The Minnesota River Headwater Recreational Trail

Photo by Trish Kramer

The Minnesota River Headwaters Recreational Trail Project was developed by Big Stone County under strong partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Upper Minnesota Valley Regional Development Commission, the City of Ortonville, Minnesota, and local citizens.  The wheelchair accessible multi-use trail connects the headwaters of the Minnesota River at Big stone Lake with the Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge and onto the auto tour of the Refuge.

Trail Length:  4.5 miles

Refuge Auto Tour Length:  5 miles

For additional information, click here for the PDF brochure

Local artist, Doug Holtquest, has created and placed his Farm Family Portrait granite sculpture along the Trail and the Brochure provides a map of the trail which was drawn by local artist Liz Rackl.

The Farm Family Portrait is made possible in part by a grant provided from the Southwest Minnesota Arts and Humanities Council and is funded, in part, by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as approprated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.