New Boardwalk Taking Shape at Bunker Hills Regional Park, Set to Open by Memorial Day

ANOKA COUNTY, MN

Construction crews have been working through the winter months at Bunker Hills Regional Park, erecting a new 1,000-foot boardwalk that Anoka County Parks officials say will transform the park's most popular trail connection and serve visitors for decades to come. The project is on track to open by Memorial Day 2026.

The new boardwalk replaces an aging floating structure that had been in place for more than two decades and had deteriorated to the point of becoming a safety concern for hikers, cyclists, and families with strollers. Frequent park visitors had noted the old boardwalk was uneven and difficult to navigate, particularly for bikes and other wheeled traffic.

"It's a thousand-foot boardwalk that's 12 feet wide," said Jeff Perry of Anoka County Parks. "It's an amazing superstructure. We're building it for the future."

Built to Last

The new structure is an engineering upgrade in nearly every respect. It crosses the edge of Bunker Lake through a scenic wetland and is rated to hold up to 8,000 pounds. The defining feature of the project is the installation of helical piers, a foundation technology increasingly used in sensitive environments where traditional construction would cause lasting harm. Unlike timber pilings or concrete footings, helical piers are steel shafts with helical blades that are hydraulically screwed into the ground.

Perry said the piers are driven anywhere from 20 to 50 feet into the subsurface through the wetland, giving the structure a stability that the old floating boardwalk could never match. "This essential bridge or boardwalk will not move," Perry said. "If you're on a bike or pushing a baby stroller, it's literally like crossing a bridge."

The decking is structural timber, significantly more durable than standard deck boards, with a composite rail cap. The structure is also built wide enough to comfortably accommodate pedestrians, cyclists, and other trail users simultaneously.

A Window Into the Wetland

At the center of the boardwalk, out over the open wetland, a wildlife observation bump-out will give visitors a chance to stop, sit, and take in the surrounding habitat. Perry said benches will be placed there, offering unobstructed views of Bunker Lake and the wildlife that frequents the marsh.

"This particular marsh-type wetland is frequented by sandhill cranes, trumpeter swans, and various bird species," Perry said. "It truly is going to connect people with the surrounding wetland habitat."

The boardwalk passes through a wetland system shaped by the Anoka Sand Plain, a distinctive geological region marked by sandy soils and high groundwater, and its replacement is designed to meet modern accessibility standards with a smoother, more level surface.

Construction Timeline and Funding

Construction began in October 2025 with Phase 1, which involved removal of the old boardwalk and pouring of new concrete abutments. Phase 2, the installation of the foundation system and reconstruction of the elevated walkway, began during frozen conditions in the winter of 2025-2026.

Funding for the project comes from the Minnesota Department of Transportation's active transportation fund, created by a metro area sales tax approved by the 2023 Minnesota Legislature to support projects that encourage walking and biking. The total project cost is approximately $2 million.

Perry said the investment is well justified. "It's for public use," he said. "It's built for the test of time. It's gonna last 30 to 50 years."

Part of a Broader Park Transformation

Bunker Hills Regional Park is a 1,600-acre oasis of oak forest, prairie, and oak savannah in the center of Anoka County, offering trails, a water park, campgrounds, picnic pavilions, horse stables, and a disc golf course. It was the most visited of the county's eight regional parks and 11 regional trails in 2024, drawing 846,762 visits out of a system-wide total of 4.3 million.

The boardwalk project is part of a sweeping, multi-year redevelopment of the park that has also included road and parking lot reconstruction, trail improvements, water and sewer upgrades, and pavilion replacements.

When the new boardwalk opens this spring, it will complete a loop trail around the park that has been interrupted by construction since October. Anoka County Parks says all trails leading to the boardwalk on the east and west sides will reopen along with the structure.

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