OutdoorMN News - Southern Minnesota celebrates new state water trail this weekend

[Rick]

Paddling enthusiasts and others are invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Minnesota’s newest state water trail — Shell Rock River State Water Trail — on Saturday, June 25, at 12:30 p.m. in Frank Hall Park, Albert Lea.  

Photo credit: Bill Howe

Representatives from various organizations will be present, including keynote speaker Natalie Warren, river corridor steward at the St. Croix River Association. Warren and Ann Raiho were the first two women to paddle 2,000 miles from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay, following the same route Eric Sevareid paddled in 1935 and wrote about in Canoeing with the Cree.

The Shell Rock River State Water Trail begins its journey at the headwaters of Fountain Lake in Freeborn County. It travels 20 miles south and passes through the city of Albert Lea, Myre-Big Island State Park, the city of Glenville, and two wildlife management areas before concluding at the Minnesota-Iowa border. Myre-Big Island State Park offers water trail amenities, including canoe/kayak rentals and paddle-in campsites.

In 2015, the Shell Rock River became the 35th Minnesota state water trail through legislative designation.

More information about the water trail, including a map and description of the river, is available on the water trails page.

For more information about the June 25 ribbon-cutting event, visit the Shell Rock River Water Trail Facebook page.

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