Almost since the glaciers
began to melt and fill Lake Superior some 12,000 years ago or so,
visitors and explorers have been attracted to the shores of Lake
Superior now contained within Minnesota. A demanding segment of the
lake’s perimeter, ancient trails were blazed here, but while the cold
beauty of the shoreline intrigued early travelers, the hills, cliffs
and rivers largely denied them access.
For hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years the main travel
along the shore took place on the water. (Even Split Rock Lighthouse,
finished in 1909, predates the highway, completed in 1924.) And yet,
this area was traveled. In journals, past explorers describe periodic
visits. Many visitors and residents used whatever means of travel
worked best. A local man, John Beargrease, is famed for mail delivery
up this route by boat and by dog sled.
All that changed, of course, with development of Highway 61.
Today the expanded highway, which shifted from circling around Silver
Creek Cliff to tunneling through it, is a well-trafficked route,
especially in summer. Designated by the federal government as a scenic
All-American Road (1 of only 15 in the country), Highway 61 offers
stunning views for travelers.
Yet for those of us who love a self-propelled, two-wheeled
version of transportation, the prospect of biking on this sometimes
busy corridor has been daunting.
 It
is quite a privilege to explain that this is changing in an incredible
way. Thanks to the persistence of a group of concerned Cook County
resort owners joining forces with other interested parties, a paved
route for bicyclists, in-line skaters, joggers and walkers is evolving.
First organized as the North Shore Touring Trail Association, the group
changed its name in 1999 to the Gitchi-Gami Trail Association. In close
cooperation with Minnesota’s departments of Natural Resources and
Transportation and with the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission
and the Area Transportation Partnership, the association is developing
an 86-mile non-motorized trail from Two Harbors to Grand Marais,
Minnesota.
 Already,
13.6 miles of the 10-foot-wide blacktopped trail are open. About 8.4
miles spread out in both directions from Split Rock Lighthouse State
Park, the Tofte area has 2.5 miles, 1.5 miles are completed west of
Grand Marais and 1.2 miles are near Gooseberry Falls State Park.
This summer and fall another 7 miles of trail should be
under construction near Silver Creek Cliff, Temperance River State Park
and Gooseberry Falls State Park. Some of the new segments are tied to
highway improvements to assure the most efficient use of funds.
The trail provides a myriad of new views of the lake and a
chance to explore more remote sections following the old highway route.
 The
current president of the Gitchi-Gami Trail Association is a familiar
friend to long-term readers of this magazine and of visitors to the
Minnesota shore. Lee Radzak, now in his 21st year as “keeper” of Split
Rock Lighthouse, tracks progress on the trail. A fun fellow to admire,
Lee does a remarkable job in everything he does. (Just look at how
Split Rock Lighthouse has been maintained and developed.)
He helps to organize what has now become an annual tradition:
The Gitchi-Gami Trail Ride. Part celebration of the trail, part
fund-raiser, this year’s ride will be Saturday, August 21.
Unlike past years, where the ride has followed the completed
portions of the Gitchi-Gami trail, this year bikers will meet at the
William Kelley High School in Silver Bay. A 54-mile ride will travel
round-trip along the new Forest Highway 11 from the shore to historic
Toimi School. A shorter, 18-mile trip will travel Forest Highway 11 to
the first rest stop and back.
Expect to see U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar leading the pack of the
North Shore Bike Ride. This national bicycling proponent is a strong
friend to the Gitchi-Gami State Trail. Information on the ride can be
found at www.ggta.org or contact the Split Rock Lighthouse
(218-226-6372).
Anyone who likes to get out along the shore (especially my
fellow bicyclists) should add a trip along the Gitchi-Gami State Trail
to your summer plans.
There is already plenty to see and enjoy.
A selection of Jim Marshall’s columns of lake lore and his inland sea voyages
has been published as Lake Superior Journal: Views from the Bridge
by Lake Superior Port Cities Inc. Follow this link
for more information.
|
