 Using the Mississippi River Trail Bikeway, bicyclists can ride from the Mississippi headwaters down to the Gulf of Mexico. But a 34-mile long section from Crow Wing State Park down to Royalton was never completed. As Mel Meyer reports from Little Falls, one group is seeking $2.5 million from the legislature to build that section. The Camp Ripley slash Veterans State Trail Committee has been meeting monthly since 2009 to advocate for the trail. At first, not too many people understood what the trail was about and the benefits, but a lot of people are coming around now and they're getting excited about it. While the town is excited for the physical benefits of having the trail, the multimodal trail would bring in riders and their wallets. I can only imagine that once we make it easier for folks, they'll come through and be able to enjoy the other great things that we have in town. Little Falls has plenty to offer from a bustling downtown with restaurants, shops, hotels and more. The city is host to plenty of historic landmarks as well. A little bit of something for everyone. A tourist doesn't need to do anything but ride their bike, eat here, sleep here and make the best of their trip with their family, with their significant other, with friends. There's plenty to see and do even as many places had to close during the recession. Can some of those jobs be replaced and see growth in that tourism industry and change and revitalize the economy? It's with this message in mind that the group is ready to head down to the statehouse with about 5,000 signatures supporting the trail. The residents continue to say, what can we do? What can we help with? How do we show people this is important to us? The group has done a lot of the legwork already with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Transportation. This segment would be particularly unique with most of the trail combining space for bikes, ATVs and snowmobiles. And they usually don't combine paths but in this 34-mile stretch, that's what we're trying to accomplish so we welcome everybody to our town. The group says that even if they are able to secure the funding today, it still would take years for the segment to be built. Outside Little Falls in Bolos, I'm Mal Meyer, Lakeland News. The state money would be used for the first section from Blanchard Dam to Little Falls. The group would then seek additional funding to complete the trail from Little Falls north to Camp Ripley. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.