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POKEGAMA
Travel Wisconsin.com information
Directions to parking
From Superior
Take Wisconsin Highway 35 South to Highway 105. Turn right (west) on 105, and follow it across the Pokegama River. Parking is at the intersection of 105 and Old 105. Trailhead is north across Highway 105.
From Duluth
Take Interstate 35 South to the Bong Bridge (the second bridge on the way out of Duluth). After crossing the Bong, take a right on Wisconsin 35, then follow the "From Superior" directions above.
Miles of trail
7 miles, give or take.
Terrain range and difficulty
From Travel Wisconsin.com:
Superior is blessed with one of the largest municipal forests in the country. It has a biological diversity that makes it the largest boreal forest in Wisconsin. The 4,500 acres are a haven for wildlife and have long been a playground for hikers, canoeists and cross-country skiers. Now, mountain bikers can enjoy the beauty of the forest and the challenge of a tough single-track trail. The forest occupies the peninsulas formed by stream estuaries that flow into the Duluth/Superior harbor on Lake Superior. In fact, Pokegama is the Ojibwe word for "river bay." For the mountain biker it's an amazingly quiet, out-of-the-way place where sighting a great blue heron flying up from the lily pads and reeds is more likely than seeing another human.The Pokegema Trail is a "purpose built" mountain bike trail, meaning it was built to present a technically challenging four-mile ride. The tight and twisting single-track trail will constantly surprise you with sudden drops down to narrow foot-and-a-half wide boardwalks followed by short, steep climbs. Be sure to have your mud tires on because you'll need them on the single-track.They'll also be good on the roots and logs and for the soft sand on the northern part of the abandoned road. The single-track winds through beautiful stands of white pine, cedars and paper birch. Views of the bay are few, but are made more stunning by the shoreline stands of birch. It's a shock when you pop out of the woods at the abandoned road and all your gear shifting and bike handling skills are no longer needed. You can choose to backtrack on the single-track to the trailhead or just cruise on the flat road.
Trail Map
Larger Version: JPEG (2.9M) or PDF (772k)
Rider insight
Mountain Bike Reviw.com reviews
"When Diana and I lived in Superior, we rode that trail a lot," says Todd McFadden. "It's a fun, scenic ride. A good intermediate trail--not a lot of technical stuff. Maybe a one-hour round trip. You can't get lost, because it's an out-and-back." Comment on this ride!
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