Active Living

Assets

Regional Center

Bemidji is a regional center in Northern Minnesota with many recreation assets and amenities in close proximity, including Chippewa National Forest, Itasca State Park, Lake Bemidji State Park, Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University, access to healthcare, and Paul and Babe.

Parks and Trails

The City of Bemidji has an outstanding park and trails system. The parks and Recreation Department maintains approximately 19 parks and 205 acres of parkland or open space within the City

Non-Motorized Transportation

Bemidji has become a very bikable/walkable community in many areas, providing people an alternative mode of transportation to get to work, school, to their home, etc.

Barriers

The biggest barrier that Bemidji faces is a lack of safe and convenient connections to and between destinations in the City.

The following are several examples of a lack of safe and convenient connections to community destinations

There are a wide variety of businesses on Highway 197 between the one way pairs south of downtown Bemidji. While there are multi-use trails on either side of the roadway, there are no safe crossings for pedestrians or bicyclists to access the businesses

The Middle School

15th Street Lacks pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

The High School

5th Street has wide shoulders for the most part but narrows significantly near the highway 2 bypass. Biking or walking under the bypass is a significant barrier.

Shopping mall and big box retailers

There are areas of high density multifamily residential development north of Paul Bunyan Drive. There are very few options for accessing the Paul Bunyan Mall, the grocery store, or other destinations without driving their personal vehicle.