TOWER-SOUDAN — As Wagoner Trail Club members and friends gathered at McKinley Park Campground for their second annual potluck, club officials were excited to talk about the upcoming $266,666 trail improvement project, recently funded by a $200,000 Minnesota DNR Federal Recreational Trail Program with matching funds from the Minnesota ATV Dedicated Trails account.
The project addresses multiple recreation needs, including hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, and ATV use. The project includes improvements to the Ancient Cedars Trail to help with trail accessibility, the creation of a half-mile long boardwalk connecting Hoodoo Point Campground to the Pine Ridges Trail area, improvements at the Wagoner Ski Trails which will allow for a separate ATV trail (instead of the current shared trail section), rerouting a short section of snowmobile trail to reduce conflict with the existing cross-country ski trails, and the construction/routing of the Mesabi Trail final segment into Tower.
The club is also hoping to raise funds for the construction of a warming hut at the cross-country ski trailhead/parking area.
The construction of new trails in the area has proven popular, and the ski trails have seen growing use in the winter (when there is enough snow), and designated hiking routes on the ski trail have made the trail popular year-round. A new 5K trail running route has been designated at the ski trails also. The Ancient Cedars and Pine Ridges trails are also used for snowshoeing in the winter.
The DNR will soon have a new ATV campground as part of the Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park which is expected to increase ATV/UTV traffic in and out of Tower-Soudan.
A Minnesota Conservation Corp crew would be used for the boardwalk construction for both the Ancient Cedars Trail and the Hoodoo trail to Pine Ridges.
This project works to improve the existing trail systems around Tower, as well as make more connections between existing trail systems and create more handicap-accessible trails. Planning for this project included area partners such as the city of Tower, the DNR, and the Prospector’s ATV Trail group. These new trails will also separate motorized and non-motorized trail use. Currently, the Prospector Trail uses a portion of the Wagoner ski trails, which has created annual maintenance issues.
The grant application noted these two uses have proven to be incompatible because of wear on the ski trails caused by summer/fall ATV use. And the amount of time available for such repairs is very limited between the close of ATV trail season and the start of the winter ski season.
The work is expected to be completed in the summer and fall of 2026. This trail work will complement the completion of the Tower-Soudan paved loop trail, also expected to be completed in 2026, which will create a six-mile paved loop between Tower, Soudan, and the two campgrounds. In addition, the final portion of the Mesabi Trail between Embarrass and Tower will be completed in 2026, creating a paved trail that stretches from Ely to Grand Rapids.
Join the Wagoner Trail Club for $10 per year or $25 for three years. You can mail payments to Howard Wagoner Trails Club, PO Box 293, Tower, MN 55790. Donations and dues are also taken at drop boxes at area trailheads. You can find club information on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/towercityskitrails) and also check out the Vermilion Area Activity Club on Facebook, which hosts group hikes and other outdoor activities year round.
The trails club would like to thank Zup’s Grocery of Tower and the Tower-Soudan Joint Powers Board for help purchasing the brats and burgers for the picnic, as well as Terry and Jill Wagoner (Soudan Community Store) for bringing ice cream for dessert. The trail club hosted a 5K hike at the ski trails in the morning, and then a bike ride in the afternoon.