Development of a 74-mile all-terrain vehicle and off-highway motorcycle trail in the Cloquet Valley State Forest has received support from the St. Louis County Board.
The seven-member board asked that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources select and approve a county land department proposal under which the DNR would develop the trail within St. Louis County.
The DNR -- charged with developing a 70-mile ATV/OHM trail somewhere within the state by April -- also has a proposal from Itasca County and a joint Aitkin and Cass county proposal under consideration, said Ron Potter, DNR off-highway vehicle program coordinator.
The trail in St. Louis County would run along an ATV trail already in place from Island Lake to Pequaywan Lake and connect to the existing North Shore Loop.
It would cross a small amount of private land about 20 miles north of Duluth.
About 63 miles of existing forest routes would be included in the trail, said Bruce Highland, DNR Division of Trails and Waterways assistant area supervisor in Two Harbors.
Existing routes within the forest include trails already used by ATVs, logging roads and ditches, he said.
About 11 miles of new trail would be required, some in ditches along Highway 4 and County Road 44, Highland said.
Of the 11 miles, the longest continuous stretch of new construction would be about 1 1/2 miles, Highland said.
In 2003, the state Legislature passed a law that directs the DNR to plan, design, designate and provide signs for a new 70-mile ATV/OHM trail somewhere within the state by April 1, 2007.
Becker County, in western Minnesota, moved to develop the trail, but about a month ago rejected it.
Within a few weeks, the DNR is expected to decide which county will be selected for the trail, said Potter.
Development of the trail within St. Louis County is still a "conceptual" plan, St. Louis County deputy land commissioner Mark Reed told the board Tuesday.
Ninety-nine percent of the trail would be on public land, Highland said.
Minnesota Power and Potlatch own small parcels of property that would be used as crossings, he said.
It's not likely that any new 70-mile trail within the state could be developed by April 1, Highland said.
At least two public hearings on the proposal would be held in areas affected by the trail plan, said St. Louis County Commissioner Peg Sweeney of Duluth.
There are 1,016 miles of routes in the Cloquet Valley State Forest, Highland said. The routes include logging roads and trails on state and county land.
It is estimated that the number of ATVs registered in the state could rise in 10 years to 1 million from today's 270,000.Duluth News Tribune
