REGIONAL— The last two-and-a-half miles along the 155-mile-long Mesabi Trail are slated to be built and completed next year, destination Tower. The $1 million needed for the final stretch is already allocated, and the easements, trail route, and design are all well along in process.
Barring any hiccups, that final stretch will see pavement exactly thirty years after the first stretch of the trail was built in Parkville, with the stretch between Tower and Soudan completed not long after.
The folks behind the Mesabi Trail might say they saved the best for last, but in reality it was probably the toughest stretch along the entire route, with a combination of resistant landowners, extensive swamps, and rugged uplands testing the resolve of trail organizers. Indeed, less than a year ago, Mesabi Trail director Bob Manzoline felt they were close to an impasse and said he couldn’t predict when the pieces would come together for this complicated stretch.
In the end, it was a series of meetings that brought together folks from the city of Tower and area trail groups, including the Howard Wagoner Trails Club, the Prospectors ATV Club, the North Country Trail, and others, that resolved an impasse over the route for the final stretch.
It was a route that the Mesabi Trail staff had walked before— a portion of the Prospectors Loop Trail that extends from near Rivers Rd. into Tower.
“When Bob and I first walked out there, I said to him ‘too bad that’s already taken because it would be perfect,’” said Sarah Ciochetto. After discussing with the various stakeholders, all agreed on a plan that would engineer a reroute of the ATV trail that the Prospectors group had been looking for, reduced conflict between ATVers and area hikers, and allowed for the Mesabi Trail to finally make it to downtown Tower, a destination that had appeared in doubt last year. The entry to Tower will include one of the Mesabi Trail’s traditional trailhead arches along with signage advertising all of the trail opportunities in and around Tower.
Ciochetto said local resident Eric Norberg donated a $2,600 bike repair station that will also be placed near the trailhead once its completed. “It was very generous,” said Ciochetto.
Construction underway further south
While Mesabi Trail planning is focused on the final stretch, actual trail construction is well underway from County Rd. 26 to the West Two River, which will bring the trail another three miles closer to Tower. “It’s moving along quite nicely, knock on wood,” said Ciochetto.
Most of the trail segment now under construction will run along the east side of the highway from Wahlsten Rd. north about a mile and a half before crossing over to the west side near the Lakes Gas propane storage tank. The biggest engineering challenge was the intersection with Wiseman Rd., since the large white house located on the south side of Wiseman Rd. is very close to the right-of-way.

Celebration ahead?
After thirty years of sustained effort, Ciochetto said the trail staff is considering marking the completion of the final segment in 2026 with some kind of event. “We may just have a one-day grand opening,” she said. If so, details are certain to follow.