Minnesota State Water Trail System Turns 50!
24 Jun
On the BIg Fork River
In 1963 the Minnesota, St. Croix, Big Fork and Little Fork Rivers became the first four “canoe and boating routes” in Minnesota–the start of a water trail system so extensive that today there’s a Minnesota State Water Trail within one hour of anywhere in the state.
According to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the system got its start after then-Governor Karl Rolvaag proposed that Minnesota “embark immediately on an all-out program to arouse this sleeping recreational giant–canoeing!” Over fifty years, it has grown to include:
- Over 4,500 miles of mapped recreational routes on waterways, managed for canoeing, kayaking, boating and camping.
- Over 1,400 public water accesses, campsites, portages and rest areas managed by the DNR and numerous local partners.
Visit the DNR’s website for more information. And for a little inspiration, make your way to the latest trip log on Canoeing.com. Founder Tim Eaton and contributor Rob Kesselring spent a weekend on the Big Fork River, the most wilderness-like among the system. Those of us that didn’t go along? Well, we’re a little jealous.
How will you celebrate 50 years of canoeing the Minnesota State Water Trail System?
