Regional study narrows Heartland Trail alignments; Moorhead segment favors Twelfth Avenue route

Dan Farnsworth with the Fargo‑Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments updated the Moorhead Park Advisory Board on a draft Heartland Trail study and the preferred alignments for extending the trail to Moorhead.

The study focuses on narrowing corridor options between Detroit Lakes and Moorhead for the Heartland Trail, a paved shared‑use path currently 49 miles long and 10 feet wide that runs from Park Rapids to Cass Lake. Farnsworth said the Minnesota Legislature authorized extending the trail to Moorhead in 2006 but that “there’s no funding set aside for that” at this time.

The project team — led by MetroCOG and a consultant with partners including Clay County, Dilworth and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources — conducted two open houses, a landowner meeting, stakeholder meetings and online engagement that drew more than 2,000 website visits and about 350 pieces of direct input. Farnsworth said public responses showed strong local interest in a route away from busy Highway 10 and a preference for a corridor using Twelfth Avenue South where practical.

Farnsworth said the study identifies a long‑term alignment that would begin at Centennial Park in Moorhead and proceed east along a Twelfth Avenue alignment, noting constraints including private land ownership along much of the corridor and that the study assumes no use of eminent domain. He described a possible interim alignment that would use existing crossings in Dilworth and a future longer‑term crossing tied to a planned rail realignment and bridge on Fourteenth Street East, a change he said likely would take at least a decade to implement.

Farnsworth described tradeoffs between seeking state‑trail designation and pursuing a regional trail model. He said state trails can secure state funding and long‑term maintenance but typically take longer to build and face DNR funding limits; by contrast, he cited Otter Tail County as an example where a regional trail yielded about 35 miles of construction in roughly 12 years compared with a much slower state‑led effort near Detroit Lakes.

The consultant team recommends advancing detailed segment definitions and cost estimates, pursuing funding sources (state, federal and local), coordinating with neighboring counties for tie‑in points, and restarting a Clay County task force to guide implementation. Farnsworth said the draft study will be presented to multiple stakeholders before an expected adoption in August.

Board members asked how a proposed casino near Twelfth Avenue could affect the alignment; Farnsworth said he expects the trail would remain on Twelfth Avenue and that improved roadway paving or right of way from development could allow greater separation of the trail from traffic and “could actually help utilization of the trail.”