 Hikers, snowshoers, snowmobiliers, and bikers will soon have an easier and safer time getting from Lakeshore to Niswa as a new trail is in the works. The Niswa Gull Lake Trail Steering Committee held an open house last night to speak with community members about the trail. Reporting from Niswa with this week's in focus, Rachel Johnson has more. Officials in the town surrounding Gull Lake had a vision to create one unified trail around Gull Lake connecting various townships, resorts and attractions. Niswa, Lakeshore, Fairview Township, and East Gull Lake, all the resorts, all the different amenities, it's really going to make a whole new community out of the Gull Lake area by having this trail connect everything together. Once complete, the Gull Lake Trail will be 21 miles long and connected to the Paul Bunion Trail. We're really fortunate to have the Paul Bunion Trail that runs through here, right? But the next phase that we need is how do we get people transporting themselves safely and biking is a large community that comes here? How do we get them from Sandy Beach Resort or somewhere down at the south end of the lake and actually let them come into our community in Niswa? The trail is being built in sections and the last leg of the trail to be built is in Niswa. Niswa really is the last piece to that puzzle as East Gull Lake has theirs in. Fairview Township has now gotten their funding and will begin their piece. The city of Lakeshore is pretty much done with theirs. So now Niswa is the sort of the missing link that will make that connection whole. The section of the Gull Lake Trail would start in downtown Lakeshore and connect all the way to the trail that leads to downtown Niswa. An open house about the trail was held Thursday to allow community members to learn about the project and give their input. These community meetings give the people along the trail routes opportunities to say yes, we want it, no we don't. Can we do something around this property you know to make sure that they have say in what's happening in their backyard. The committee is currently working on raising funds for the trail and they hope to have it complete by 2020. We're building this trail with the assumption that it's not going to cost our tax dollars our taxpayers any dollars. It's all going to be self-funded through grants donations and the like. The city of Niswa is very excited about the trail and the impact that is expected to have. By having accessibility from all forms of you know biking, boating, and just people enjoying everything about the Brainerd Lake Syria. I think what it does for our community you know the sky is the limit. I really do believe it's going to bring a lot of people to town and it's just it's going to be a great addition. In the next couple of summers residents and tourists alike can look forward to biking, roadblading, snowmobiling, and more safely around Gull Lake. Reporting from Niswa with this week's in focus Rachel Johnson, Lakeland News.