The Gull Lake Trail's Final Link Is Nearly Complete

The Gull Lake Trail is closing its final gap. Lake Shore won a $2,528,591 Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission Legacy grant, announced in December 2024, to finish the city's segment of the roughly 21-mile paved trail that circles three sides of Gull Lake, and a ribbon-cutting in 2024 already celebrated the loop's near-completion. For Lake Shore, the quiet side of the lake, the finished segment turns a very good trail system into a complete one.

The Trail by the Numbers

Built at a cost of more than $13.5 million, the Gull Lake Trail runs roughly 21 miles around three sides of the lake and links Lake Shore with Nisswa, East Gull Lake, Fairview Township, and the neighborhoods and resorts between them. It is a paved, multiuse corridor with trailheads and kiosks along the way, used for morning walks, afternoon rides, and the kind of lakeside exercise that makes a weekend feel like a vacation without leaving home. Our full guide to the Gull Lake Trail walks through the route and the trailheads.

What the Final Segment Changes

The Legacy grant finishes Lake Shore's own piece of the loop, the missing link that kept the route from being a true continuous circuit through more of the city. Once it is complete, residents gain a connected route with fewer road sections to share, and riders gain the satisfaction of a loop that finally runs end to end. A ribbon-cutting in 2024 marked the near-completion of the trail system as a whole, and the December 2024 grant is the funding that closes what remained.

Why It Matters for Buyers in Lake Shore

Lake Shore sells itself on privacy, big lots, and the quieter stretch of Gull's shoreline, but the trail adds the one thing quiet communities sometimes lack: an easy, paved way to get out and connect. For empty nesters, retirees, and families, a finished loop trail is a year-round amenity that works for strollers, bikes, and winter walks, all with the lake in view. It is one of the strongest quality-of-life features in the Gull Lake market, and it only improves as the final segment lands.

What Comes Next

Legacy-funded trail work moves on grant and construction timelines, so the final ribbon-cutting may still be a season or two out, and the surrounding communities are doing parallel work on their own segments. For now, the trail already delivers most of its value, and the finished city segment will be the headline when it opens. Anyone comparing Lake Shore addresses should keep the trail map close, since the network is exactly the kind of feature that does not show up in a listing photo.

The Bottom Line

A paved loop around three sides of Gull Lake is a rare amenity in Minnesota lake country, and Lake Shore's final segment brings it home. The trail has always been one of the best reasons to live on this side of the lake, and it is about to get a little more complete. For buyers, that is the kind of community investment that pays off in daily life and in the resale picture for years.

Want to see which Lake Shore properties put you closest to the trail and the water? Schedule a conversation or start with our Lake Shore community guide while you weigh your options. Cheers!