Rediscovering The Gitchi-Gami State Trail

By Deborah Locke

The thing about state trails is this. They look so darn simple – those ten-foot paved paths that lead you away from busy highways and roads and into the natural beauty of Minnesota. Whether you bike, wheelchair, ski or walk, the trails feel at your disposal, as though they always existed. All 1,526 statewide miles of them, which includes 35 miles of the Gitchi-Gami State Trail.

But the path to trailhood isn’t all that simple. The slowly expanding Gitchi-Gami State Trail is a good example of the way citizen activism ignites with state and federal legislators and state agency staff. The result: a lifelong amenity that encourages better health for users, promotes their safety, attracts tourists, and opens eyes to the natural, preserved beauty of northern Minnesota and a great lake.

Trail Background

Bruce and Sheryl Martinson of Schroeder, Minnesota, know well the complicated evolution of a state trail, and they know the health benefits of using a state trail. Bruce is the board president of the Gitchi-Gami Trail Association and former owner of the Superior Ridge Resort in Schroeder.

In the late 1980s, a group of resort owners including Bruce thought there had to be a way to get bikers, hikers, and runners away from busy Trunk Highway 61 North that runs parallel to the North Shore.

“We were on a learning curve,” he said. “Things took longer than anyone planned – we thought the trail would be completed by now.” At this time, 35 miles of the planned 86-mile trail are complete, and work on several segments will start this summer.

Early on, long-time, influential Iron Range Congressman Jim Oberstar championed the creation of trails and highway construction, and secured funding for the first phases of the Gitchi-Gami Trail in the early 2000s.

“Oberstar left office and things slowed down and now we rely on state bonding for funding,” Bruce said. The Association provided the catalyst for trail development, setting into motion cooperation with the state Department of Transportation which had added a trail to its development plans for the highway in the 1990s. Staff from the Department of Natural Resource Parks and Trails (PAT) Division also became involved early. Members of the Trail Association and state agencies worked to identify the trail location, its amenities, and funding sources.

Current projects

“The intent of the state trail system and development is always community connections,” said Kent Skaar, PAT consultant. As a literal example of that, a trail visitor could take a bike ride on the Gitchi-Gami Trail from Gooseberry Falls State Park to Split Rock Lighthouse State Park to the cities of Beaver Bay and Silver Bay for a total of 17.6 miles. Along the way, you might stop for lunch, followed by bird watching, photography, and agate collecting.

Kent said that the Gitchi-Gami Trail is unique because of its location and topography. Areas of solid rock present challenges, of course. But progress continues. This summer work on a mile-long segment to Lutsen from Ski Hill Road on the Poplar River will be completed. A portion of a segment at Two Harbors will be constructed this summer. Segments in Tofte, Lutsen and Silver Bay are in the design stage.

Healing exercise and new vistas

Trail use by the public can become personal in nature. In November of 2017, Bruce Martinson’s wife, Sheryl, was in a vehicle crash on Hwy. 61 and suffered extensive injuries. She was 58. After hospital and nursing home stays to receive physical therapy and gain strength, Sheryl started to walk the Gitchi-Gami Trail in 2018. Walks, prayers, and therapy helped Sheryl to recover. Today the couple often use e-bikes on the trail.

Jenna Udenberg of Two Harbors has used a manual wheelchair since she was eight and in 2020, added an electric scooter attachment.

“It has been a godsend,” she said. “A day on the trail is better than any day without it!” Jenna loves the spectacular views along the “Gitch” with its winding curves, variations in hills, and of course, views of a gorgeous Lake Superior.

Another attraction? The kindness of trail users. People on bikes or in wheelchairs provide eye contact and are likely to strike up a conversation, she said. The trail assumed special importance during the peak of the COVID pandemic.

“Being outdoors with my non-disabled friends in a space where I could be independent, not having others breathing down on me, and going for 12 miles was life changing,” she said. The sheer freedom of movement prompted her to attach a second battery to her chair so now she can travel 24 to 30 miles at a time.

Another thing about state trails is this. They belong to you, to all Minnesotans. They are yours for the taking and their use changes lives. For a listing of Minnesota state trails, go to mndnr.gov/trails.