Outdoor Duluth

This is an informal website for family, friends, and others interested in doing something fun in Duluth. Part "What can we do during a two week visit with the family?" part "Duluth Bucket List" and part "You really need to make the flight to Duluth and hang out in this strange place for a while." Seriously, people, the airport is 10 minutes from our house.

Why you should visit Duluth Minnesota...

Minnesota ranked #1 state to live in 2015 by Politico Magazine!

Duluth rated four times as a “Top City” by Outside Magazine:

“Winner: America’s Best Place to Live 2014" Duluth is #1 and on the magazine cover!
“Top 10 America’s Greatest Outside Towns”
“Top 10 Dream Towns”
“The 40 Best College Towns”

http://www.fitcityduluth.com/about-duluth-mn

http://outsideonline.com/outside/destinations/200708/best-towns-2007-duluth.html

Rated in “Top 25 Cities to Raise an Outdoor Kid” in Backpacker Magazine

http://www.backpacker.com/august_09_the_best_cities_to_raise_an_outdoor_kid/destinations/13126

Duluth City Parks

The city of Duluth owns over 11,000 acres of public open space and parkland, the most in the nation. The nearly four miles of the Duluth Lakewalk is popular. Major Duluth parks include: Bayfront, Brighton Beach, Chester Bowl, Bagley Park, Hartley Park, Chambers Grove, Lester, Leif Erickson, Park Point, Lake Walk, Enger, Lincoln, Condon Tischer Creek, Hawks Ridge, Willard Munger State Trail, and Fairmont.

www.hartleynature.org

http://www.duluthmn.gov/parks/trail_pages/trails_and_maps.cfm

Below is a picture of Hartley Park from Rock Knob. Hartley Park borders UMD, and our house is just behind the hill in this picture...

Duluth City Hiking & Trails:

http://www.duluthmn.gov/parks/trail_pages/trails_and_maps.cfm

http://www.midwestweekends.com/plan_a_trip/outdoors_recreations/hiking/duluth_shuttles_superior_hiking_trail.html

http://visitduluth.com/request-info/2011/great-outdoors.pdf

http://www.northshorevisitor.com/hiking-trails/

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_trails/willard_munger.pdf

The Duluth city limits includes over 100 miles of trails. There are also 15 miles of horseback riding trails, and 3 miles of inline skating trails within the city limits (as well as Willard Munger State Trail, which is a paved 70 mile trail that has a 14 mile segment along the St Louis River connecting Duluth to Jay Cooke State Park, and is popular with inline skaters and bicyclists). The 4 miles Lake Walk trail along the shore downtown is popular.

The Lakewalk in Canal Park/Downtown:

Superior Hiking Trail

http://www.shta.org/

http://www.superiorshuttle.com/Schedules/index.php

http://game01doug.blogspot.com/

The Superior Hiking Trail is a 277-mile footpath that largely follows the rocky ridgeline above Lake Superior, and the trail goes through the university at UMD. Here is a section of the trail near Tettegouche State Park.

And another section of SHT from Devil's Kettle Falls...

Gunflint Trail

http://www.gunflint-trail.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/General-Gunflint-Trail-Map.pdf

The Gunflint Trail is a 57 mile hiking and biking trail that goes from Lake Superior to Canada through the Boundary Waters...

Cycling:

http://www.coggs.com/

http://www.bikeduluth.com/

http://www.traillink.com/trail/willard-munger-state-trail-system.aspx

http://youtu.be/vTBCZHOvF9c

The city also has 20 miles of mountain biking trails within the city limits (and another 20 miles just outside the city). The Munger Trail is a paved biking, walking, and inline skate trail that starts at the south end of Duluth and goes 70 miles along the St Louis River (it used to be railroad tracks).

The picture below is a paved bike/inline skate/hiking trail in the southern end of Duluth, on Munger Trail.

This picture below is from a bike/hiking trail in Hartley Park, which borders UMD...

And this picture below is from a bike/hiking trail in Lester Park, on the north side of Duluth...

Biking All Year in Duluth

Here are some good blogs, some by people who bike all year round in Duluth.

http://mnbicyclecommuter.blogspot.com/

http://bikingduluth.blogspot.com/

http://www.bikecavecollective.blogspot.com/

Gitchi-Gami State Trail: Bike the Cliffs over Lake Superior

http://www.landscapeonline.com/research/article/8396

http://www.ggta.org/

http://youtu.be/HZTbzDHNuBk

There is also a bike trail that runs along the edge of the cliffs overlooking the North Shore. Gitchi-Gami State Trail (GGST) will be an 88-mile non-motorized, paved recreational trail between Two Harbors and Grand Marais, Minnesota, along the cliffs of Lake Superior's North Shore. Here are some pictures from the trail...

Rock and Ice Climbing:

http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/United_States/Minnesota/North_East/

http://www.outdooredventures.org/climbing/

http://www.umdrsop.org/(RSOP%20Web)/Climbing/climbing_walls_sp08.html

http://www.umdrsop.org/(RSOP%20Web)/Climbing/photos.html

http://www.fox21online.com/greatoutdoors/ice-climbing-duluth

There are a lot of cliffs in the Duluth area. A lot. Duluth has some of the best rock and ice climbing in the region, both within and near the city, including Whoopie Wall, Ely's Peak, Shovel Point at Tettegouche State Park, Carlton Peak at Temperance River State Park, Silver Cliff, and Palisade Head. The University boasts two large climbing walls (each a few stories tall) for students, faculty, staff, and families. UMD has an active ice climbing group. Yes, they climb frozen waterfalls here. Here is a video and also pictures of ice climbing in West Duluth. And there are more pictures...

Shovel Point...

Silver Cliff, with a little bit of Gitchi-Gami State Trail to the right...

Ice climbing at Gooseberry Falls...

Carlton Peak

Cliff Diving:

Cliff Diving in Duluth is popular, including at Lester River at “The Deeps.” There are many cliffs in Duluth and the surrounding area, and Duluthians love to take videos of their cliff dives....

http://youtu.be/u5ojzivyREI

http://youtu.be/mIO8OphKj9o

http://youtu.be/93cqVBTH8K8

Here is cliff diving in north Duluth's Lester Park in "The Deeps."

Kayaking:

Some of the best Kayaking is in the St Louis River, Lake Superior, and at the Apostle Islands Sea Caves. Kayaking Park Point, about 2 miles from the University, is popular. Some professors have Park Point homes and kayak daily.

http://www.outdooredventures.org/kayaking/

http://www.nps.gov/apis/planyourvisit/upload/Seacaves.pdf

Kayaking Apostle Island Sea caves, 90 minutes from Duluth...

Kayaking Park Point...

Kayaking at Split Rock...

7 miles of Sandy Beach @ Park Point

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2971820/hiking_the_park_point_recreational.html?cat=37

http://www.duluth.flagshiprentals.com/park-point-mn-vacation-rental-home/#/galleries/sandy-point-photos/front.jpg

http://www.d.umn.edu/medweb/toxicology/images/Park-Point-Beach-Brett-Groe.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh9e9c956io&feature=BFa&list=PL1759028CEFDD89D7&index=1

http://youtu.be/j2CgKlYdQxs

Park Point is just a couple miles or so from the University. The 7-Mile sand beach on Park Point that is just like the ocean, albeit with smaller waves. It is a popular swimming, walking, and surfing spot. In the late summer, there are parts that are full of sun bathers, but there are always parts of the 7 mile beach that are nearly empty of people. Kayaking around Park Point is also popular. Here are two pictures of Park Point in Duluth...

Surfing @ Park Point

Paddle boarding and surfing are popular here. Kite surfing and Windsurfing are especially popular in Duluth, as these videos prove...

http://youtu.be/4Z7oTfJsVOE

http://youtu.be/zs9cy1GvySM

http://youtu.be/RHVk8S42kBE

http://www.umdrsop.org/(RSOP%20Web)/Surf_&_Kite/

The two pictures below are really and actually of Duluth MN surfing...

National Parks near Duluth

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Isle Royale National Park, Grand Portage National Monument, and Voyagers National Park, which is near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Apostle Islands is the closest, about 90 minutes from Duluth, and is popular for kayaking through the sea caves and skiing through the ice caves. My neighbor said that Isle Royale National Park is one of the prettiest places on earth, but we have yet to go. The last time we went camping on an island in a national park was with my brother Timmy. We need to do that again (I mean you, Tim).

http://www.canoecountry.com/

http://www.kgcphoto.com/Apostle_Islands_Sea_Caves/apostle-islands-2414.htm

http://www.nps.gov/applications/parksearch/state.cfm?st=MN

Apostle Islands...

State Parks near Duluth

There are many state parks within about an hour's drive of Duluth, including Amnicon Falls State Park, Jay Cooke State Park, Pattison Falls State Park, Gooseberry Falls State Park, Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, Moose Lake State Park, Gooseberry Falls State Park, Tettegouche State Park, and Temperance River State Park.

http://www.northshorevisitor.com/state-parks/index.html

Wolf Ridge

http://www.wolf-ridge.org/

One of our favorite places to hike.

Camping

http://fs.usda.gov/superior

http://www.bwca.cc/bwcawcamping.html

Some of the best camping in the world is in Superior national Forest and the Boundary Waters just north of Duluth. There are also some special spots all along the north shore, and most all of it is free. Just north of Duluth, there is NO ambient light, and the Northern Lights can sometimes be seen. We saw the Aurora Borealis on June 8, 2011. It was unfortunately a somewhat hazy, cloudy day, but the green lights were pretty nonetheless.

Cross Country Skiing:

http://duluthxc.com/

The Duluth area is considered one of the best places for cross country skiing in the US. The city of Duluth has five groomed cross country ski trails totaling 23 miles, and there are more than 71 miles of cross country ski trails in Duluth and the immediately surrounding area (all of which can be found here). Many Duluthians ski everyday during the winter. I have come close some seasons. UMD itself keeps 2.7 km of groomed cross country ski trails on campus in Bagley Nature Area, a 59 acre nature preserve at UMD (UMD once had a downhill ski lift at Bagley, but now we must make the long, 10 minute drive to Spirit Mt). If you don't know the difference between "skate" and "classic" cross country skiing, you will have a great time learning.

Downhill Skiing & Snowboarding

http://www.spiritmt.com/

http://www.lutsen.com/winter/mountain_info/trail_map.cfm

http://www.giantsridge.com/winter

http://youtu.be/6CXaVComIgw

http://youtu.be/zaa0Xs81fvk

http://youtu.be/c7ojPE-yCF4

http://youtu.be/Y-Bu5j0TrKg (this video is hilarious at 3:24)

http://youtu.be/cUHwJMkl1YY (some nice views of Spirit Mt, overlooking the St Louis River)

Duluth has three downhill ski mountains (Chester Bowl, Spirit Mt, & Mont du Lac in Superior), and two larger ones within an hour drive or so. The longest downhill ski run within the city limits is at Spirit Mountain at 5400 feet, more than a mile long. Spirit Mountain is owned by the city, and is only $139/year for unlimited skiing. The bunny hill is free to all. Chester Bowl is also city owned and is $5/day. Here is Spirit Mt...

Alpine Sled

There is also an all-season alpine sled at Duluth’s Spirit Mountain that is very popular…

http://youtu.be/d7dyNgWMihk

Water Skiing, Jet Skiing, and Boating

Minnesota is called the "Land of 10,00 Lakes," but it really has about 17,000 lakes. Lakehouses are popular, and so are lake activities like water skiing and jet skiing. People even water ski on Lake Superior in Duluth, as in this video...

http://youtu.be/bf0WkZcO1Oc

Streams & Trout Fishing:

In the city are 23 stream systems (12 of which have natural and fishable trout populations à la A River Runs Through It)

http://www.lakesuperiorstreams.org/streams/tischerphoto.html

http://www.lakesuperiorstreams.org/streams/duluthStream_selector.html

http://www.lakesuperiorstreams.org/streams/index.html

Tischer Creek, pictured just below, runs through UMD...

Waterfalls

Dozens of Waterfalls within the City, as well as many more nearby. The Duluth area is water abundant in many forms.

http://www.northshorevisitor.com/activities/waterfalls.html

http://www.superiortrails.com/lakesuperior1.html

Chester Creek, 1/4 of a mile from UMD...

High Falls, Pigeon River, Grand Portage...

Salmon Fishing

You can go Charter Fishing for salmon on Lake Superior, the largest lake (by surface area) in the world.

http://www.duluthcharterfishing.com/

Dogsled Rentals

You can also rent dogsleds in the winter. Duluth has an annual dogsled race called The Beargrease, à la the Iditarod.

http://outdooredventures.org/dog-sledding/

White Water Rafting

There is white water rafting on the edge of the city, and here is a picture to prove it...

www.MinnesotaWhiteWater.com

People kayak down the river rapids as well.

Sailing & Rowing

Sailing on Lake Superior is very popular, and one of our emeritus professors owns a sailboat that is docked by Canal Park. There are sailboat races in Canal Park every Wednesday in the summer, and can be viewed from just about anywhere in the city of Duluth (which is up on a hill). The Duluth-Superior Sailing Association (DSSA) is a great deal, and teaches people to sail and lets then use a variety of sailboats for only $180/year/family (or even $10/year for a student). There are also a few rowing clubs and dragon boat clubs.

http://www.sailingforall.org/

http://www.duluthyachtclub.com/

http://www.duluthboatclub.org/

Here is a picture of the Duluth Wednesday races. It can be hilarious, since some of the sailors aren't very good and there are often near misses...

Here is a boat owned and used by the DSSA...

Ski Jumping

Where else are people going to train for the Olympics in the Midwest? This picture was taken about 1/4 mile from UMD, where three ski jumps can be found in Chester Bowl...

Scuba Diving Duluth

People scuba dive all year round in Lake Superior and some of the other lakes and streams in Duluth. They even cut holes in the ice in the middle of winter. No joke. Here are photos of the many, many shipwrecked ships to explore by scuba in Lake Superior near Duluth. Here is a map of shipwrecks that scuba divers explore near Duluth. Here are a few videos of Duluth scuba diving...

http://youtu.be/4NQ9nIw38PQ

http://youtu.be/Ly92j4KxxhU

http://youtu.be/KUOTmkyGvVw

Birding

www.hawkridge.org

Since birds migrating to and from Canada do not like going over open water, millions of them fly right over Duluth Minnesota’s Hawk Ridge. It is considered one of the best birding spots in the world. There is a "Birding Hotline for Duluth" (these people are serious about birds). I used to lead birding programs at Craters of the Moon National Monument. Here is a picture of a hawk being released after banding at Hawks Ridge during the fall migration. For a small donation to Hawk's Ridge, they let just anyone hold the bird, name it, and release it after banding...

Museums

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_loc=Duluth%2C+MN&cflt=museums

There are about 20 museums in Duluth, listed above.

The Tweed at UMD (http://tweedmuseum.org/) and the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association (http://www.lsmma.com/) in Canal Park are two favorites, and are both free. The LSMMA Maritime museum has a 1901 5th Order Fresnel lens with six flash panels, which has its original mechanical clockworks and is worth about $250,000. If you are into 5th Order Fresnel lenses and the history of the Great Lakes, this is the place to go.

Motorcycles

I used to park my motorcycle next to the BMW bike of Professor Geoff Sayre-McCord in Chapel Hill. Even then, he was obsessed with Duluth's Aerostich suits. Geoff says he will visit Duluth if I take him to visit the factory. I will do that soon.