Discover Duluth Redux: Park Point Nature Trail

First published Dec. 22, 2006, on DuluthBudgeteer.com.

Thanks to our unseasonably warm weather, it’s a great time to enjoy Duluth’s numerous nature areas and hiking trails.

This week, we take you to Park Point Nature Trail.

If you haven’t been there before, hop over the Aerial Lift Bridge and follow Minnesota Avenue all the way to the end (there is a parking lot before the road ends at Sky Harbor Airport). The trail starts between the lakeside dunes and the airport.

Minnesota Point, the world’s largest freshwater sandbar, is home to popular beaches and interesting architecture, but its real gem is all the way on its eastern tip: Park Point Nature Trail. Although the healthy jaunt is full of natural beauty and abandoned structures (including the lighthouse and depot pictured in the accompanying photo gallery), its location between two active port cities unfortunately also means its beaches are home to numerous pieces of debris and garbage.

This photo essay is the first in an ongoing series by Matthew R. Perrine called “Discover Duluth,” which will highlight points of interest around the region.