The Willard Munger State Trail is a system of recreational trails between

Hinckley, Minnesota Hinckley is a city in Pine County, Minnesota, United States, located at the junction of Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highway 48. The population was 1,800 at the 2010 census. Hinckley's name in the Ojibwe language is ''Gaa-zhiigwanaabikoka ...

and

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. There are three segments to the trail, Hinckley to Duluth Segment, Alex Laveau Memorial Trail, and Matthew Lourey State Trail.

Hinckley to Duluth Segment

The most well-known trail is a paved trail that starts in Hinckley and goes northeast, to Duluth. With a length of , it is the fifth longest paved trail in the U.S. It passes through Willow River, Moose Lake,

Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He wa ...

, and Carlton before terminating in Duluth. Along the way, it goes through

Jay Cooke State Park Jay Cooke State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, protecting the lower reaches of the Saint Louis River. The park is located about southwest of Duluth and is one of the ten most visited state parks in Minnesota. The western ...

and close to Banning State Park. The segment between Carlton and Duluth is particularly scenic, as it passes through forested areas and rock cuts before opening up to scenic views of the Lake Superior harbor and downtown Duluth. The trail was originally part of the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad, originally built as the

Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad The Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad is the name for two different railroads in Minnesota. Historic railroad The Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad (LS&M) was the first rail link between the Twin Cities and Duluth and came into existence ...

and later part of the Northern Pacific Railway. The trail is named after Willard Munger, a Minnesota state legislator who devoted his legislative career to trail development and environmental protection from 1954 until his death in 1999. The Munger family owns the Willard Munger Inn near the end of the trail in Duluth.

Alex Laveau Memorial Trail

This segment of the trail connects Carlton and Wrenshall, running just south of Jay Cooke State Park, and terminates at Minnesota State Highway 23. From there, bicyclists can ride paved shoulders into the Gary-New Duluth neighborhoods of Duluth. Alex Laveau was a former county commissioner who advocated reusing abandoned railways as recreational trails.

Matthew Lourey State Trail

The Matthew Lourey State Trail runs along Minnesota's eastern boundary. It starts in

Chengwatana State Forest The Chengwatana State Forest is a state forest located in Pine and Chisago counties in Minnesota. Its name is derived from the oj, Zhingwaadena, meaning ''white-pine town'', after the nearby ghost town and township. Eastern White Pine was histo ...

, runs northeasterly along the St. Croix River through the St. Croix State Park and into the St. Croix State Forest, and then in a northerly direction through the Nemadji State Forest before terminating near Holyoke. This segment of the trail is unpaved, and is intended for

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

, ATV,

horseback riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

, and mountain biking.

References

Minnesota DNR - Willard Munger State Trail
Accessed March 31, 2006. * {{Authority control Protected areas of Carlton County, Minnesota Rail trails in Minnesota Northern Pacific Railway Protected areas of Pine County, Minnesota Protected areas of St. Louis County, Minnesota