Mark Fischenich: Ask Us: Sakatah Trail maintenance issues on DNR's radar
Oct. 31—Q: I have some trail-related questions for Ask Us.
The Sakatah used to have mile markers running west to east from the Lime Valley Road trailhead to Faribault. Over the years, they have disappeared one by one, except for a handful of survivors. On a recent ride from Mankato to Waterville, I spotted only the markers for miles 20 and 21 (see attached images). I might've missed one or two. As the images show, they are fading into the landscape. But on the Root River Trail, the mile markers have been maintained/replaced, and I wonder why the Sakatah hasn't had similar maintenance. Who is/was responsible for the mile markers, and why haven't they been cared for and replaced when necessary?
Related question: Who is responsible for maintenance of the trailside restroom building in Elysian? It's in disrepair, and this summer the restrooms were particularly vile. Also, the little box that once held trail maps now seems to be the home of a red squirrel. Kind of a sorry state of affairs out there in Elysian.
Now that I've griped about a couple of things, I should say the trail itself is in good shape, and this summer's improvements to the trail between Lime Valley Road and Highway 22 turned out great.
A: A bit of background for non-cyclists: The Sakatah Singing Hills Trail, which runs for 39 miles from Mankato to Faribault, is a state-owned path created on an abandoned rail line and maintained by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. It started as a snowmobile trail with a dirt surface and wasn't fully paved until 1995. The Root River Trail mentioned by the reader is a state trail of similar length in the blufflands of southeastern Minnesota connecting Lanesboro, Rushford and Houston.
Dan Ruiter, the information officer in the DNR's New Ulm regional office, said repairs to the mile markers are coming soon.
"We're glad that the reader found value in the mile markers, and we're happy to report that the DNR division of Parks and Trails has plans to replace the mile markers in 2022," Ruiter said. "After significant investment into the trail the last 10 years, it's great to learn that folks are enjoying the new trail."
The Elysian rest area for cyclists and drivers along Highway 60 is also a DNR-maintained facility, designed to look a bit like an historic railroad depot, and includes parking, picnic tables and restrooms.
"We're sorry to hear about a negative experience there," Ruiter said. "The facility was built in 1983 and is cleaned once per day, so the timing of the visit versus the last cleaning could be a factor."
As for the possibility of a biker reaching into the trail-map box for directional guidance and instead finding a perturbed squirrel, Ask Us Guy would point out that one of the DNR's missions is the creation and preservation of wildlife habitat. Also, it increases the likelihood of a memorable experience for cyclists. And, finally, it would allow an evocatively named bike path — the "Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail" — to have a similarly cool name for its rest area — the "Elysian Shrieking Biker State Wayside."
Turns out, though, that the box was not intentionally converted into squirrel habitat. It's just that paper maps are becoming a thing of the past.
"The DNR is moving towards a digital model," Ruiter said. "With more folks having access to maps on their smartphones, there's less need for those paper maps. It saves the DNR printing costs and the accompanying litter that can go with those maps."
Contact Ask Us at The Free Press, 418 S. Second St., Mankato, MN 56001. Call Mark Fischenich at 344-6321 or email your question to mfischenich@mankatofreepress.com; put Ask Us in the subject line.
