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Heartland Trail study outlines Moorhead-to-Buffalo River route, flags DNR master-plan limits
Summary
SRF Consulting and Metro COG presented a draft Heartland Trail alignment that would begin in Moorhead and extend east toward Buffalo River State Park; public feedback favored non‑highway alignments and councilmembers urged exploring a downtown trailhead connection despite DNR master‑plan constraints.
Mayor Shelley Carlson and council members heard a presentation June 9 on the draft Heartland Trail study that maps a preferred alignment from Centennial Park in Moorhead east toward Buffalo River State Park and beyond.
Stuart Crosby, a landscape architect with SRF Consulting, said the Heartland Trail “is a state trail. It's currently almost 50 miles long,” and outlined a recommended route that starts in Centennial Park, connects to Moorhead’s trail system and follows the Twelfth Avenue corridor east toward Buffalo River State Park.
The study, led by Metro COG (the Metropolitan Council of Governments) with SRF, began in January 2024 and included public open houses, a landowner meeting, stakeholder workshops and online engagement. Dan Farnsworth of Metro COG said the team had “a lot of turnout on online engagement” and that 354 contributions were recorded on the study website’s interactive map.
Why it matters: the alignment seeks to extend a long‑standing state trail into Moorhead,…
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