The community of Dayton, Minnesota, is a rapidly growing northwestern suburb of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan area, shared between both Hennepin and Wright counties. It has an advantageous location along both the Mississippi and Crow rivers, which offers immense opportunity to boost water recreation-based tourism and spur local and regional business.

In 2021, the City of Dayton and MSA embarked upon a collaborative effort to study and plan for a dedicated water trail in the area. The proposed trail would upgrade river access for canoes, kayaks and other small watercraft and ultimately create a destination recreation corridor connecting Dayton to the National Mississippi River Water Trail and Recreational Area. Some goals of the project included providing ADA-compliant access points and paths along the community’s main bodies of water — the Mississippi River and Crow River — and developing connections into Dayton through existing and new corridors to connect upland trails and parks, business areas, downtown district and residential developments. The project also looked to promote the growth of food and drink establishments, rental shops, lodging accommodations and more based on the water trail development.

MSA was hired to first conduct a Water Trail Feasibility Study to analyze existing conditions and opportunities, determine conservation initiatives, recommend access improvements to the Mississippi and Crow Rivers, and consider wayfinding and programming options to enhance recreational use of the two water resources. In early 2022, MSA, along with the project Steering Committee and key stakeholders, conducted a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of the river corridor, held a virtual public open house to collect feedback from local residents, and established a dedicated online ArcGIS StoryMap to guide participants through the study process and proposed plans as they unfolded.

MSA then developed draft site conceptual plans for the City to review before producing a final report in late summer of 2022. The report includes preliminary concepts for accessible trails and kayak/canoe launches at Elsie Stevens Park as well as in Goodin Park, which is anticipated to be developed in partnership with the Three Rivers Park District. Resulting final concepts have been used as the basis for consideration of state and federal funding grant applications. The final report also includes a summary of local feedback, an inventory and analysis, programming and promotional recommendations, funding opportunities, summary of public feedback/input, and the suggested prioritization of water trail improvements based on the final analysis of the corridor.

The City of Dayton Water Trail Plan was approved by the Parks Commission in January of 2023 with final adoption from the city council in February 2023. The document will serve as a guide for ADA-complaint access for the water trail and associated amenities, positioning the City of Dayton and surrounding area as a sought-after destination for water- and land-based recreation for decades to come.