Bike trail paving will cause temporary trail closures at Glendalough State Park

All trails east of the bridge to the Glendalough State Park lodge and trail center will be closed from Friday, July 26, until Saturday, Aug. 3, during final grading and paving of the park’s new bike and pedestrian trail, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said. This includes the Beaver Pond Trail, Lake Emma Trail, Ice Ridge Trail and Annie Battle Lake Trail.

All of these trails have sections that cross the construction zone, where there will be heavy equipment and hot pavement. Camping at the park’s canoe-in campsites also will be limited, but the main campground — where there are 22 cart-in campsites and four camper cabins — remains open.

Park visitors are encouraged to hike on the park’s Prairie Hill and Sunset Lake trails during this time. Both trails currently feature an abundance of wildflowers, after the significant spring rainfall. Access to the lodge and trail center should remain open on the weekends, but may be limited on weekdays. Construction times may be affected by weather and other considerations.

The new paved trail, which starts at the bridge over Battle Creek, will provide a loop through the park, create new trail portions traversing oak forest and restored prairie grassland and offer views of Annie Battle and Molly Stark lakes. When completed, it will connect the trail to the south entrance of the park creating a continuous 8-mile loop through the park.
Check the visitor alert on the park’s Web page at www.mndnr.gov (http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/glendalough/index.html) or call the park at 218-864-0110 for updates and more information.