Other stories in "Skiing, cross-country"

• Itasca in winter
  From cozy hostel, guests ski out the door onto park trails.
• Heirs to a hideaway
  High above Minnesota's North Shore, a spot at Tettegouche Camp is as prized as ever.
• Happy days at Maplelag
  Winter is as good as it gets at a friendly cross-country ski resort in western Minnesota.
• Full throttle in Eagle River
  Around this snowy Wisconsin town, there's a trail for everyone.
• Winter is Washburn's time to glow
  Frozen lake opens up wonders that can't be reached in summer.
• Winona with snow
  Snowstorms that blanket the southern woods bring skiers with them.
• Adventure on the Gunflint Trail
  For outdoorsy folks, Minnesota wilderness is a year-round playground.
• The best days of winter
  On the Gunflint Trail, skiers find snow that sparkles into April.
• Playtime in Ely
  At the edge of the wilderness, fun starts when the snow falls.
• Skiing the North Shore
  On snow-laden hills, skiers glide on cloud nine.
• Snow asylum
  In the wilderness of northeast Wisconsin, a family resort stays on top of the heap.
• A Giant advantage
  For novice skiers, Iron Range resort rolls out the red carpet.

Skiing in Duluth

When snow falls, skiers fly onto a splendid system of trails.

One March, I went up to Duluth but woke up in Siberia.

Twenty inches of snow had fallen overnight. A savage 70 mph wind was howling around the glass-walled lobby of the Willard Munger Inn. Swirling snow had turned the air white.

But then my niece and I noticed cars crawling along Grand Avenue. Then more cars. So we bundled up and got in our car, and to our surprise, made it all the way across town to Lester Park. Dozens of other skiers already had been on its Lester-Amity Ski Trail, creating tracks that we gratefully followed into the sheltering forest.

Duluth is a tough town. When its skiers want to ski, nothing stops them.

Of course, none of them has to go far. Duluth’s hills, ravines and creeks create pockets of wilderness into which the city has tucked 45 kilometers of trails. Two privately owned ski areas, also within city limits, add another 37 kilometers, and just across the Bong Bridge, Superior Municipal Forest includes 26 kilometers of scenic trails.

It’s heaven for skiers. In the middle of the city, they’re immersed in wilderness — yet 10 minutes away from a cheeseburger or cappuccino.

When snow falls, trails are groomed and tracked right along with Duluth’s streets and sidewalks. Within 10 to 12 hours of a half-foot snowfall, says city forester Kelly Fleissner, all five city trails are groomed.

“If we get a snowfall, we’ll be out there almost immediately,’’ says Fleissner, an avid skier who heads the grooming staff and says his “might be the best job in America.’’

Lester-Amity is the city’s most popular ski trail, being gorgeous as well as easy to reach, just off Superior Street. Skiing up the Lester River through a dense corridor of spruce, then along the rim of the Amity Creek gorge, my niece and I listened to the murmur of the wind and studied the pale winter palette of birch bark and beige grasses furling out of the snow. Passing Seven Bridges Road, we started downhill back into the firs, and behind me I heard an exhilarated "Whoooooa’’ turning into “Wooooow . . . That was beautiful.''

From Lester Park, we drove up Duluth’s precariously steep streets to Snowflake Nordic Center. No one was in the wind-whipped chalet except its proprietor, George Hovland, who skied for the United States in the 1952 Olympics and is prominent in ski circles. As he drew us a minutely detailed map of the trails, he chitchatted about global warming, politicians and course topography. But after he told us that he named Snowflake because medieval Norwegians wore mittens knitted in a snowflake pattern, we realized we had to take it all with a grain of salt.

"It's pretty deep out there — and in here, too,'' he noted slyly.

He told us we could ski free, and we headed out on tracks that were decent, though drifted in by the wind. Hovland hates to close Snowflake, so he tries to keep it open despite the poor conditions.

After skiing at Snowflake, we found our way to the nearby Hartley trail, almost getting stuck on the dead-end street that leads to it. But after a kilometer of skiing, we tired of the incessant wind and headed back to the motel.

 The next day was colder, but the wind had died and the sun was bright in a frosty blue sky. Feeling inexplicably ambitious, we headed up to Snively Park, on heavily forested hills just beyond Spirit Mountain. Its parking lot had been cleared, but the trail, which heads straight up, hadn’t been groomed. New tracks ended after a kilometer — we could see the cross-hatches left as the lone skier gave up and turned around — but we kept plowing on through 2-foot drifts.

We felt like pioneers, trying to follow old tracks that would pop up, like ruts on the Oregon Trail, then disappear under drifts. Occasionally, our ski tips caught under the snow and we tumbled onto our faces in a flurry of powder.  Our payoff came at the Bardons Peak overlook, where we drank in a sweeping view of the St. Louis River estuary — Spirit Lake, Clough Island, St. Louis Bay, the Bong Bridge.

As we sat, exhausted, on a wooden bench, another skier passed on his way to Bardons Peak, and we drolly told him to enjoy our tracks; he thanked us and said he already was.

After a well-earned lunch of burgers and malts at Grandma’s on Canal Park, we drove up the Piedmont trail, just off U.S. 53 next to a residential neighborhood. The groomer had just finished the loop, and I could’ve kissed its crisp corduroy.

The skiing was perfect, through light forest on wide, rolling lanes and screamer hills that had been turned into pussycats by top-notch grooming. Wooden signs put up by a neighborhood skier gave us a few chuckles: Go Dis Vay, No Laughing Zone, Finland 7,000 Miles. A Chicken Loop cutoff led around a hill marked Evil Knievel, and the long, gentle swoop to trail’s end was called Grand Finn Alley.

“There really is just a plethora of great trails in Duluth,’’ Fleissner says. “You really don’t have to go far.’’

Trip Tips: Cross-country skiing in Duluth

Snow conditions: To see whether there’s enough snow for skiing, call the city hot line, (218) 723-3678, or check www.skinnyski.com.

Maps: Duluth Parks and Recreation will send the current red-and-blue maps of each trail, (218) 723-3337.

Lester-Amity: This 15-kilometer trail, groomed for skating as well as striding, is the most popular trail in town, easily reached from East Superior Street. It's first to be groomed, and its giant firs provided good protection from wind. In early morning and evening, 5 kilometers are lighted. An adjoining 3-kilometer loop on the Lester Park Golf Course is good for beginners.

Hartley: These wooded loops, in a residential neighborhood, include 5 kilometers of single-tracked classical trails.

Piedmont: This 5-kilometer trail in the hills near Enger Park, off U.S. 53, is double-tracked for classical skiing and includes an overlook of the St. Louis River valley. It's not too hilly and is good for beginners and intermediates.

Magney-Snively: This hilly 14-kilometer trail has a classical track and a skating lane and is best for intermediate and advanced skiers. The trail winds from Snively Park to the city limits and adjoining Magney Park, each of which has a stunning overlook.

Chester Bowl: This very hilly 3-kilometer trail, groomed for skating only, is tucked away near the College of St. Scholastica, off Skyline Parkway in a residential neighborhood. The longtime hub of Duluth's winter sports, the Bowl includes Big Chester, a 115-foot wooden ski jump that still has its 1926 steel scaffolding.

Snowflake Nordic Center: High above Duluth, this privately operated ski center has 15 kilometers of trails, groomed often. Striding tracks flank skating lanes, used by the many racers who frequent Snowflake, and classical skiers may feel squeezed at times. There's a convivial chalet with snack counter. A trail pass is $7. (218) 726-1550, www.skiduluth.com.

Spirit Mountain: Just across the road from the alpine slopes, Spirit Mountain maintains 22 kilometers of double-tracked trails, groomed frequently. A trail pass is $7, and equipment rental is $8. (800) 642-6377, www.spiritmt.com. Lately, the cross-country chalet has been closed, and skiers use a skating loop and 2-kilometer skating and striding loop at the base of the alpine hill, $5.

Superior Municipal: Just across the St. Louis River, the Superior Parks and Recreation Department maintains 26 kilometers of ski trails in Superior Municipal Forest for all levels; the 10-kilometer Yellow Loop, for advanced skiers, is on the Dwight's Point peninsula and is very scenic. There’s a warming shelter at the trailhead, 28th Street and Wyoming Avenue, where the $4 daily trail pass is sold. Superior Parks and Rec, (715) 395-7270; snow conditions hot line, (715) 395-7299; Superior tourism, (800) 942-5313, www.visitdouglascounty.com.

Buying a pass: A Great Minnesota Ski Pass, which costs $15 yearly or $40 for three years, is required for skiers 16 and older who use Duluth's city trails. It can be purchased by mail or on-line at www.dnr.state.mn.us, at sports shops or where hunting and fishing licenses are sold, such as K mart, Wal-Mart and SuperAmerica and Holiday stations. (651) 296-6157 or (888) 646-6367.

Information: Duluth tourism, (800) 438-5884, www.visitduluth.com.

 

Last updated on June 23, 2008