvert repair could close the trail for up to two weeks. The bridge repair will likely involve a detour.

Timing has not been confirmed, but May could be a possibility. We'll continue to update information on the site as we learn more.

We're delighted to be working with nationally known muralist JoJo to bring art to seven tunnels along the Gateway Trail.

Not only will his works bring art to the trail, it also deters tagging and much of the less desirable graffiti we encounter on various surfaces each year.

JoJo was born in St. Paul. He spent his formative years in Southern California, where he was immersed in hip-hop culture during the 1980s. JoJo mastered the art of graffiti using pencil, pen, marker, and acrylic spray paint. In 1989, he returned to Minnesota, where he became a pioneer in the street art scene. His vibrant and creative work has graced over a thousand walls and freights across America. JoJo has also been a featured artist in over 100 books and magazines on the subject. He has been contracted by cities across Minnesota to transform bleak surfaces into bright, artistic, and welcoming features.

If you see JoJo at work, please be kind, his art is intentional. And as much as he loves to share the story of his art, please do not disturb him while working. His time is limited, and you can imagine how many of his work hours could be eaten up by conversations by our many trail users.

The GBCTA is assisting with material funds, and the murals are an artistic honorarium to Gateway founding member and trail champion, Noreen Farrell.

For over 20 years, Barb Wahman served on the board of, first, the Gateway Trail Association, and later, after the expansion of the network, the Gateway-Brown's Creek Trail Association.

Barb and her husband Al were a mighty force in securing the Gateway and Brown's Creek trails as an amenity for all to enjoy. They knew the trails from their early days as railroad lines, through the first gravel surface route, and later as the Gateway became one of the first paved trail systems in the state.

For almost all of those 20 years Barb coordinated the volunteer activities on the trail, including clean-up, poop scooping, advocacy days, and special projects. And she did it all the old fashioned way through phone calls and in-person conversation.

Barb was a great lover of the outdoors and the activities that unfolded with each season.

Our trails are here for all of us because of dedicated and passionate people like Barb. She will be missed.

Four power-tool wielding volunteers built a new supply of ADA compliant benches to be installed along the Gateway and Brown's Creek Trails. Tony Grote, Dave Kolstad, Pat Junker, and bench building lead, Dennis Lindeke, cut prepped and assembled the benches. They will soon be placed on the trails by DNR staff.

MN Bike and Go allows people to enter and view the location of public toilets (permanent and portable) along bike (and dual biking-walking) trails and paths throughout Minnesota on an interactive map using GIS (geographic information systems). It also allows them to rate the features and conditions of those facilities using a short survey. The site can be accessed on a mobile phone using the link below and is free to use.

Want to check it out? Click here.