Brown's Creek Trail

View of the creek from the trail

I was out in Stillwater for Mother's Day weekend and had the chance to walk the new Brown's Creek Trail.  It starts at the old train depot and follows the St. Croix River north for the first mile before crossing highway 95.  At that point the trail turns west and follows Brown's Creek.  It's really lovely out there. The trail is situated on an old railroad bed so it's level and easy to walk.

Trash heap off the trail

About a mile and half into the trail we noticed a heap of trash off to the side.  According to the DNR, their property runs about 100 feet wide starting at the middle of the path.  They are in the process of cleaning up the trash along the trail so I guess this heap is just waiting to be collected.  I bet they found some interesting stuff.

Trash on the hills

Everything else out there is private property.  There are homes up there on top of this ravine and years of trash that has been pitched down the hill.  It is weird to think that folks used to get rid of their unwanted items in this way.  Now it's an eyesore.  Is there a city ordinance prohibiting this?  I left a message with the city. Now that the trail is open I'm pretty sure others have noticed and complained.  Do they need help cleaning it up?  Could they get volunteers out there?  We just picked up trash along the flat sections of the trail and I'll have to be happy doing just that.