CRANE LAKE— Contractors have been busy in recent days installing one of the highlights of a six-mile trail reconstruction project designed to improve trail access between Crane Lake and the picnic area at Vermilion Falls.
The project, spearheaded by the Voyageur Country ATV Club, will harden the existing trail to reduce environmental impacts as people travel back and forth to the falls, a popular destination for visitors for decades. Two years ago, the Voyageur Country ATV Club constructed new picnic sites at the falls.
“Now we are working on the multi-use snowmobile/ATV trail connecting to it, getting riders off the road and into the woods,” stated a recent club press statement.
A 260-foot long bridge, or elevated boardwalk, is the highlight of the trail project. The 12-foot wide boardwalk sits just over six feet above the surface of the wetland area it crosses, ensuring minimal impact. Built of wood and designed to support the weight of a ten-ton groomer, the boardwalk should be largely completed by mid-March.
Most of the rest of the trail improvements are set to get underway later this spring.
The latest project is part of a continuing effort by the local ATV club to further build-out the area’s trail system. The group has already begun engineering, planning, and permitting on the next project, enhancing five and a half miles of trail from the VRT south to the Shuster logging roads. The club is also working to secure funding to better connect the City of Orr, Kabetogama Township, and Ash River.