Tioga Recreation Area at Cohasset offers a lot. Swimming. Fishing. Picnicking. And boating.
However, the City of Cohasset and Grand Rapids Itasca Mountain Bicycling Association (GRIMBA) want to increase recreational opportunities even more.
With the growing popularity of mountain biking, the City of Cohasset is moving toward development of a mountain bike park at the 450-acre recreation area.
“It could do what the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Trails does for tourism and the economic impact it would have on lodging and retail,” said Jessica Piche, City of Cohasset assistant finance director. “Detroit Lakes has a mountain bike area and Duluth has one. We would be kind of another area in between them.”
Preliminary design of a $1 million, 25-mile, world-class, single-track trail system at the recreation area is set to be completed this fall.
IRRRB supported development of the trail plan with an IRRRB Culture & Tourism grant to GRIMBA.
By mid-July, the city and GRIMBA hope to have secured the first portion of funding needed to construct the trail system through a Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission grant.
“We’ve submitted our master plan to them,” said Piche. “This would be the catalyst to start everything.”
With a Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails grant and funding from other sources, construction on the trail system would begin in the spring of 2017.
The mountain bike trails could also be utilized for hiking, trail running, snowshoeing and other events. An existing bike path network would connect the City of Grand Rapids to the mountain bike trail system, said Piche.
“It would be a nice addition to the recreation area,” said Piche of the mountain bike park. “It would just enhance everything.”
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