Gitchi Gami Trail Association
Trails needs friends too
Friends groups play an important role in planning, developing, maintaining and advocating for Minnesota's parks and trails. We recently sat down with Scott Harrison Lisa Topp and Lee Radzak to find out more about one such friends group – the Gitchi Gami Trail Association.
Q: Tell us about the Gitch-Gami Trail Association and the work you do?
The Gitchi-Gami Trail Association (GGTA) is a private, nonprofit organization incorporated in July 1997, working to make the Gitchi-Gami State Trail a reality. Our mission is to promote, plan, and construct a premier recreational, non-motorized, paved trail connecting the communities, state parks, and points of interest along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Our origins date back to the mid 1990s when the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) organized a series of meetings with interested North Shore residents to discuss North Shore Hwy. 61 reconstruction plans. These conversations led to the creation of what is now the Gitchi-Gami State Trail. Currently, we are working with U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar and State Sen. Bakk and State Rep. Dill to secure federal and state funding for the trail, promoting the trail to the public, organizing our annual North Shore Bike Ride and working with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on issues of trail alignment and design.
Q: The Gitchi-Gami Trail got a major capital investment boost from the 2008 Minnesota Legislature. What new projects can visitors expect on or near the trail?
GGTA was successful in helping to secure $1.6 million in state bonding investments for the Gitch-Gami State Trail this spring. This funding will supplement existing funding commitments from MnDOT and the Federal Highway Department for trail development from Silver Bay to Tettegouche State Park. In addition, current Gitch-Gami State Trail projects now under development include: 1.5 miles of trail at Gooseberry Falls State Park, 3.5 miles from Beaver Bay to Silver Bay, 5.5 miles from Tofte to Lutsen and 7.5 miles from Cascade River State Park to Grand Marais.
Q: If you had to reveal the Gitchi-Gami Trail's best kept secret what would it be?
Perhaps the Gitchi-Gami Trail’s best kept secret is the existence of the trail itself. Because the "Gitch" is such a new trail, many visitors to the North Shore are not aware of it and are often surprised when they it for the first time only to regret that they don’t have their bikes with them. The diversity of the trail’s terrain and scenery is also a surprise to many first-time users as the trail passes through state parks and along Lake Superior. "Sweepers" and "twisties" are terms usually applied to great motorcycle roads with lots of curves and hills but they can also be applied to the Gitchi-Gami Trail. It is a non-motorized, recreational trail that winds through the hilly terrain of the North Shore with something new around every curve.
Q: What events are scheduled for the Gitchi-Gami Trail this summer?
The big event planned this summer is the Eighth Annual GGTA North Shore Bike Ride on Saturday, August 16, 2008. This ride begins at Gooseberry Falls State Park and heads up the trail through Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and on to Beaver Bay and beyond. Construction will also begin on two new segments of trail this summer, one in Gooseberry Falls State Park and the other between Beaver Bay and Silver Bay.
Q: How can people get involved with the Gitchi-Gami Trail Association?
You can learn more about the GGTA, including how to become a member, online at www.ggta.org. Memberships are $20 for individuals and $35 for families. Membership dues, in part, are used to pay for the GGTA's operations budget. These funds are used to create our newsletter, our annual ride brochure and to develop a line of GGTA merchandise.