Access to Spirit Mountain Will Drastically Change This Summer

Spirit Mountain is one of the best places to enjoy the seasons in Duluth, with fantastic winter skiing, beautiful views of the fall colors, and plenty of summer activities, but access to the popular recreation area will dramatically change this summer.

You may think that Spirit Mountain is mainly just a winter destination, but that would be wrong, Summer is a busy time with locals and tourists visiting the Adventure Park, biking, hiking, and a variety of private and public events, so this change to access is something to be aware of if you're planning on visiting this summer.

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Every time I've visited Spirit Mountain from the top of the hill, I've used W Skyline Pkwy from 35 to head to either the Adventure Park area or the Skyline Chalet, and anyone that has driven that road knows how bad it is, lots of potholes, and the bridge over the railroad tracks is a little sketch.

Starting on Monday, April 22nd, crews will start fixing one of those problem by replacing County Bridge 918, this is the bridge on W Skyline Pkwy leading to Spirit Mountain that goes over Knowlton Creek and CN Railway tracks.

Over the summer the entire bridge will be replaced with a new one, and Knowlton Creek will be reconstructed into an open natural channel. Doing these projects will require a detour into Spirit  Mountain until November 2024 when the project is expected to be done.

The detour is simple: take Westgate Blvd., cross I-35 at S. Ugstad Rd., then follow Mountain Dr. You'll quickly connect with W Skyline Pkwy which takes you right to Spirit Mountain.