Jay Cooke State Park Staff Working On Trails, Many With Debris On Them From Winter Storms

CARLTON, Minn. — There are 50 miles worth of trails at Jay Cooke State Park in Carlton, and of those trails only 15% are fully clear for visitors to walk on.

This is because winter storms have taken down or moved tree branches. This doesn’t mean the trails aren’t open to the public as all trails are open.

The park manager for Jay Cooke says visitors will need to be aware of branches down that could poke you in the eye or debris that could trip you.

“As the trees kind of spring back on their own, you know they may be closer or farther from the trail. But just keep an eye along on that margin of the trail even if the trail is clear we’re focusing on the central portion of the trail first. Then we’ll go back and do mop up along the sides,” said Lisa Angelos, the park manager.

Staff have been busy working to clear trails and are asking for patience as they work on them.

“We ask for the public’s understanding and patience in the way that we are approaching this. We’re you know making decisions that people might not always realize that are related to resource impacts of what we’re doing and when and how. So, we’re doing the best we can with the resources we have, and we will get as much done as quickly as possible for the safety of the public and for the staff,” said Angelos.

Park staff are available in office to let hikers know of safe routes. Or you can check out the current trail conditions on Jay Cooke State Park’s website.