It’s snowing!!!

I’m hoping by the end of the week there will be an abundance of snow in Duluth. This weekend I’m going to head north and do some snowshoeing. But I would also like to get out on a weeknight after work — can anyone tell me where there are snowshoe trails that are lit up at night? Does Lester Park have snowshoe trails or are they all ski trails? Any web sites or maps to tell which trails are which? Thanks!

5 Comments

bluenewt

about 12 years ago

There are wonderful hiking/snowshoe/biking trails near the Lester ski trails, but they're not lighted. A headlamp can be fun, though.

Drive past the ski trail trailhead and park where there's a barrier across Seven Bridges Road. You'll see the hiking trails, which wind through the hills around the river and offer some nice views. You can also snowshoe up the river itself, which is a lot of fun. 

Normally it's pretty obvious which trails are hiking trails and which are ski trails; the ski trails are groomed. This year, people got used to hiking on the ski trails because they were unskiable. Now that there's snow and the city has started to groom, hikers have made it hard to see where the groomed trail is because they've tromped it full of footprints. I think most of them don't realize they're on ski trails, because the trails are not as well-marked as they could be. I wish there were signs explaining that even one person punching footprints into the trail damages the skiing and destroys a lot of expensive work. 

But, basically, if the trail at Lester is wide, it's a ski trail. If it's narrow, it's a walking trail. If it's somewhere in between, it's a snowmobile trail. It's legal to walk on snowmobile trails; whether it's worth the risk is up to you. It's not legal to walk on the ski trails, and you need to buy a ski pass to ski on them. 

Here's a map, but it's kind of hard to read unless you already know what you're looking at.

naturalplace

about 12 years ago

Hartley Park has trails and off-trail areas to snowshoe. Current snow pack ranges from 3 to 6 inches.

Like Lester there are no lights so bring your own. And currently the ski trails remain ungroomed until a 6-to-8-inch base is available to fully groom and track.

johnm

about 12 years ago

Snowshoes & skinny sticks are great, but if you feel the need for speed head up the shore.  I was at Lutsen yesterday and the conditions are awesome.

Herzog

about 12 years ago

Somebody prayed too hard.  This is a wet sidewinder.  Next time, pray for a dry, even foot.  God help anyone who tries to drive to Lutsen now, or to the grocery store.  I think the wind is dying down though.

CJD

about 12 years ago

Thanks for the info!  Can't wait to try out the snowshoes this weekend!

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