Silver Bay celebrates opening of multimodal trailhead center
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held May 21 for a multimodal trailhead center in Silver Bay. The project represents a seven-and-a-half-year effort involving multiple state and local officials.
Most of that time was spent planning and securing funding. Construction moved quickly after groundbreaking last fall, with the city sharing updates last November.
“Last fall, I was there at the ribbon cutting for the project start next to an old building and basically a grassy knoll, and all of a sudden, poof, there’s a building in place,” Lake County Commissioner Joe Baltich told WTIP.
The multimodal trailhead center is designed as a multiuse facility. Baltich said he envisions the building hosting community gatherings, fundraisers and other events. Day to day, the center will serve as a hub for outdoor recreation activities.
“The modes that we’re talking about are many different forms of transportation,” Baltich said. “They’ve got mountain biking and ATVs, the four-wheelers side-by-sides and snowmobiles — pretty much everything that would travel on a trail that’s not a highway.”
The center also provides a rest stop for hikers and bikers. A convergence of trails makes the site a central hub for outdoor recreation. The building includes multiple bathrooms and paid showers.
Baltich said the project’s initial projected cost was significantly higher, but advocates worked to reduce it while securing funding through the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, state capital investment and bonding funds, and the Transportation Alternatives Program.
Baltich credited Silver Bay City Administrator Lana Fralich for her work on the project.
Sen. Grant Hauschild and Rep. Roger Skraba attended the event.
“Projects like this don’t just improve trails, they strengthen tourism, support local businesses and keep the North Shore growing as a destination people want to come back to again and again,” Hauschild said in a Facebook post.
Funding for projects like the trailhead center often requires legislative support at the state level. Baltich said he was impressed by how Hauschild and Skraba worked together despite political differences.
“Those two guys work together really well, and they do support projects,” Baltich said. “They’re on different sides of the spectrum politically, but boy, they work well— and they work well for the region.”
WTIP spoke to Baltich about the multimodal trailhead center project. The audio of that conversation can be found below.
Josh Hinke June 2, 2026
