By Nathan Daggett / Assistant News Director

The St. Cloud Area Planning Organization is looking for community input on their local trials and parks noting the increase in users of the Beaver Island Trail system since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The counts recorded by the St. Cloud Area Planning Organization indicate that Beaver Island Trail has seen a spike in the number of people walking the trail.  Beaver Island Trail follows the Mississippi River near the campus of St. Cloud State University, south to Montrose Road at Clearwater Road. 

The APO had created an online survey and an interactive online mapping tool for residents to share their favorite routes and destinations.

APO’s Associate Transportation Planner and coordinator for active transportation planning, Fred Sandal, says learning more about this information from local residents will help his team figure out how to make the system better for visitors.