Recreation

The CFC forest is primarily a research and education forest but also open to public recreation and gathering as long as the CFC mission and Forest Use Guidelines are respected. We consider our internal forest roads to be our “Trail System”; there are also a few single-track footpaths around the forest. Recommended loops (see Walking Trails map) start and finish from the main parking lot and are labeled along the way with color-coded tags.

The forest is open to the public 7 days a week during daylight hours. Our main office is open Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please feel free to stop in if you have questions for our staff.

Forest Use Guidelines

Forest roads and trails are open to on-trail, non-motorized recreation: 

  • Walking, running, biking, birding, photography, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing
  • On-leash dog walking allowed - please pick up after your pet

Gathering

  • A gathering permit is required for any personal and/or commercial gathering of wild plants or plant parts; please follow the gathering ethics described in the FDL Ceded Territory Conservation Code z.umn.edu/FDL_CTCC
  • Permits can be obtained through the CFC Forest Management and Research Office
  • The permitting process helps us guide you away from gathering in areas of active research and to balance gathering of resources across the forest for the purpose of sustainability

The following activities are prohibited

  • Off-trail recreation
  • Horseback riding 
  • Off-leash pets 
  • Hunting, camping, fires
  • Non-authorized motor vehicle use
  • Loitering

Thank you for respecting our forest use guidelines. 

Forest Highlights

As the CFC is home to many long-term forest and wildlife research projects, off-trail traffic is prohibited. The collection of non-timber forest products is allowed but requires a permit and is restricted to predetermined areas. Contact the CFC Forest Manager Kyle Gill for details.