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 96 miles of trails which include 45 miles of snowmobile trails and 49 miles of other linear trails and parks. We have five groomed cross country ski trails totaling 37 kilometers (approximately 23 miles). In addition to the cross country ski trails we have two golf courses which are designated for ski-joring. We also have eight summer recreation trails with a total of 53 miles of hiking trails, 10 miles of bike trails, 15 miles of horseback riding trails and 3 miles of inline skating.

Annual 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.