Construction recently finished on a very exciting project in downtown St. Cloud; the Beaver Island Trail extension. The grand staircase to enter the new trail is located on the Northside - right behind the St. Cloud River’s Edge Convention Center on your way down to the river.
While attending an event or conference at the Convention Center or simply being downtown, you can now take a stroll alongside the Mississippi and enjoy the sights. It is a whole new way to appreciate and experience the river and downtown St. Cloud. This is yet another reason why we are excited about the upcoming season at the River's Edge!
The Beaver Island Trail connects the highest traffic areas of downtown. Mayor Dave Kleis says, “From St. Cloud State University to St. Cloud Hospital you now can walk, bike, roll, or stroll without crossing a roadway. You can do that on the trail for the first time.” This is all in an effort to make St. Cloud more pedestrian friendly and invigorate our downtown atmosphere.
The River’s Edge Convention Center has been involved with this initiative, sincerely promoting the idea of making St. Cloud Greater. Funding for the extension came from the Convention Center expansion project, as well as a federal grant and half-cent sales tax dollars.
The trail will eventually connect to the Lake Wobegon trail system, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to enjoy hundreds of miles to venture. In an interview with WJON, Mayor Dave Kleis noted that Centracare has also committed to extending the Beaver Island Trail in the future; the plan being to build from behind the St. Cloud Hospital all the way to the Sauk Rapids Bridge.
There are a lot of things to look forward to coming up at the River’s Edge Convention Center. Join us this year by attending an event or hosting one of your own and enjoy the new Beaver Island Trail while you’re in the area.
