It was a cold, gray January day in Duluth and I was hurdling up 35 North, determined to get to the YMCA. Coming out of another carb fueled holiday season, I had made a personal vow to stick to my workout routine. It felt good to know that soon I would be running around the track with Post Malone Radio or some energetic Indie Rock mix pumping into my ears. But as I neared the Mesaba exit I realized I was missing something: gym shoes. They were still sitting by the entry way table waiting to be brought out to the car. For a moment I wondered, what if I just cleaned up the shoes I was wearing really well? Would anyone even know? I glanced down at my Sorrels and gave a sigh of reluctant acceptance. Then I remembered the Minnesota Point hiking trail. It is a beautiful trail just beyond the Park Point neighborhood that winds through an old pine forest. With the harbor on one side and Lake Superior on the other, it’s a trail that truly allows the hiker to choose their own adventure. And at five miles long, I would need to put in a little effort to complete it. It seemed the perfect stand in for my thwarted trip to the Y!
I cruised past the Mesaba exit and on to Lake St. To reach the trailhead you must cross the lift bridge and drive to the end of the road, which concludes at the SkyHarbor Airport. Here you have a choice. You may walk one of several boardwalks over the dunes and come right out on to Minnesota’s longest beach. This is a great choice in July, but in early January it doesn’t quite have the same appeal. I chose option two and passed through the chain link gate and began down a gravel road which provides access to several small airplane hangers. Where this road ends, the trail begins and I soon found myself padding along under majestic 200 year old White Pines.
From its origin at the airport to its conclusion at the Superior Entry Canal, the trail is between 2 and 2.5 miles. The half mile leeway is due to the trail branching off in a couple of areas, one side walking close to the lake and the other along the harbor, but all in all you can count on a 4 to 5 mile out and back hike. Though the trail is several miles long, the point itself is less than half a mile across, making it nearly impossible to get lost or turned around. And other than a few short segments which are comprised of sand, most of the trail is hard and flat, making it a relatively easy walk.
It’s not just the abundance of natural scenery, that make this trail special. It is also on the longest freshwater sandbar in the world. The forest is comprised of Red and White pines of varying ages. The diversity in age is what makes this forest healthy and gives it its longevity. The oldest known tree is dated to 1798, older than Minnesota’s statehood, though just a slow blink when compared to the 14,000 plus years Native Americans have inhabited this land. Having been a gathering place for millennia, no known permanent structures were built here until the 1850’s. You can see their ruins today. The most curious of which is the park point light house which opened in 1858.
(Photo taken in summer)
This light house, though built to last, did not get used for very long. When it was built the only entry to the harbor sat between Minnesota point and the adjacent Wisconsin Point. This canal is Superior Entry and it is still used today. But in 1871 the city of Duluth opened a new canal which quickly became the more popular route for shipping traffic. Today, The Duluth Shipping Canal, which sits beneath the Arieal Lift Bridge, is not only the most used canal in the area, it is also an iconic symbol of the city.
Past the ruins of this old light house you will come to one of my favorite spots on the trail: an old, graffiti covered concrete building with a sand floor. Though totally abandoned now, it was once the lighthouse keeping station.
From this point you aren’t far from the end of the trail. It winds through the trees for a little longer, then comes upon a familiar sight: a long canal with a small lighthouse at the end, except this one is quieter. With no car traffic and few visitors, (the only way to access it is by foot or by boat) you will likely have the place to yourself. And maybe, if you time it right, you will get to see a ship passing through.
(Photo taken in summer)
On the walk back I took a detour to check out the lake. Though Superior rarely freezes, the mark of winter can clearly be seen in the ice heaves that line the shore.
The harbor side is the more quintessential Minnesota winter sight with the water frozen from shore to shore and the ice dotted with fish houses.
As I reached my car, pleasantly tired from the hike, I started thinking about fish tacos. I would not be heading out there to catch my lunch though. I would be driving across the bridge and sitting down in a restaurant. No better way to conclude my nicely salvaged morning workout.
Thank you for reading, and keep listening.
Jenny Marie