Minnesota’s Network of Parks & Trails: An Inventory of Recreation Experience Opportunities in Minnesota: Northwest Region Profile

The University of Minnesota’s Center for Changing Landscapes (CCL) was directed by the Minnesota Legislature to create a long-range Framework for an integrated statewide parks and trails system. The Framework considers existing science and information available on the natural resource-based recreation opportunities throughout the state and will guide statewide parks and trail planning into the future. Specifically, the Framework will respond to recreational trends and demographic changes, examine underserved areas and overused facilities, and will identify gaps in the current parks and trails system. As such, the framework will establish opportunities to enhance existing assets, develop new assets, and link those assets together effectively. To inform the Framework, an inventory of recreation experience opportunities was conducted in each of five regions across the state and is presented in a series of five regional profiles. The regional profiles offer a snapshot of existing recreation demand by examining county, regional and state population sociodemographic characteristics and recreation experience opportunity data available from past research and monitoring efforts. The profiles serve as the baseline for an indepth analysis of current demand and existing recreation supply (e.g., parks and trail system) in light of (1) relative geographic distribution of resources and facilities, (2) future recreation demand projections (e.g., population sociodemographic and recreation participation), and (3) proposed or planned enhancements to the parks and trails system across the state. This report presents a profile of recreation experience opportunities in the Northeast Region