Northland Dreams - Building Central Minnesota's Largest Bike Skills Park

In this episode of Explore Minnesota More, we sit down with Trevor Pumnea, Executive Director of the Northland Arboretum, to discuss one of the most exciting recreation projects in Central Minnesota—transforming a former landfill into the region’s largest bike skills park.

Trevor shares his unconventional journey from building logging roads in Idaho to earning a PhD in Parks and Recreation, eventually leading efforts to revitalize the Brainerd-Baxter area through bold outdoor recreation projects. We dive deep into:

🚲 The vision behind the bike park and how it balances recreation, conservation, and education
🌱 Reclaiming landscapes — turning a literal landfill into a community asset
🛠️ The unique construction challenges (like building on trash!) and innovative design solutions
🦋 Why this might become the nation’s first bike park with monarch butterfly habitat
💪 How the Arboretum leverages community partnerships and volunteers to punch far above its weight
🌳 What makes Northland Arboretum a hidden gem for outdoor enthusiasts year-round

Whether you're a mountain biking junkie, a land reclamation nerd, or someone who just loves a good grassroots success story, this episode is for you.

🎉 Save the Dates:

• Tot Track & Adaptive Trail Opens: May 3, 2025
• Full Bike Park Opening: July 12, 2025

🧢 Hosted by Randolph Briley
 🎧 Subscribe and listen to Explore Minnesota More wherever you get your podcasts.
💌 Know someone who’d love this episode? Share it with a fellow trail lover or bike park dreamer.

Credits:
Producers: Randolph Briley
Hosts: Sarah Strommen and Lauren Bennett McGinty
Original Music by Andrew Haaheim and Alsever Lake