Stagecoach State Trail Planning

The Stagecoach State Trail is a legislatively authorized state trail which will begin at the Douglas State Trail in or near Rochester, extend west toward Mantorville and Wasioja in Dodge County, then to Rice Lake State Park, and end in Owatonna, with the potential for other community connections along its route. No specific alignments have been determined for the trail and no segments are in state ownership.The Stagecoach State Trail was legislatively authorized in 1997, Minnesota Statutes, Section 85.015. This link leads to an external site.

Subdivision 20. Stagecoach Trail; Steele, Dodge, and Olmsted Counties. The trail shall originate at the Douglas Trail near the city of Rochester in Olmsted County and extend westerly along the Zumbro River Valley to the city of Mantorville and the village of Wasioja in Dodge County, following as closely as possible the Historic Stagecoach Trail to Wasioja, through Rice Lake State Park to the city of Owatonna in Steele County.

2011 Public Review and Open Houses

The draft master plan is now available for public review, with comments accepted through Friday, Sept. 2, 2011.

Three open houses sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources and local community trail organizations are scheduled to discuss and receive public comments on the draft master plan. The open houses will be informal and open to anyone with an interest in this future trail. DNR staff and volunteers involved in planning will be available to discuss the draft master plan, display maps and other trail information, and answer questions. All open houses will have similar content; participants can arrive or leave at anytime and are encouraged to attend whichever session is most convenient.

Open houses are scheduled for:

Tuesday, Aug. 16, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
at Dodge County Courthouse, 22 East 6th Street, Mantorville;

Thursday, Aug. 18, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
at Byron City Hall, 680 Byron Main Court NE, Byron; and 

Monday, Aug. 22, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. 
at Senior Place, 500 Dunnell Drive, Owatonna.

Planning documents

Download the full Draft Master Plan for the Stagecoach State Trail This is a PDF file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download it.

Or, download the plan by chapter:

Check this Web page for updates, or contact the DNR staff listed below for more information.

For more information, please contact:

Diane K. Anderson - Planner; Minnesota DNR Division of Parks and Trails
E-mail: diane.k.anderson@state.mn.us
Phone: 651-259-5614
Address: 500 Lafayette Road, Box 52
St. Paul, MN 55155