City of Duluth Trails

Duluth has over 11,000 acres of public open space and parkland within the city limits. The trail inventory includes over 160 miles of trails which include 40 miles of the national North Country/Superior Hiking Trail, a hiking trail spanning the backbone of the 26 mile long city, 45 miles of snowmobile trails and 49 miles of other linear trails and parks. We have five groomed cross country ski trails totaling 70 kilometers. In addition to the cross country ski trails we have a golf course which is designated for ski-joring. We also have 13 recreation trails with a total of 55 miles of hiking trails, 40 miles of bike trails, and 3 miles of inline skating. The Munger State Trail is located in the western section of Duluth along with the Western Waterfront Trail. Nestled along Lake Superior is the popular 7.3 mile Lakewalk starting at the Aerial Lift Bridge in Canal Park extending to 60th Avenue East.

Annual trail maintenance by the City of Duluth focuses on controlling water/erosion, controlling and repairing abuse, mowing and brushing ski trails once or twice during the summer, trying to maintain a grass/clover surface on the ski and snowmobile trails, and grooming the ski trails twice a week during the ski season, as weather permits. Funds are limited. The grant-in-aid program from ski licenses for example, provides the City about $6,000 annually. That amount does not cover the cost of grooming, let alone off-season maintenance. Volunteers and youth job programs are important contributors to trail maintenance.