Willard Munger State Trail
The 70-mile Hinkley-Duluth segment of the Willard Munger State Trail passes by Banning and Moose Lake State Parks and through the spectacular scenery of Jay Cooke State Park as it makes its way from Hinkley through Finlayson, Willow River, Moose Lake, Barnum, Mahtowa, Carlton and Duluth, where it terminates near the Lake Superior Zoo. Read more …

The trail follows the route of the railroad that saved many lives in the 1894 Hinckley and 1918 Cloquet fires

View of the St. Louis River from the Thomson trestle bridge
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Along the Trail
The Hinckley-Duluth section of the Willard Munger Trail provides scenic views of the St. Louis River and the twin ports of Duluth and Superior. Riders can stop on a high railroad trestle to enjoy a breathtaking look over the St. Louis River near Carlton and watch kayakers take on the rapids cut through the rock.

At Jay Cooke State Park the trail crosses the St. Louis River on an old railroad trestle

View of the trestle bridge from Jay Cooke State Park
Move on and view the wonders of a hydroelectric power plant, pedal through now-rare stands of hemlock trees, and relax on a hillside rest stop overlooking western Duluth and Lake Superior. The 16-mile Alex Laveau Memorial Trail segment starts in Carlton, passes through Wrenshall and ends at Highway 23, a combination of bike routes on paved road shoulders, city streets and paved off-road bike trail.

The Willard Munger Trail connects nine communities in northeastern Minnesota

Crossing the Grindstone River in Hinckley

Bikepacker on the trail near Willow River

Taking a break at the old Finlayson train depot

Impressive rock cuts near Duluth were made for railroad tracks
Connections
The 2.5-mile paved St. Louis River Trail between Carlton and Scanlon is a short road ride on city streets away and can be accessed off North Ave near Carlton Bike Rental & Repair.
At the end of the trail in Duluth at Pulaski Street, you can access the 5-mile Western Waterfront Trail. This packed gravel trail runs along the St. Louis River shoreline from the Spirit Lake Marina to near Fremont Street in Duluth’s Irving neighborhood.