Grassy Point Trail closed?

5 Comments

1. rev on August 26, 2015 at 10:03 am

   We were down there recently. Went past the sign to check it out. Looks the same as it did last time I was there, around a year ago. Part of the boardwalk/dock over the lake sinks as you walk into it – not sure if that’s on purpose or not, but that’s the only thing I could see that seemed wrong. We ran across it so that we didn’t keep sinking with the dock – otherwise, you were up to your ankles in water pretty quickly.

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2. Paul Lundgren on August 26, 2015 at 10:15 am

   I had forgotten about that, but yeah, the last time I was there, several months ago, the boardwalk was sinking. So the city probably put the blockade up to discourage people from going down there, slipping, breaking a leg and drowning in a bog puddle.

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3. Paul Lundgren on September 13, 2015 at 12:23 pm

   As of Sept. 12, it appears the blockade has been dismantled …

   

   … but the tiny flooded section remains and the boardwalk is a bit grown over.

   

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4. Paul Lundgren on October 18, 2015 at 10:23 am

   

   The Duluth News Tribune story “Volunteers toil to restore accessible trail along St. Louis River” reports:

   Grassy Point Trail has been closed for the past few years as a higher water level on the river has submerged some of the boardwalk and made the floating parts treacherous.

   Dwight Morrison, from the Wheels on Trails Organization, said even when the trail was functioning, it wasn’t very wheelchair- or scooter-friendly. With the city’s push to improve the prospects for the St. Louis River Corridor, Morrison said the Grassy Point project was something he could get behind. It makes sense, he said, with the 25th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

   The improvements include rails along the boardwalk to prevent wheelchairs from drifting off and going into the drink. Workers are also switching out some boards for more width. Thicker floating pontoons will be added to solve the flooding problem.

   Turnaround areas are available so no one has to put a chair in reverse.

   In the next few years, a loop along the river edge will lengthen the trail and allow people with any type of disability to enjoy nature and take in this unique spot, Morrison said.

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5. farnukem on October 19, 2015 at 5:36 pm

   Thanks for all the updates, Paul!

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