Centennial Trail - Located near the BWCA in Northeast Minnesota along the Gunflint Trail
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Published 2024-07-19
The Centennial Trail is a 3.3-mile loop trail that follows for much of its length the historical route of the Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railroad (PAD&W). The trailhead is located about 45-miles up the Gunflint Trail (County Road 12) from Grand Marais, Minnesota. You will be walking through an area impacted by the 2007 Ham Lake Fire. The railroad was primarily constructed to provide access to the Paulsen Mine. The mine never panned out economically. The name of the trail commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Superior National Forest, which occurred in 2009. About 1.2-miles of the trail is shared by the Kekekabic Trail. The trail has a lot of overlooks with some pretty spectacular views.
The Centennial Trail is an interpretive trail and there are 14 interpretive stops along it. Here is a list of the 14 stops:
1) The first 1.2-miles of the trail is also shared by the Kekekabic Hiking Trail
2) Spur trail to the old Gunflint Fire Tower
3) Mine test pits, including the Paulsen Mine
4) Ore tailings pile
5) Location of bridge crossing
6) Deep mine test pit
7) Centennial Trail follows the old PAD&W railroad bed
8) Views of 2007 Ham Lake Fire area
9) TRAMPS Overlook
10) Overlook of valley once spanned by 500-foot-long railroad trestle bridge
11) View of rock outcropping to which the trestle bridge extended
12) Passing through a rock cut excavated for the railroad
13) Beaver pond overlooks
14) End of the trail section that used to follow the old PAD&W railroad bed
Here is link to brochure for more information about each of the 14 interpretive stops: www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb519…
The trail is of moderate difficulty. There are a couple of steep sections, but most of the trail path is relatively flat or consists of mild ups and downs. This trail connects to the much longer Kekekabic Trail, that extends for nearly 40-miles across the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). The Kekekabic Trail is part of the 3,900-mile North Country National Scenic Trail that extends from Vermont to North Dakota.
All Comments (2)
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The forest looks so dry.
