Public invited to trail grand opening

SAGLE — The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation and Idaho Department of Lands will celebrate the grand opening of the Stewardship Trail within Round Lake State Park today. The event is free, open to the public and begins at 11 a.m.

The 2.5-mile Stewardship Trail is a collaborative project between IDPR and the Idaho Department of Lands and surrounds Round Lake State Park, providing local citizens and visitors to the area a unique interpretive opportunity.

“This award-winning trail offers a learning opportunity about the benefits of our natural resources, threats to our natural resources and how to care for them,” said Mary McGraw, Round Lake State Park manager,

Along the trail, 25 interpretive signs provide information on the local geology, forest health, fish and wildlife, water quality, soils, wetlands, wildfire, natural and managed forests and best management practices.

The trail was first developed in 1989 and received a national Take Pride in America Award in 1991 to recognize efforts to preserve our Nation’s natural, cultural and historic public resources. “The hiking experience cultivates an understanding and love of the natural resources and Round Lake State Park,” added McGraw.

Over the years, thousands of visitors and community groups have used this trail as an outdoor classroom.

The trail was restored with new interpretive panels completed in 2017, both IDPR and IDL staff members contributing to the project.

Hikers will discover beaver lodges and may see a glimpse of a moose, while anglers listen to a chorus of bullfrogs, ducks and red-winged blackbirds as they cast for rainbow trout or bass. The park’s wildlife offers waterfowl, songbirds, deer, moose, beaver and bear.

Information: parksandrecreation.idaho.gov