News & Project Updates

Recent closures on the Brown's Creek Trail have come to an end. Please get out there and enjoy the trail!

The Gateway Trail extension into Scandia is in jeopardy.  

Several years ago, the City of Scandia received a grant from state lottery funding to start construction on a new stretch of the Gateway Trail. The stretch that is funded would go from Scandia City Center to Oakhill Road. A second phase of funding would be requested to continue the trail connection into William O’Brien State Park. Over time, the plan is to extend the Gateway Trail from it's current Park Point Park terminus, through William O’Brien State Park, and into Scandia. The engineering for the project is complete and final bids for the project will begin this Fall, with completion set for 2026.

 The Scandia City Council is currently reviewing the project and is considering killing it because of two main concerns:

1) Potential cost overruns, which can't be confirmed until the final construction bids come in this Fall.  In the case of potential cost overruns, a plan is already in place to complete as much of the trail as possible using funds allocated from the lottery funds by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). Then, the DNR would submit an application for additional funding in the future to complete this section and as much as possible to William O’Brien.  

2) A second concern of the City Council is the cost of the tunnel under Oak Hill Road, which the DNR requires as a safety precaution. In this case, there is no way around having a tunnel.

If the Council decides to not move forward with this project, the funds will be returned to the LCCMR. The chances of being granted those funds again in the near future are extremely low.

Please keep in mind the funding from LCCMR came from lottery money, so no Scandia resident is paying for this in their property taxes.  This is a state trail and the DNR is responsible for the maintenance and future extension of the trail. 

 The Council would like to hear from Scandia residents that are in support of this trail.  So please e-mail the City at mail@ci.scandia.mn.us  and tell them that you are in favor of the Gateway Trail into Scandia.  The City office will forward your comments to the city council.

 Thanks so much for your help.  We would hate to lose the chance for this great recreational opportunities for families in and around Scandia. 

The MN DNR will be conducting a tree removal project on the Gateway trail starting Thursday, 6/5. Work is likely to take one week.

Impacted areas will include:

• White Bear Ave to County Road B in Maplewood/North St Paul
• Hwy 36 tunnel to Hwy 694 in Pine Springs

Please follow any directions or signs you see in the work zones.

We received notice that the Brown’s Creek State Trail segment between Hazel Street and McKusick Road in Stillwater will be closed starting June 16 for approximately 2 weeks while the County Road 5 bridge is replaced. 

Up to two additional closures will occur later in the summer as needed to complete the bridge work.

Run Stillwater will be hosting the Stillwater Half Marathon on Saturday from 5am-12:30pm on the Gateway from Pine Point Park in Stillwater to Jamaca Ave in Grant and Brown’s Creek State Trail from 88^th St to Neal Ave in Stillwater.

To learn more, click here.

The latest update is that more prep time is needed ahead of the Brown's Creek trail closure. It is more likely to be closer to the end of May. A date has not yet been shared.

The day was unseasonably warm, but the birders out on the trail for the DNR hosted birding double-header saw a fabulous mix of birds.

Here are the stats from the day....

Gateway:

10287–10331 Dellwood Rd N, Grant US-MN (45.0798,-92.8970)
May 10, 2025
6:05 AM
Traveling
0.69 miles
66 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: 10 walking led by Bob Bystrom and Linda Radimacky
Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 3.2.2 Build 3.2.21

3 Canada Goose -- Heard
2 Trumpeter Swan
2 Wood Duck
3 Mallard
2 Green Heron
1 Great Egret
1 Great Blue Heron
1 Turkey Vulture
2 Red-bellied Woodpecker -- Heard
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Downy/Hairy Woodpecker
1 Least Flycatcher
1 Great Crested Flycatcher -- Heard
4 Blue Jay -- Heard
1 American Crow -- Heard
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
5 European Starling
1 Gray Catbird
1 Brown Thrasher
1 American Robin
2 Cedar Waxwing
2 House Finch
2 American Goldfinch
1 Baltimore Oriole
8 Red-winged Blackbird -- Heard
1 Brown-headed Cowbird
2 Ovenbird -- Seen and photographed
1 Nashville Warbler -- Or Tennessee warbler?
1 Common Yellowthroat -- Seen and heard
1 Yellow Warbler

Number of Taxa: 30

Brown's Creek Nature Preserve
May 10, 2025
7:25 AM
Traveling
0.84 miles
77 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 3.2.2 Build 3.2.21

1 Mallard
1 Green Heron
2 Great Egret -- Flying
1 Great Blue Heron (Great Blue)
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
3 Downy Woodpecker
1 Warbling Vireo
1 Blue Jay
1 American Crow
4 Black-capped Chickadee
2 Tree Swallow
1 Barn Swallow
1 European Starling
5 Eastern Bluebird
2 American Robin
8 Cedar Waxwing
1 House Finch
7 American Goldfinch
1 Chipping Sparrow
3 White-throated Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
1 Swamp Sparrow
1 Baltimore Oriole
8 Red-winged Blackbird
2 Brown-headed Cowbird
2 Common Grackle
1 American Redstart
2 Yellow Warbler
5 Northern Cardinal
1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
1 Indigo Bunting

Number of Taxa: 31

Visit our Gallery page to see the new touches of beauty where the Gateway Trail intersects Arlington Ave. Our partners at Urban Roots added these beautiful new signs to the urban garden they're managing at the location.

Thank you, Urban Roots!

National Trails Day is an annual event held the first Saturday of June each year. It is sponsored by the American Hiking Society and supported by The National Park Service. Last year more than 70,000 people participated in the National Trails Day across the country!

Each year the Gateway Brown’s Creek Trail Association supports the day with tabletop displays along the 26 miles of the trail, providing information about the trial system, expansion plans, snacks and beverages for the folks using the trail that day.

Get out on the trails. And please do stop by to visit us.

Starting on Monday, May 19th, the Brown's Creek trail will be closed from Hazel Street to McKusick Road in Stillwater. The closure will last approximately two weeks as the County Road 5/Stonebridge Trail bridge is replaced.  The trail will be detoured for cars and bicycles as there is NO easy detour in the area for bicycles other than local roads.  We recommend you plan other routes during this time.  We will keep you updated on any impacts to the trail as the summer continues.