People recreating on Green and Elkhorn lakes have some newly improved options for getting boats, jet skis and other watercraft on the water.
Get Out MORE (Modernize Outdoor Recreation Experiences) funding is allowing the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to improve public water access sites across the state, including these three recently completed projects. Two are on the north side of Green Lake near Spicer — Kandiyohi County Park 5 and Rush Brown Landing. The Elkhorn Lake public access is on the east side of the smaller lake just south of Spicer. Kandiyohi County Park 5 reopened this week, and the other two reopened last fall.
The public water access at Elkhorn Lake received improvements via Get Out MORE funding.
Through the Get Out MORE initiative, started in 2023, the DNR and its partners are working to help ensure Minnesotans of all abilities and interests enjoy a world-class recreation system, whatever outdoor experience they choose. Projects are planned, underway or complete in 63 of Minnesota's 87 counties, and include:
- Improving accessibility at existing facilities; providing more adaptive equipment at state parks, recreation areas and wildlife management areas; improving roads that provide access to outdoor recreation opportunities; and enhancing wayfinding, signage, and maps at DNR-managed public lands throughout Minnesota.
- Modernizing camping and related infrastructure at two state parks, which will serve as examples for future modernization and improvement projects.
- Updating more than 100 of Minnesota's 1,700 state-managed PWA sites, including 40-60 large-scale projects and 75-125 small-scale projects.
- Investing in fish hatcheries to improve safe and bio-secure water supplies, increase fish production capacity, and improve staff safety to help sustain high-quality fish populations and support fishing opportunities into the future.
- Collaborating with local governments on more than 80 shore fishing site improvements.
- Modernizing culverts, and removing and modifying dams to enhance climate resiliency, and improve overall stream ecology.
Learn more about these on the DNR website (mndnr.gov/get-out-more).
"Thanks to these projects, public water access sites across Minnesota are more accessible to all users, better meeting the needs of modern watercraft, and are improving protection of public waters from stormwater runoff and invasive species," DNR Parks and Trails Area Supervisor Colin Wright.
In addition to new ramps and a smoother surface making it easier to drive in and out, the PWAs on Green and Elkhorn lakes received additional improvements, including:
- Modernized stormwater management, using curbs, swales, rock weirs and trench drains to catch stormwater and strategically planted vegetation to treat water.
- Improved facilities for aquatic invasive species prevention work, including a dedicated AIS tie-down lane at each site that has space for a mobile decontamination unit (in addition to an AIS tool station).
- Updated accessibility features, including accessible parking, portable toilets, and an AIS tie-down lane.
Another goal of these three projects was to maintain the number of vehicle-and-trailer parking spots at each site. County Park 5 Access has 22 spots, Rush Brown Access has 10, and Elkhorn Lake Access, 7.
"It's a priority for the DNR to maintain and enhance access for everyone to Minnesota's public waters," Wright said. "These projects help us meet that goal."
Public water access sites are open 24 hours a day unless posted otherwise. They are available for both trailer and carry-in. See maps of locations by county, find a boat ramp, learn regulations and explore other boating topics at mndnr.gov/wateracc