State funding secured to support Gitchi-Gami Trail expansion in Lutsen
The Gitchi-Gami State Trail has secured a $550,000 funding package for work in Lutsen Township, according to local legislators.
The investment through the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) will fund construction of a bridge over the creek along Paradise Park Road and paving of the trail into downtown Lutsen. When completed, the section will connect Schroeder and Lutsen townships.
“Currently, bikers and pedestrians either have to traverse an unofficial narrow trail outside of the guardrail or use the very narrow shoulder on Highway 61 roadway itself,” Lutsen Township Supervisor Chris Homyak told WTIP on behalf of the Lutsen Town Board. “Thank you to Sen. Hauschild and Rep. Skraba for working with us to find a way to keep this project moving forward and to the IRRR for supporting Lutsen Township in this work.”
Sen. Grant Hauschild and Rep. Roger Skraba announced the funding in a joint news release May 27.
“These are the kinds of investments that make a real difference in our rural communities,” said Sen. Hauschild in the press release.
The Gitchi-Gami Trail Association worked with multiple organizations and legislators who authored bills seeking $4.5 million in bonding funds to extend the trail through three projects. Executive Director Michelle Pierson and board Chair Bruce Martinson testified before the House Capital Investment Committee in March, but the projects were not included in the final bill.
However, Martinson told WTIP that Hauschild and Skraba assured the association they would find funding. The issue was especially pressing because the association had been awarded a $600,000 Transportation Alternatives grant that expires in 2027, but required additional state funding to complete the project.
“We like to say that building the Gitchi-Gami State Trail is a true showcase of partnership—we need our residents, our community leaders, our elected officials, nonprofits like ours to work alongside MnDNR and MnDOT to ensure that we can continue progress on this trail that provides a safe, off-highway space for people to be able to walk, bike, use wheelchairs to get to the places they want and need to go along the North Shore of Lake Superior,” Executive Director Pierson told WTIP.
The Gitchi-Gami State Trail is a multiuse, nonmotorized recreational trail planned to connect Two Harbors and Grand Marais.
The trail received state designation in 1999, and the first section was paved in 2001. The trail currently consists of five segments totaling more than 37 miles. When completed, the trail will span 86 miles along the North Shore.
Josh Hinke May 28, 2026
