Outdoors Posts

Where should I get my Christmas tree?

Does anyone know of a good place where you can chop down your own tree?

Kicksled Rental

Now that it’s a winter wonderland outside, my family and I can’t wait to play in the snow!  When we’re down in the Cities having fun, we like to rent kicksleds, but here in Duluth I can’t find any place that seems to offer them.  I know where to find skis and snowshoes, sleds and ice skates, but I have yet to locate any kicksled rental.  Please tell me I’ve missed something. It’s hard to imagine a place much better suited to the fun that kicksledding has to offer, but it appears the Duluth area might be missing out. Thanks for any insight!

Duluth mountain bike trails featured in Salsa Cycles ads

Photo by Gnat

Help inform Duluth to improve city parks

Marketing students at the University of Minnesota Duluth are conducting a survey to achieve a better understanding of how city parks are being utilized. Responses are anonymous and shouldn’t take too long. Thank you for the participation!

Post Election Day Hunt

By David Cowardin
Duluth Outdoors Editor 

After the 2012 presidential election, there are only so many things a man can do to come back down to earth. Hunting grouse is one of them.

“Think of it as hiking with a gun,” my friend Luke said.

You see, I’ve never been hunting. Ever. So Luke was showing me how simple it really is.

“It’s really just an excuse to get out into the woods,” he said as he stopped to rub some pine needles between his fingers, telling me how much sweeter they smells after a rain.

We were about 30 miles north on Rice Lake Road, hiking around a small lake listening for the heavy thump of a grouse. The sky was gray and everything was wet: the sweet smell of pine was strong.

Minnesota Deer Hunting Opener 2012

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The 2012 Minnesota deer hunting season opened this morning. I report live while in my stand north of Duluth in Kelsey. Any luck?

What a gorgeous morning. I climbed into my homemade stand in the pitch dark at around 7 a.m., sunrise was 7:57, hunters can legally shoot 30 minutes before sunrise. 

Sparky vs. Coyote

Wrenshall’s Mark “Sparky” Stensaas is in Yellowstone. Things got interesting while he was photographing this coyote. He tells the full story on his Photonaturalist blog.

Outdoor Alliance Meeting

Representatives from the Outdoor Alliance met with local outdoor leaders last night at Hartley Nature Center. The goal was to form a collaborative effort in making local green space more accessible and maximizing outdoor opportunities for Duluthians and tourists alike. Last night’s meeting got the ball rolling in what will likely be a very successful collaboration between outdoor leaders in the region.

Learn more about the Outdoor Alliance

Urban Climbing in Duluth

Whoopie Wall, First Steet Boulder and Ely’s Peak.

The Good in America

Who hasn’t thought about what a gift it would be to travel to every state in the U.S.A. just to see what’s within the borders? In the spirit of traveling authors and journalists like Terkle, Steinbeck and Kuralt, Trek Thunder Kelly is doing just that. Traveling through Minnesota, the 35th state on the road of his adventure, Trek stopped in at Loll HQ in Duluth last Thursday to say hi and see what Duluth has to offer.

Read more here.

Heck of the North 2012 Teaser

This is a teaser for the Heck of the North short film premiering soon. It is a short documentary on the Heck of the North Gravel Cycling Classic that is held annually in Duluth.

“I could’a used a little more cow bell”

Bring your cowbells and head to Pleasant View Road off of Jean Duluth Road Sept. 29 to cheer on the racers as they climb to the finish line.

Calling all PDD hipsters, Sept. 29 is your chance to experience one of the more exciting cycling events you’re likely to see in Duluth this year: the third running of the Heck of the North Gravel Cycling Classic.

Apple Orchards Near Duluth

Google is not returning results on permutations of the search – “Apple orchards near Duluth.” I found one in Moose Lake. Does anyone know of one closer than that? or have favorites?

Minnesota Fall Colors 2012 — From Castle Danger to Split Rock State Park

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Pics from the Superior Hiking Trail.

Do we at least have the Duluth record?

Apparently, the record for heads on a single sunflower plant is in the low 100s. This one from PDD’s West Duluth Headquarters only has about 25 heads — which the Internet tells us is actually rather common. Anyway, some critter chewed this sucker down last night, so our attempt at the record has fallen considerably short.

Grandfather’s 104-headed sunflower started as a weed in his carrot patch … now it could be a record breaker