December 26, 2024
This year was a major year of renewal and trail work on the Superior Hiking Trail. We are incredibly grateful for our entire trail community because it is the result of all our efforts that we had such an amazing season of progress. Volunteers, contractors, members, donors, land partners, grant funders, trail users, and staff, WE all worked together to make this year of action happen. Thank you!
Duluth Projects
With 75 work days, our Duluth area projects were completed by dedicated volunteers and crews led by contractor Larry Sampson. Larry and our Duluth-area volunteers are out on Trail multiple days a week each season, and their hard work shows. Here is a round-up of some of the projects completed this year.
Mission Creek Reroute
The project completed a 1,500’ reroute to move the Trail to a more sustainable and resilient location in an area heavily impacted by 2012 flooding that continues to cause landslides and erosion near the creek. At this site, two Trail Renewal Projects in partnership with Unruly Women to provide shared-identity work sessions, as well as an additional crew organized by Larry, completed the work. To read more about our partnership and projects with Unruly Women, go to https://superiorhiking.org/mission-possible/.
At Mission Creek we also:
- completed a step stone crossing,
- built new tread to and from the creek crossing,
- stabilized the creek bank using rocks to prevent erosion,
- and built a 12’ puncheon (a small footbridge) over a wet area.
Other Duluth Projects
- A 12’ bridge and 75’ puncheon over an unnamed creek near Spirit Mountain.
- 124′ of puncheon completed that included 84′ near the Martin Road Trailhead plus several 8′ to 12′ sections in various locations.
- 825′ of trail hardening using a gravel mix provided by the City of Duluth, near Martin Road, in Hartley Park, and the Mission Creek area.
- Approximately 1,000’ of additional reroutes, including several short 100′ to 300′ reroutes between Green Street and Spirit Mountain.
- At least 30 rock or cribbed timber steps installed in various locations.
- One 16′ bridge west of Spirit Mountain on Lenroot Creek.
- Retaining wall repaired and reset along Keene Creek.
- Eliminated at least 50 old rebar steps on several of the above projects.
- Completed approximately 6 miles of corridor widening through brushing and lopping between Normanna Road and Reservoir Road, and Fox Farm West to Fox Farm East Trailheads.
- Volunteers, led by Volunteer Crew Leaders, weed whipped and brushed about 40 miles of Trail.
Cascade River Loop – Phase 1
The Cascade River Loop, damaged during 2022 flooding, will see top-to-bottom renewal in 2024 and 2025. The first phase of this project was completed this year during three separate multi-day projects with volunteers, as well as work completed by contractor Brad Miller of Trail Logic. To see additional photos from this project, go to: https://www.instagram.com/p/C9ni3-aN5w6/?img_index=1
On the Cascade River Loop, we:
- completed a .6-mile reroute,
- completed the Trout Creek step stone crossing (10 stepping stones),
- installed stone steps on both sides of the creek to stabilize the banks (5 steps on the south side, and 11 on the north side),
- stabilized an eroding section of the stream bank with stone riprap,
- installed 14 additional stone steps in various locations,
- improved three muddy spots with step stones and drainage,
- completed 100’ and 20’ reroutes,
- debermed, reshaped and installed drainage on a half mile of tread,
- removed a failing 12’ long two-plank puncheon and replaced it with a natural crossing (5 stone steps),
- installed 8 checks (to prevent future erosion),
- repaired and reopened a closed section of the Trail by completing a 200’ reroute, installing 12 stone steps, and installing checks to prevent erosion,
- replaced an additional 80 existing steps,
- installed 40’ of puncheon, and
- opened a new (as yet unnamed) campsite .4 miles south of Cut Log Campsite to replace the retired and closed Big White Pine Campsite.
We asked our community on social media what we should name the new campsite. Here are the suggestions so far:
- Boreal Campsite,
- Basalt Campsite,
- Cut Face Campsite,
- CCC Campsite,
- Anishinabewaki Campsite,
- Kindling Ridge Campsite,
- Campy McCampsite,
- The Group Loop Campsite,
- Cascade Pass Campsite,
- No Trout Campsite, and
- Camp Are We There Yet?
We’d love to hear your suggestions! Send us your ideas by email to info@superiorhiking.org.
Bean and Bear Loop – Phase 1
One of two “Big Bad Five” Trail Renewal Projects identified in our 2017 Trail Assessment scheduled for 2024, the Bean and Bear Lakes Loop is one of the most popular sections of the Superior Hiking Trail. Due to heavy use and often less than ideal trail alignment, this section had some serious erosion and tread issues, and needed to be updated to a more sustainable design adapted to higher use. Phase 1 of this project was completed by contractor Hunter Rust with Trail Source. This project:
- renewed over 3 miles of heavily used trail by reshaping the tread to get water off quickly, and widening the bench to 24” wide to create more space for passing to prevent stepping off the Trail into sensitive areas,
- utilized the natural stone in the area to construct steps, checks, retaining walls, and harden the Trail – at least 75 stone steps and 45 stone checks were installed, and
- replaced old structures with 250’ of new puncheon.
For more information about the Bean and Bear Lakes Loop Project, visit: https://superiorhiking.org/two-trail-renewal-projects-require-closures/
Split Rock River Loop – Phase 1
The second of two “Big Bad Five” Trail Renewal Projects identified in our 2017 Trail Assessment scheduled for 2024, the first phase of the project on the east side of Split Rock River Loop was completed this year by contractor Will Krift with Trail Anonymous. We:
- repaired and renewed 2 miles of tread – the entire east side of the loop,
- completed reroutes of 50’, 50’, 100’ and 165′,
- built 60’ of elevated boardwalk and 800’ of puncheon out of rot-resistant and long-lasting tamarack, and
- replaced the staircase leading down to the Southeast Split Rock River Campsite, and improved the trail alignment in that area.
Please note, the east side of the Split Rock River Loop is still closed at this time to give the new tread time to settle and heal prior to use. For more information about the Split Rock River Loop Project, visit: https://superiorhiking.org/two-trail-renewal-projects-require-closures/
For more photos of this project, go to https://www.instagram.com/p/DCpgk5BMsLu/?img_index=1
Gooseberry River Reroute
This was our first official backpack-in project, a model that proved a great success and one we plan to replicate on future projects. This project repaired a section of Trail made unsafe for use by river erosion. A 100% volunteer crew:
- moved the Trail away from the river in places where it was too near the edge, or had already fallen into the river,
- scratched in new tread,
- cleared and brushed the new corridor, and
- removed a failing structure over a drainage and installed a natural crossing.
Moose Mountain Boardwalk Replacement
SHTA volunteers replaced 185 feet of failing boardwalk at the foot of Moose Mountain. Three Volunteer Crew Leaders led this build – John Storkamp, Stephanie Hoff, and Todd Rowe – with 13 other amazing volunteers forming their crew, all hailing from the trail running part of our SHT community.
Storkamp said many of the volunteers on this project, including himself, were part of the crew that built the previous boardwalk in 2016, which spans the upper watershed of Rollins Creek. John said it was really gratifying to return and build a structure that will last 20 years. A sustainability design change to bog pans for the base of the boardwalk, which are more like the footings of a dock, will help this boardwalk last longer than the previous one. Bog pans create surface area so the boardwalk won’t sink, and help during the freeze-thaw cycle so the boardwalk isn’t heaved out of the ground.
To see a video of the completed boardwalk, go to: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C96KnMGq0IN/
Silver Creek Reroute
This project was initiated at the request of the generous landowners who allow the Trail to cross their private property to move the Trail to an area that worked better for both the property owners and trail users. The reroute construction was completed by contractor Elemental Industries, and the clearing and blazing completed by volunteers.
We moved 1,400’ of tread east of Silver Creek to a new location, and installed a new puncheon over a wet area, and cleared and blazed the entire section.
Volunteer Crew Leader Nicole Halgrimson said it was really rewarding for volunteers to see trail users using the roadwalk bypass on Gun Club Road while they were working. “We were able to say, ‘Thanks to the work you’ve done this weekend, we will be able to have the hikers back on the Trail,’ ” Nicole said.
Arrowhead Trail Boardwalk Project
The boardwalk at this location had become dangerous to cross with loose and missing boards. We replaced 243’ of elevated boardwalk and installed 108’ of puncheon (tied into the 243’ of boardwalk) for a total of 351’. This project was completed by contractors Full Sun Services with volunteer support.
Drainage and Tread Maintenance Project Days
We also completed two work projects that focused on improving drainage and repaired half a mile of Trail.
2025-2027 Upcoming Projects
Our plans for the coming years are equally ambitious! We’ll complete Phase 2 of projects on the Split Rock River, Bean and Bear Lakes, and Cascade River Loops in 2025, along with many additional projects.
The big news for 2026 and 2027 is we are pursuing funding to replace the multiple compromised bridges along the Trail corridor, including addressing a new bridge crossing over the Split Rock River. After multiple bridge washouts in this location, and a 2015 storm damaging the bridge so badly it had to be removed, we have applied for funding to build a 55-foot bridge in a new location on the loop! More to come about this project in coming months.
The theme for 2026-2027 will be bridges, as we are also pursuing funding to replace the Onion River, East Branch Baptism River, and Devil Track River Bridges.
A huge thank you again to everyone who made these projects possible – our amazing volunteers and crew leaders, contractors, funders, land partners, members, donors, trail users, and staff. We all made a major, positive impact on the Trail this year!
Funding the work
Funding for these projects and our volunteer program was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR), North Country Trail Association Field Grant Program, Federal Recreational Trails Program, LLoyd K. Johnson Foundation, and of course our generous members and donors!
We are currently running our year-end fundraising appeal, a crucial period for the Association in generating the funds we’ll need to complete our 2025 projects. Did you know that half of the funding needed for projects and trail maintenance comes from members and donors, and allows us to pursue funding to meet the rest of the Trail’s needs? To continue this incredible renewal progress, help us start a ripple effect…
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