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1PARKS & TRAILS COUNCIL of MINNESOTA <br />Executive Summary <br />Key Findings: <br />See pages 4-29 and Appendix B for details <br /> •Minnesota’s paved state trail system is in good <br />condition. Our inventory found 75% of paved <br />state trail miles are in either excellent or good <br />condition. <br /> •Only 32 miles – 6% of the system – are in poor <br />or very poor condition. The remaining 20% of <br />the system – 121 miles – are in fair condition. <br /> •However, conditions declined since our 2016 <br />State of the Trails Report. If current trends <br />continue, we project the share of the paved <br />state trail system in excellent or good condition <br />will fall to 70% by 2023 and 50% by 2030. <br />Recommendations: <br />See pages 30-33 for details <br /> •Maintain a “25-50-25” surface standard for the <br />state trail system, where the goal is to keep <br />25% of the system’s trail surfaces in excellent <br />condition, 50% in good condition, and the <br />remaining 25% in fair condition. <br /> •Rehabilitate an average of 24 state trail miles <br />per year, which is the pace needed to maintain <br />the state trail system at a “25-50-25” standard. <br /> •Fund state trail rehabilitation at needed levels <br />– approximately $4.8 million per year, not <br />including bridges and culverts – through a mix <br />of bonding appropriations, Legacy funds, and <br />LCCMR funds. <br />Methodology: <br />See pages 2-3 and Appendix A for details <br /> •We rated the surface conditions of Minnesota’s <br />paved state trail system using a metric called <br />the “Trail Roughness Index,” which measures <br />how smooth or rough a trail is to ride. <br /> •We took approximately 100,000 photos of the <br />paved state trail system to verify ratings and <br />illustrate conditions. <br /> •All of our data was collected using the Research <br />Bike, an electric-assist bicycle equipped with <br />cameras and sensors. In addition to rating trail <br />conditions, we used the Research Bike to put <br />Minnesota’s State Trails on Google Street View. <br />Why Trails are Important: <br />Trails are community assets that make Minnesota <br />a better place to live, work, and visit. Trails connect <br />people and communities to the outdoors, improve <br />health by encouraging physical activity, boost <br />tourism and spending at local businesses, enhance <br />safety, protect ecosystems and wildlife corridors, <br />and are fun for people of all ages, means, and <br />abilities. The State of the Trails Project aims to <br />provide trail managers and lawmakers with the <br />data they need to ensure all Minnesotans, both <br />now and in the future, have access to smooth, safe, <br />and enjoyable trails.