Continued: Closed army plant sees boaters for the first time in decades

Debbie Hartmann doesn't consider herself a suburban pioneer. But she was among the first batch of canoeists and kayakers to paddle through the northern suburbs bordered by Rice Creek, which hasn't been fully navigable since World War II.

Boaters can paddle up to 17 miles on Rice Creek, which is now open to the public from Lino Lakes in the north to the Mississippi River in Fridley in the south. The creek had been gated off at the former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant in Arden Hills since the 1940s, roughly dividing the water trail in half.

The waterway, which had its grand opening last week, is on track to become the north's version of the popular 22-mile Minnehaha Creek, which starts on Lake Minnetonka.

"For the Twin Cities metro, it's a gem,'' Hartmann, a day-care worker from Shoreview, said of Rice Creek.

"It was so peaceful and beautiful. I couldn't believe it was 10 minutes from home. I'm grateful Ramsey County now owns and the property so the public can enjoy it.''

Ramsey County had been eyeing the property since the 1970s, when it created its regional park system, said Greg Mack, director of the county's park and recreation department. More than a mile of the creek meandered through the former ammunitions plant, which had been a national security location starting with World War II and off-limits to the public.

When the site finally became available for purchase in 2004, Ramsey County -- via the National Park Service -- purchased 113 acres surrounding the creek.

The creek winds through nearly a dozen suburbs, ranging from Shoreview to New Brighton to Mounds View, and offers both serene waters and small rapids. It is expected to draw kayakers and canoeists from across the metro area, where quiet water sports are increasingly popular.

"We've been getting calls from people asking, 'When can we go (on the creek)?''' said Mack. "It may have been only 1 mile (in the ammunitions plant), but it's a long portage if you can't canoe it.''

On a recent Saturday morning, about 20 boaters from Friends of the Mississippi River -- a St. Paul nonprofit that works to protect and preserve the Mississippi and its watershed -- took a maiden voyage through the reopened section of the creek and beyond. Bordered by swaying trees on both sides of the river, they maneuvered around a few fallen trees, through some tunnels under bridges, and along peaceful stretches of the stream.

They were guided by Todd Murawski, recreation specialist at Wargo Nature Center, part of the Anoka County Parks system.

"This is where the gates used to be,'' he told the group, as they drifted into a section of the stream that has not seen a canoeist or kayaker since Franklin Roosevelt was president. "Now we're entering the ammunitions plant.''

Trevor Russell, watershed program director at Friends of the Mississippi, was in one of the canoes, taking photos of the newly chartered territory.

"Folks have done this creek in bits and pieces, but we're one of the first groups to do it as a whole,'' he said. "It's special, because it's reconnected a river that was broken up into segments. Reopening this will have the effect of reconnecting communities to one another.''

Those connections will grow deeper in the months and years ahead. This summer, the bridges that cross the creek will be stencilled with their street names to guide creek explorers, said Mack. Likewise, trees and other obstacles will be removed as the water recedes this summer, and some of the access sites will be cleaned up.

Those access sites include the Wargo Nature Center, Long Lake Regional Park, and the parking lots in Shoreview next to the creek at County Rd. I and County Road J., Mack said. Other access sites are in the works.

"All of this is new,'' Mack said. "What we will ultimately have is a map of the creek to help people navigate it, a website and improved access to the creek.''

To outdoors enthusiasts such as Hartmann, it's a great recreational opportunity for the northern suburbs. She said she watched the ammunitions site get an environmental clean-up over the years from the windows of a nearby day-care center where she works. She was curious about the body of water running through it.

"This is awesome,'' she said, after finishing her trip. "The creek is more challenging than I thought it would be. I've seen birds I've never seen before. And I love that you can put your canoe on your car and be here in 15 minutes.''

Jean Hopfensperger • 651-298-1553

FOR MORE INFORMATION

To find out about canoe rentals or creek access, contact the Wargo Nature Center at 651-429-8007.