Report on Superior Hiking Trail highlights funding approved by state legislature

WTIP reported earlier this year that many trail-clearing crews and volunteers in northeastern Minnesota had a busy season coming their way in 2023.

The severe weather experienced this past winter, particularly the high wind event in Dec. 2022 in Cook County, has led to many trees snapping or uprooting across much of the region.

Trail crews were busy at the start of the season on the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT), but there’s more news from the popular North Shore pathway making headlines this summer. Walker Orenstein reports on the state Legislature for MinnPost, with a particular focus on covering issues affecting Greater Minnesota. In a recent article about the SHT, Orenstein writes that the well-known and much traveled Bean and Bear loop section of the trail is due for an upgrade.

“But the fame and accessibility — the lakes are on a 6.8-mile loop with a trailhead that is a short drive from Highway 61 along the North Shore, making it attractive for day hikes and overnight trips — come with wear and tear, including erosion from increasingly heavy use. The trail needs some love.

That’s why the SHT Association has plans to revamp and reinforce parts of the section that passes Bean and Bear lakes, and two other popular loop hikes that run through Cascade River State Park and Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. Minnesota lawmakers this year approved $565,000 for the work, paid for by a fund that primarily uses state lottery money,” Orenstein writes.

WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with Orenstein about the report and funding from the Capitol in St. Paul making its way to the North Shore and the SHT. Audio below.

Joe Friedrichs July 25, 2023