Red Lake River Greenway

Bob Zavoral Memorial Park at Frisbee Golf Course

Access:
Drive to the stoplight at the south end of the Murray Bridge across the Red Lake River, which can also be reached by driving east over the Point Bridge. Just past this intersection, note the large stone inscribed with Bob Zavoral Memorial Park (see on Map). From the parking lot there, a multi-use trail goes south and east for more than two miles. The trail goes first through a Frisbee golf course.

Old Field East of Crestwood Access

Three additional access points can be found by proceeding south from the stoplight. In a very short distance, 2nd Ave SE becomes 3rd Ave SE and then Bygland Road. Turn left at 4th St SE and then in 0.1 mile turn left at the soccer field and drive back to the Crestwood Trail Head (see on Map). The 3rd access is reached by continuing down 4th St SE to James Ave S, turning right and looking for the up-and-over on your left (see on Map). The 4th access is found by continuing on James Ave S, turning left onto 10th St SE, then left on 16th Ave SE (see on Map).

Red Lake River Multi-Use Trail near James Ave Access

Just east of the Frisbee golf course, the multi-use trail descends and crosses a low field. Here the trail forks with the left fork running closest to the Red Lake River and offering the best birding habitat. There is a variety of habitat ranging from mature riverine forest to old field to the trees and shrubs that remain from numerous homes that occupied the Greenway before the 1997 flood. Planted trees include spruce, green ash, crabapples, and mountain ash. A particularly good example of these former neighborhoods is at the third access, the one off James Ave S. In spring of 2013, two Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers were found in this area, a first spring record for Polk County.

Blue Jay

The birds seen along this Greenway will be the same as those found along the Red River Greenway. But one never knows what they will find if they simply look. For example, in 1988, a Brambling was present for several days in mid-Winter. It was the first state record for Minnesota, and North Dakota has only one record for this Eurasian finch.

Return to MN Side of Greenway

Next Access Point