Duluth begins Hawk Ridge trail loop to improve access

Duluth’s park department has moved two long-planned projects out of the design stage and into construction, with work beginning at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve and Hillside Sport Court Park. The city says the projects will improve access, add new amenities, and force some temporary closures while crews reshape two very different corners of the city’s park system.

At Hawk Ridge, workers started building a universally accessible trail loop meant to connect the main overlook with the outdoor education area at the 365-acre nature reserve. The project is designed to address limited accessible facilities and trails, visitor safety conflicts with vehicle traffic, and limited space for conservation-based education, issues identified in the site’s 2022 mini-master plan. Duluth says the work should be finished in about six weeks, in time for the 2026 fall bird migration, and that short sections of trail may close temporarily while equipment and crews are on site.

The Hawk Ridge project is funded with $155,000 from the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, through a recommendation from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. City Council accepted the grant funds in September 2025, and a trail accessibility bid opened April 16, 2026, with Zenith Trail Contracting LLC submitting a $137,200 bid. The project also includes about 1.25 acres of invasive species removal along the corridor to protect wetlands and native habitat. Hawk Ridge is managed through an agreement with Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, a nonprofit, and city documents describe the reserve as part of the Lester-Amity-Hawk Ridge natural area, one of Duluth’s most ecologically important landscapes, where more than 200 bird species are documented each year.

In Central Hillside, the work is broader and more visible. Hillside Sport Court Park, a 2.45-acre neighborhood park, is getting a full overhaul that will add a pavilion and picnic area, renew the sport court, replace the playground, preserve green space, create room for a community garden, improve accessible parking, and repair or replace other park features. The final plan was adopted by City Council on August 21, 2023, after a community input session on May 17, 2023, where pavilion or covered seating ranked as the top priority. Health Equity Northland and the St. Mark Giving Garden and Food Access Program have since been identified as partners for the garden component.

Rachel Contracting will handle the Hillside work, which is funded through a mix of Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership money, Community Development Block Grant funds, and city park and revenue replacement dollars. Utility crews from Public Works and Utilities were scheduled to repair and replace sanitary lines in April through early June 2026 before the main park construction begins. The city expects the park project to run into fall 2026, with heavy equipment and temporary closures, starting in the sport court area, affecting families and neighbors who use the site throughout the summer and early fall.