10 for the Road Trip

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Discover the Rare Features in These Scientific & Natural Areas

FYI on SNAs: On Sugarloaf Point near Taconite Harbor, Minnesota, a rugged shoreline testifies to basalt lava flows dating more than 1 billion years ago. And on part of Minnesota Point in Duluth, red and white pines ranging from 150 to 270 years old dominate a unique forest amid the sandy beaches.

These landscapes represent two of more than 160 of the state’s public nature preserves called scientific and natural areas or SNAs. Ten of those special sites are on or near Lake Superior from Duluth stretching up the North Shore.

Among the SNAs on the North Shore, Iona’s Beach and Sugarloaf Point – along with the one on Minnesota Point – are probably the most accessible. Sugarloaf Point is adjacent to Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center northeast of Little Marais.

“I think the highlight at Sugarloaf is the beach area and the geology that visitors can see there,” says AmberBeth VanNingen, Minnesota DNR natural area specialist in Tower. “The Sugarloaf Cove Association also provides access and interpretation to the area, which is great for visitors.”

For years, the SNAs, which focus mainly on natural heritage preservation and research, have been practically unknown to the public.

“Not a lot of people know about the program. We work with researchers. We work with university groups. But visiting SNAs isn’t on most tourists’ agenda, and we want to improve that,” says Dr. Anna Hess, DNR’s eastern district manager in Duluth.

Now that’s changing, as the recreation value of sites rises.

“We have a couple of sites, especially on the North Shore, that we are promoting more due to ease of access,” Anna says, sites such as Iona’s Beach and Minnesota Point.

Of the 10 scientific and natural areas up and down the North Shore, about five are easy to access.

Overall, the DNR is working to improve the public’s awareness of the SNAs,” Anna says.

Many locals love hiking the Minnesota Point Pine Forest SNA, in a mostly undeveloped area near Duluth’s Sky Harbor Airport. It’s occupied by an old-growth, pre-European settlement forest of old red and white pine. “And it’s such a unique experience because you’ll be walking through the forest of towering trees, and you can see Duluth in the distance and you see Lake Superior in front of you. It’s a surreal experience, because it’s not what you expect when you’re that close to a large city.”

The old-growth pines are 150 to 270 years old. There are younger trees in the understory, but the majority are that age, according to Anna. This is the remnant of a forest that spanned all of northern Minnesota at one time.

“It’s rare because it’s old-growth and was not cut down. … It’s unique to find a forest stand like that today in Minnesota – something that is dominated by only one or two species, and in this case it’s mostly red and white pine.”

In the Minnesota Point SNA, you encounter few people, which means it’s quiet, and it’s far at the end of the sand spit known both as Minnesota Point and Park Point. Several trail systems go through the woods and through the dunes on the lakeside, where you can also see the beach sedges growing along the shoreline. With the beach sedges and juniper bushes, “it’s a unique landscape, especially for Minnesota,” Anna says. “It’s very pretty, and a great place to go hiking.”

On the harborside, visitors find shallow pebble beaches and beach-heather, a threatened species. This is also home to rare tiger beetles and is a choice spot for watching migratory birds. You can also see the remains of the 1858 Minnesota Point Lighthouse, now a hollow brick cylinder, just outside of the SNA.

A visitation tip: There is quite a bit of poison ivy in the Minnesota Point SNA, so it’s best to stay in the middle of the trail.

To get to the SNA, drive to where you hit the airport and can’t drive any farther. Park in the public parking just before the airport. If you walk onto the beach, there are several boardwalk entrances that take you over the top of the dune system. You can follow any of the trails or walk on the beach, then continue south and eventually you will see the tall trees, Anna says. Part of the forest area is owned by the city and part is owned by the SNA program, which has signs up marking the boundary.

If you decide not to walk on the beach (walking in sand can be difficult for some), another option is a gravel road that runs alongside the airport. Walk on that road for a quarter-mile and there’s a boardwalk to take you through the dunes and into the forest.

Iona’s Beach SNA is 3 miles north of Gooseberry Falls State Park on Highway 61. Visitors can enjoy the 300-yard beach covered with pink rhyolite and felsite rocks. And if you’re there when waves wash over the rocks, you might hear the tinkling sound and musicality it creates. The beautiful beach is perfect for quiet meditating, hiking, swimming, birdwatching, fishing and taking photos. The entrance, trail and parking are adjacent to the Twin Points Protected Access for boaters. The Gitchi Gami State Trail runs along the western boundary.

Some SNAs, like Moose Mountain on Duluth’s eastern edge about 2 miles past Lester Park, are not as easy to find as others and have no formal trails. It’s important to note that allowed activities vary from one natural area to the next (read the signs and the websites before visiting).

Check the full list of SNAs, including the 10 locations near Lake Superior, online at www.dnr.state.mn.us/snas, then get your camera, put on some good walking shoes and go exploring.

North Shore SNAs & THEIR SPECIAL POINTS

• Hemlock Ravine by Jay Cooke State Park outside Duluth. Flower and bird walks, rare eastern hemlock.

• Minnesota Point Pine Forest near Duluth’s Sky Harbor Airport. Old-growth red and white pine, rare ferns, beach heather, tiger beetles, migratory birds.

• Moose Mountain on east side of Lester River Road in Duluth, 3 miles north of Superior Street. Rugged hiking, flower and bird walks.

• Iona’s Beach 3 miles northeast of Gooseberry Falls on Highway 61. Amazing beach of pink rhyolite shingle.

• Sugarloaf Point next to Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center, 6.5 miles northeast of Little Marais. Flower and bird walks, exploration of world-class geology.

• Lutsen on Ski Hill Road (County 5) near Lutsen Mountains ski area. Bird and flower walks, cross-country skiing.

• Butterwort Cliffs in Cascade River State Park, 8 miles west of Grand Marais. Naturally regenerating aspen-birch forest, rare arctic-alpine plants.

• Myhr Creek Ridge: 2 miles west of Hovland. Straddles a bedrock hill overlooking Lake Superior, plus fire-dependent plant communities.

• Spring Beauty Northern Hardwoods and Hovland Woods, both north of Hovland. Rare old-growth northern hardwood forests.