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Boulder Trail is the first section of the Hermantown Connector Trail System to be opened for community use. From hiking and biking to countless other non-motorized uses, a city-wide trail system has long been a desire for many residents. Opening in late 2021, Boulder Trail represents a fantastic first step toward a larger trail system.

Hermantown celebrated the opening of the Boulder Trail – the first completed section of the Hermantown Connector Trail System – on Tuesday, September 14, 2021.

This stretch of trail was designed and built in concert with the completion of the Section 24 Trunk Sewer. This is a fitting place for this trail to start, as it connects Hermantown’s natural beauty with an area of growing commerce and development. Running from Stebner Park and the Hermantown Marketplace, the Boulder trail winds through the eastern edge of Hermantown and, for the time being, ends on Hermantown Road until future iterations of the trail system are completed.

There has long been an expressed resident desire for greater recreational opportunities and a continued desire to grow both the family and business opportunities in Hermantown. The Boulder Trail, laid atop the new sewer line, meets both of those needs.

Paid for without the use of property taxes, the Boulder Trail owes many thanks to the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission for the grant funding that helped make this stretch of the trail a reality.

Boulder Trail, along with future sections of the Hermantown Connector Trail System, provides a safe, non-motorized way for community members to walk, hike, run, jog, stroll, push strollers, and more. Whether riding your bike to school or riding your bike to Hinckley (when the trail eventually connects to the Willard Munger Trail through Proctor), the hope is that the trail system enhances a community that is already regarded as a great place to make your hometown.

The Hermantown Connector Trail System, with all of its associated features, has received funding from a variety of sources, including the State of Minnesota, the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, St. Louis County, and the City of Hermantown.