By: Nyah Adams / News Director

The Beaver Island Trail is expanding after being approved for a more than $1.29 million extension grant.

Stearns County Parks Director Ben Anderson says they plan to construct approximately four miles of 10-foot-wide grade separated bituminous surfaced recreational trail. The trail will begin on the northwest side of Clearwater and will connect to the city’s existing recreational trail. The route will then continue northwest along County Road 75, mostly within an abandoned railroad line. It will connect to St. Cloud’s portion of the Beaver Island Trail, near the new water tower.

The Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission completed their extensive application review process and chose the Beaver Island Trail Extension Project and other trail projects around the state to receive a record of $12.2 million in funding for 2023.

Other projects around the state of Minnesota that received funding include: Sherburne County Big Elk Lake Park, Duluth Spirit Mountain Recreation Area along with 17 others.

The GMRPTC provides recommendations to the Minnesota Legislature for grants to parks and trails of regional significance in the 80 counties outside the seven-county metropolitan area.

Since 2014 the commission has awarded more than $52 million in grants to more than 50 regional parks and trails.