New access point opened on Turtle Creek for canoes and kayaks

(ABC 6 News) – A new access point has opened up on Turtle Creek in Austin.

The Turtle Creek Watershed District and the Austin Area Foundation partnered with the City of Austin, among other groups for the project.

The access point was built on a former residential property that was purchased by the City of Austin, because the property was hard to maintain because of flooding problems.

The new access point will provide more opportunities for people to enjoy the local waterways.

“I have heard from people in western mower county and freeborn county where they will kayak or canoe down Turtle Creek, and they’ve always been looking for a spot to get out. And so this will not only create a sport for people to access turtle creek, but it will create a spot for people coming down from the west to get out at this point, so I think it’s going to serve dual purposes,” said Turtle Creek Watershed board supervisor Jon Erichson.

Not only do officials hope it will promote locals to use Austin’s waterways, but also get non-residents to enjoy what the city of Austin has to offer.

The access point is now open and located on Minnesota State Highway 105 and 12th Dr. SW. Signage for the access point will go up later this summer.