TRAIL CONSTRUCTION NEWS
One new section of the trail, from Beaver Bay to Silver Bay (3.5 miles), was completed during this past summer. It is a "stand-alone" section, not an extension of the trail from Beaver Bay, since the trailhead is up a dirt road from Highway 61. The hope is that a paved road or trail will eventually connect this trail section to the completed trail.
The "Lutsen I" segment (1.5 miles) will connect the trail where it ends now at County Rd 34 to County Rd 4, the Lutsen SKi Hill Road. The new tunnel under Highway 61 will no longer be "the tunnel to nowhere"! Development of the segment is complete and funded. Construction plans were delayed by the state budget shutdown in 2011, and contractor issues delayed 2012 construction, but the segment should be complete during the summer season of 2013.
The eight-mile segment from Grand Marais to Cascade is funded, but there has been no development activity yet. The plan calls for the DNR to complete a preliminary alignment so that engineering can then be bid out and completed.
You can follow the construction process by reference to the chart on this website.
WELCOME TO THE GGTA WEBSITE
We hope you find the new format informative, easy to use, and attractive! The Gitchi-Gami Trail Association employed the services of Katherine Hellner of Looner Graphics in Grand Marais, with technical support from Sandy Schutte at Boreal Access in Grand Marais, to design and launch our new website in 2011.
Please let us know your comments about and suggestions for the website. Is there other information you would like to see us include? Go to the Contact Us page and send us an email.
Most important, we want to expand our photo gallery. Do you have photos of the trail - scenery, people, construction, annual ride - that you could share with us? Go to the Contact Us page and send us an email attaching your pictures. If you have more than three, you can send multiple emails or, better yet, download them onto a disk and send to the GGTA at P.O Box 74, Silver Bay, MN 55614.
