Posted: 6/21/05
Trail from Hokah to La Crescent challenging planners
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
An extension of the Blufflands State Trail System from Hokah to La Crescent is in the works, but it will take quite a bit of time and planning to complete.
That was the gist of a 30-minute presentation to the county board by three members of the Houston County Trails Group on June 14.
The state trail is a well-visited tourist attraction for snowmobilers and bicyclists from west of Lanesboro to Houston. Most of it follows an abandoned railroad bed.
But the section from Hokah to Houston is a ìproblematic area,î Holly Larson told commissioners. She works for the National Park Service in its Trails and Conservation Assistance Program.
Larson said that people have been working on establishing trails in the area since at least 1992, with the goal of connecting to La Crosse.
That kind of regional approach might make it more appealing to legislators for funding, commissioner Ann Thompson said.
Thompson also encouraged the group to work with snowmobilers because they are interested in helping and have good connections with landowners.
Millerís Corner (the Highways 26 and 16 intersection) to La Crescent is the key leg of the trail, commissioner Larry Graf said.
Workers have done field visits, and looked at maps, property ownership, and soil types. They have come up with three potential alignments, although those alignments are still too uncertain to be released to the public, Larson said.
A final route decision will depend on other decisions about the the Root River and potential public land ownership changes, Larson said.
Larson estimated that state funding could be from 3 to 10 years away.
Alyssa Ruesch, a student researcher with the U of M Community Assistantship program, spent her time looking at soil and water resources. She showed commissioners several maps of the region, which is primarily in the Root River floodplain. ìMost of the soils are unsuitable for building a trail,î she said.
An abandoned railroad bed may be suitable for building, she said, but the outstanding issues with the Root River, such as what to do with its dike, will have to be solved first.
Like Thompson and Larson, Ruesch also emphasized that it would be a regional trail and connected to La Crosse. She felt the biggest challenge would be from Millerís Corner to La Crescent, because the trail would almost have to run between Highway 16 and the railroad tracks. That area hasnít been analyzed, Ruesch said.
ìIdeally you need it from Millerís Corner to La Crescent,î Graf said.
Ruesch will spend the rest of her time this summer analyzing the area between Houston and Hokah. ìThis will be a joy to work on,î she said with a laugh.
The Houston County Trails Group became a subcommittee of the countyís Economic Development Authority in the fall of 2003. Rueschís work will end this summer, while Larson will assist for up to two years.
Joyce Iverson from the Houston County Economic Development Authority assisted in last weekís Power-Point presentation.
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