Central Minnesota Recreational Trails

Map of Willard Munger State Trail

FULL PAGE MAP

Willard Munger State Trail

The Willard Munger State Trail is a 70-mile long paved trail that extends from the City of Duluth to Hinkley in Eastern Minnesota. The path of the trail was constructed along an abandoned railroad bed and goes through a beautiful area of the state. The route takes you through thick forests, by lakes, over rivers and past several small historic communities. It is a lovely trail to take when the autumn colors start to appear. There is also a good chance of seeing wildlife along the way, as well.

Conditions

The Willard Munger State Trail is paved for the entire route. The trail is open for bike riding, running and walking. The trail travels far from most highways and roads, though it roughly follows the same route as Interstate 35 and there are several places where you can exit the interstate to ride a portion of the trail.

Communities

The Willard Munger State Trail goes through the communities of Thompson, Carlton, Otter Creek, Atkinson, Mahtowa, Barnum, Moose Lake, Sturgeon Lake, Willow River, Rutledge, Finlayson, Groningen, Friesland and Hinkley.

End Points

The north end of the trail is located on the east side of Duluth. The Western Waterfront Trail has an access trail to where the Willard Munger State Trail begins on S. 75th Avenue W and Grand Avenue, not far from the Lake Superior Zoo. The paved trail heads off to the southwest along Highway 23. Just before Beaudry Street, the Willard Munger State Trail goes over the highway and heads off cross country away from the highway and streets. Note that there are long stretches of this trail that have no services and are far from any towns.

The south end of the Willard Munger State Trail is located in Hinkely on 2nd Street NW, just east of County Road 61.

View on Google Maps

Resources

Following are links to official off-site resources to find out more details about the Willard Munger State Trail in Minnesota.