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Other stories in "Spring"

• Miles to ride
  Chances are, there's a great new bicycle trail near you.
• A new trail and two state parks
  A variety of scenery makes for a great day in southeast Minnesota.
• The mushrooms are coming
  The search is on for the wily morel.
• The season's first ship
  For a free trip to Duluth, guess when the first saltie will arrive.
• Without reservation
  If there's a big festival in your future, stake out space as soon as possible.
• Finally, the Bunyan is done
  Last stretch of paving creates a 106-mile trail between Bemidji and Brainerd.
• Good deals
  Grab a Deals in the Dells card at Culver's.
• Blazing a trail
  Like to hike? Then help out your favorite places.
• Gotta have a twist cone
  When the mom-and-pop ice-cream stands open, happy days are here again.
• Planning ahead
  Tour a tall ship, reserve a campsite, find the mother lode.
• Road Trip/Wildflowers in bluff country
  On two sides of the Mississippi, see thousands of lovely blooms in one day.
• Culinary getaways
  On artisan farms, help pick your own dinner, then dine alfresco.
• Snap up copy of new biking guide
  In Wisconsin, new trails await bicycle tourists.
• Friend us on Facebook
  Watch for cool events and new picture galleries.
• A room in the Zona Romantica
  In a Puerto Vallarta neighborhood, a B&B fosters friendships.
• Guest List/Andrew Slade's Top 5 North Shore campgrounds
  Guest list.

Work for food (and lodgings)

In spring, do chores or clear a trail and get a free or cheap trip.

Have you ever wondered who keeps your favorite hiking trail open?

It's not Mother Nature. She's the one downing trees and making brush grow over the path.

By helping maintain and build trail, you can do good and also get a free or cheap trip, and sometimes donated goodies. Lodges and nature centers also could use a hand. It's win-win for everyone.

Here are some of the opportunities in May.

Border Route Trail: The 65-mile Border Route Trail, which roughly follows Minnesota's border with Canada, partly through the Boundary Waters, is holding trail-clearing trips May 5-8, 12-15 and 19-22, with transportation provided from the Twin Cities.

The May 5-8 trip is cushiest, with lodgings at the Gunflint Lodge bunkhouse. Meals also are included in the fee of $60.

Superior Hiking Trail: The association is hosting trail-building weekend around the Sucker River on Minnesota's North Shore May 20-21, with camping at Korkki Nordic Ski Area near Duluth.

Volunteers get camping space, breakfasts, energy bars and Saturday dinner, plus a Pico flashlight and/or stainless-steel insulated mug from Midwest Mountaineering. Smartwool will give the first 30 volunteers hiking socks or a cuffed beanie.

Work weekends also will be held June 11-12, July 16-17, Aug. 13-14 and Sept. 24-25.

Lodge weekends

The Gunflint Lodge offers Spring Chores Weekend April 29-May 1. Guests put in about five hours of work, then get the rest of the weekend free. Cost for the weekend is $99 per person, including Saturday dinner buffet, in the best available cabin.

In northwest Wisconsin, the non-profit Hunt-Hill Audubon Sanctuary near Rice Lake holds a Spring Helping Hands work day on May 7. Free lodgings in dorm rooms is available Friday and Saturday night, and Saturday breakfast and lunch are provided. On Saturday night, workers are invited to a barn dance.

Between Lutsen and Grand Marais on Minnesota's North Shore, Cascade Lodge exchanges free lodgings for work May 8-14 and throws in breakfasts and lunches, too. 

Tree planting

On the Gunflint Trail, the annual Gunflint Green Up tree-planting festival is May 6-7. Volunteers receive a T-shirt, Friday  picnic dinner and Saturday box lunch, dinner and dance; trees and planting equipment are provided. Registration is $35.

Many Gunflint Trail resorts offer deals on lodgings for the weekend.

Last updated on April 28, 2011