“We have about 75 miles of trails, and we have a little over 100 miles of sidewalks throughout town,” said Blaine City Engineer Dan Schluender. “The trail systems go through most of our open spaces and our park system.” “There’s trails in every single one of our parks,” said Nate Monahan, who works in the city’s Park and Recreation Department. Even with 175 miles or trails and sidewalks, Blaine isn’t stopping. They know they will have to keep building as the city keeps growing. RELATED LINKS: “Our network is very good. We do have a couple of gaps in our system currently. We’ve identified those, and we are doing our best to fill those gaps so we have a contiguous system of trails and walks,” said Schluender. The city considers a walkway to be a sidewalk if it is a six foot wide concrete strip. Trails on the other hand, can come in many different types. The can be made of asphalt, brick pavers, or wood chips. And some trails are wooden boardwalks over wetlands. While these trails are used as transportation corridors for walkers or cyclists, it seems that most trails users do so simply for the enjoyment. “I really do like the open spaces that Blaine’s dedicated,” said Schluender. “Pioneer Park has a lot of neat things that you can go out and see in nature. It gives the city an opportunity to preserve some of this nature of what was around here before all the homes showed up.” One of Blaine’s newer areas for walking is the Blaine Wetland Sanctuary. It’s hundreds of acres of wetland area that the city has big plans for. “The City of Blaine acquired about 435 acres of what’s called The Blaine Wetland Sanctuary in the 1980s with the vision of creating a wetland classroom,” said Blaine’s Water Resource Manager Rebecca Haug. “People are attracted to nature. They want to have the opportunity to seek it in their backyards,” said Schluender. A feature of the Wetland Sanctuary is a boardwalk through the wetland that is one of the newest trails in the area “The city completed the construction of a trail and board last year. It’s approximately one mile long, and it connects to an existing trail in the Lakes Development,” said Haug. “I know this one specifically has a lot of young families out here, jogger, bikers,” said Schluender. “I hear a lot from seniors – they just love the walking trails. They are able to go for miles, do their morning loop; so it really provides an opportunity for all groups and classes of folks here in town.” The trails are also popular with city staff. “I do go on walks a lot of times on my lunch hour,” said Monahan. “My favorite trail now that I go to a lot of times is our new Wetland Sanctuary.” Haug also loves the Wetland Sanctuary. “It feels like you are out in the country, you’re not within the city limits. It’s very peaceful. It’s very beautiful. I like to bird watch, and with this restoration there’s more variety of birds in this area than there ever have been. The number of wildlife populations in the area have increased, and I like to see that a suburban neighborhood,” said Haug. Some of the trails that run through the city were built by or are maintained by the county, and as often as possible, Blaine likes to find ways to connect to these trails and build a better network. Most of this comprehensive network is open to exploration year round. Many trails are maintained during the winter, and all trails give people the chance to spend some time outdoors. “I think it’s good for people to be exposed to open spaces away from city lights, traffic, breathing in the fresh air,” said Haug. “Go out and explore some of the trails that aren’t just out your backdoor, because there is a lot of opportunity to see different piece of nature here in town,” said Schluender. “Take a look at all the different trails that we have. Park at a park and you can see how far you can go. Just get out and walk and get exercise and stay healthy,” said Monahan.
BLAINE’S GROWING TRAIL SYSTEM
BLAINE, Minn. – (Sept. 13, 2018) – In Blaine there are 65 city parks covering more than 600 acres of land. Throughout all of these parks, there is a network of sidewalks and trails that allow you to explore the city a little differently.
