Get set for annual walk to benefit Glendalough State Park on April 30

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Get set for annual walk to benefit Glendalough State Park on April 30
(Released April 25, 2011)


Glendalough State Park in Battle Lake will host its 15th annual Walk for Glendalough on Saturday, April 30. The event, sponsored by Glendalough Park Partners, has raised nearly $250,000 for park improvements since 1996.

“Many of the amenities that park visitors enjoy today would not have been possible without the funds raised by the walk,” said Park Manager Jeff Wiersma. “The local community has consistently demonstrated overwhelming support for this park.”

Park admission is free this day. Participants should meet at the park’s trail center at 9 a.m.

The Friends of Glendalough will provide trail guides, lodge tours, donuts and cider, a bratwurst lunch and prizes. There will also be a geocaching scavenger hunt (with GPS units for free checkout) and a roving naturalist with a cart full of surprises. A park shuttle will be available for those who are not hiking, and it will take visitors to the eagle nest or to tour the 100-year-old Glendalough lodge.

Proceeds from this year’s event may be used for an outdoor seating area for school groups, park interpretive programs and special events. Previous events have raised funds to provide year-round restrooms at the trail center, restore and furnish the historic lodge, build a picnic shelter and a hiking bridge, add amenities to the camper cabins, purchase rental canoes, construct and fund a bird-feeding station, and plant trees and native prairie flowers.

The bratwurst lunch begins at 11 a.m., and returning “walkers” will gather at the old tennis court to hear the latest park news, the total funds raised and, possibly, to collect a door prize. Free posters are available to all. The event wraps up by noon, but visitors can extend their day with a canoe trip, a hike to see the blooming pasque flowers or an overnight stay in the campground.

For more information about the event, call 218-864-0110. Visit DNR website for information about more spring events at Minnesota state parks and trails.