It’s been usable for awhile, but next week, a ribbon cutting will make it official: Two new sections of the Gitchi Gami Trail are open.

The first is about a .9-mile section from the Burlington Bay campground in Two Harbors to Superior Shores Resort. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a big deal for the DNR and Gitchi Gami Trail Association.

“As soon as it was open last year in fall of 2024, there was instant use. And it was just exciting to see because this is the official start of the Gitchi Gami State Trail,” Bethany Chaplin, the DNR’s area specialist, said.

Eventually, the trail will span more than 80 miles between Two Harbors and Grand Marais. Working on even a small section was rewarding for the folks who did the planning, permitting, and constructing.

“This is such a great facility for the North Shore community, and each piece that comes online is just that much better connectivity and provides a little bit more of a network for tourists and locals to be able to access different things along the Shore,” MSA Principal Engineer Jeff Goetzman said.

MSA was asked to do the environmental permitting, and Northland Constructors won the bid to build the trail.

“That’s kind of what I enjoy is you take something that there’s nothing here to begin with,” Northland Project Manager Aaron Brockman said. “And all of a sudden, you’re building something up and you get to see the end product.”

Safety is a large part of the motivation.

“A lot of the highway on Trunk Hwy 61 doesn’t have wide shoulders, so if people want to walk or bike, it’s not necessarily safe,” Chaplin said.

The Gitchi Gami Trail is about a third built.

Another 1.3-mile section that starts at Ski Hill Road in Lutsen is also open. Both sections will be celebrated with ribbon cuttings on Thursday, May 29.

“We’ve been dogged in these efforts,” Gitchi Gami Trail Association Executive Director Michelle Pierson said. “Been working on supporting and advocating for this trail for over 25 years.”

“We’ve still got a long ways to go, but I know whenever we do get a new section developed in the community, all the community members are just very grateful to have this opportunity,” Chaplin said.

Everyone involved is optimistic about what a complete Gitchi Gami Trail could offer to locals and visitors alike.

“It’ll be a trail that’s connecting all these amazing campgrounds, state waysides, five state parks, so many other state waysides, town parks, historical centers, historical sites, scientific and natural areas, so many resorts and restaurants. All the places people in Minnesota and people from all over the world come to explore on the North Shore of Lake Superior,” Pierson said. “It will be an international destination when this trail is completed.”