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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Mesabi Trail work advancing in Embarrass

Funding in place to bring trail as far as Hwy. 26 this year, final leg to Tower still in planning process

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 3/21/19

EMBARRASS- Work on the new Mesabi Trail section in Embarrass has been underway this winter. Over the past few weeks, crews have been installing a total of 4,900 linear feet of eight-foot wide …

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Mesabi Trail work advancing in Embarrass

Funding in place to bring trail as far as Hwy. 26 this year, final leg to Tower still in planning process

Posted

EMBARRASS- Work on the new Mesabi Trail section in Embarrass has been underway this winter. Over the past few weeks, crews have been installing a total of 4,900 linear feet of eight-foot wide floating dock in a swampy portion of the Darwin S. Myers Wildlife Management Area. This work needed to be completed over the winter, because the only access is over a winter road.

“This floating dock is ADA-compliant,” said Chris Lee, trail manager.

This new five and a half-mile section of trail will tie into the end of the existing trail that links Giants Ridge to Highway 135 in Embarrass, and will end at Hwy. 21, just west of the Trapline Liquor and Convenience Store.

The brushing and clearing needed for the rest of this section was done in the fall. Once road restrictions are removed, crews will begin laying down the class five gravel base, and then the asphalt and shoulder work will be done, Lee said.

Lee said they also hope to complete the adjacent section of the trail, which will extend it another five miles from Hwy. 21 up to Hwy. 26 towards Tower. Funding for this section is already in place. Work is still underway on the routing and easements to connect the trail from Hwy. 26 into Tower, where it will meet up with the existing trail that now goes into Eagles Nest Township.

At the eastern end of the trail, progress is being made connecting the trail from the Lake Vermilion State Park to Eagles Nest. A new section of trail now connects from the state park to the Trygg Road intersection on Hwy. 169. In addition, the trail has paved the route on the old section of Hwy. 169 that was abandoned when the new highway opened up last year.

“We have a little bit of work left to do before we can connect the trail to Ely,” Lee said. “We have the draft drawings in place, along with the needed easements.”

Lee said they hope to complete that section of trail in a year or two, when more funding is available.

The Mesabi Trail stretches from Grand Rapids to Ely, and once completed will include over 150 miles of paved recreational trail. Each year the trail hosts the Great River Energy Trail Tour. This year’s event, on Saturday, Aug. 3, offers routes from 10 to 72 miles, with the ride ending in Grand Rapids.