On a gray January afternoon, Duluth residents are enjoying the Chester Park Ski Trail. In one area, three women slide along the groomed trail on cross-country skis. Not long after they pass by, a woman walks down the same ski trail, her yellow Lab ranging ahead of her, off-leash.
And that's a problem, say Duluth City Parks and Recreation officials.
Sometimes, those skiers and walkers and dogs come together with the skiers moving at high speed. It's a problem on all of Duluth's city ski trails, but the problem is especially acute on the Chester Park trails, said Amy Norris, public information coordinator for the city of Duluth.
The trails are groomed for skiers, and signs posted at the trails prohibit walkers, snowshoers and dogs on the trail. Skiers support the trails by buying the required Minnesota Ski Pass, which cost $15 annually for an individual. Money generated by the pass is used to reimburse the city for grooming.
"The people that groom the trails are getting quite frustrated," said city forester Kelly Fleissner, who supervises grooming. "There are certain areas at Chester where the groomers have to go back over it, and by the time they go back, pedestrian and dog tracks are tearing up the trail. It seems futile to the groomer operators."
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The fine for walking or snowshoeing on a posted city ski trail is $100 for the first offense, Norris said.
The three skiers at Chester Park on Wednesday afternoon all like dogs.
"But I'd be scared if I saw a dog [on the trail] -- scared of hitting it," said Katie Peterson of Duluth.
Her friend Lisa Long of Duluth said she liked the idea of people getting out to exercise in the winter. She doesn't think walkers on the trail pose a big problem. "But if the snow's soft, it definitely makes it not as conducive to skiing," she said.
Encounters between skiers, walkers and dogs can also be a safety concern. John Jereczek of Duluth collided with a dog while skiing on the Hartley Park ski trails before Christmas. He came around a corner moving fast and saw someone walking two dogs. One of the dogs crossed in front of him. He bruised his ribs in the collision, he said.
"We're an outdoor community," Jerezcek said. "I admire people outside enjoying winter. But I think we need to understand that certain trails are set aside for certain uses."
Skiers say they tell people walking on the trails about the city's rules, but walkers often say they're taxpayers, too, and deserve access to the parks with their dogs.
Norris suspects trail conflicts have grown worse this winter because for the past two winters, there was little snow on the trails. People became accustomed to hiking them, she said.
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"If the situation continues and people continue to get hurt on the trails, we have no other alternative than to bring out the animal-control officer and give citations. And we don't want to do that," Norris said.
Dean Grace, a skier who is also trails committee chair for the Duluth Parks Commission, said he quit skiing at Chester Park two years ago after he had had five collisions with dogs on the trail.
"Instead of it being a fun and enjoyable experience, it became one of always being on guard," Grace said.
The Parks and Recreation Department has spent five years trying to educate residents about rules of trail use, Grace said. But he believes solving the problem will take more than education. He thinks enforcement efforts will have to be made for those who violate regulations.
Grace also thinks part of the solution will be to develop new trails where residents can walk dogs off-leash. A subcommittee of the Duluth Parks Commission is looking for possibly four trails in the city currently not designated for specific uses that could be used for off-leash dog walking, said Parks and Recreation Director Kathy Bergen. The subcommittee hopes to have recommendations this spring or summer, she said.
