Ely named a “trail town”

ELY- The city at the end of the road is now an official “trail town” for the North Country National Scenic Trail. The Ely Northwoods Chapter of the North Country Trail Association received word on July 26 that Ely’s trail town application was approved.
The 4,800-mile long North Country National Scenic Trail is the longest of the nation’s eleven long-distance hiking trails managed by the National Park Service. The trail runs from the Green Mountains in Vermont to Lake Sakakawea State Park in North Dakota.
Trail towns are common along the national hiking trails. A trail town designation means that a community is on the path of the trail, has the trail signage in and out of town, is ready to provide hiker services, and has the active cooperation of the local community government. Other Minnesota communities which already have the trail town designation include Fergus Falls, Marshall, and Grand Marais.
The North Country Trail Association awards the trail town designations along the North Country National Scenic Trail. The application requires the cooperation of the Ely City Council and the Ely Parks and Recreation Board.
“We’ve been working on this since we formed the chapter last year,” said Ozzie Reif, president of the Ely Northwoods Chapter of the North Country Trail Association. “I am super excited that we have reached this milestone. This is the culmination of 10 months of work by the chapter, volunteers, and city officials.”
The chapter formed last September after the trail was rerouted through the Arrowhead region, including through downtown Ely. The local chapter is responsible for building and maintaining the trail between Bear Head Lake State Park and Kawishiwi Falls.