Munger State Trail reopens with new bridge and upgrades
A 100-foot steel truss bridge reopened the Munger State Trail in Duluth, restoring the Pulaski Street-to-Riverwest Drive link over Lower Knowlton Creek.
The first mile of the Willard Munger State Trail reopened to the public Wednesday with a new 100-foot steel truss bridge over Lower Knowlton Creek, restoring the Pulaski Street-to-Riverwest Drive corridor in Duluth after a closure that began Nov. 24, 2025.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources had originally expected the section to reopen June 30, then said the trail would open July 1. Crews replaced a significantly undersized culvert with a bridge, removed 13 vertical feet of embankment material and rebuilt the crossing as part of the Lower Knowlton/Munger Trail Culvert Replacement project.
The upgrade changes more than the look of the trail. The DNR says the work improves stream stability, hydrological function, climate resiliency and wildlife passage under the trail. It also benefits a naturally reproducing brook trout population in Knowlton Creek, which runs beneath the trail corridor.
For St. Louis County residents who use the Munger for walking, biking or commuting, the reopening restores a key link in one of the region’s most visible nonmotorized routes. The Willard Munger State Trail connects Hinckley and Duluth and supports hiking, bicycling, in-line skating, mountain biking, winter snowmobiling and, on some segments, horseback riding. Parts of the trail also follow the railroad route tied to the historic Hinckley and Cloquet fires.
That makes the bridge more than a maintenance project. A trail segment that is open end to end is easier to use for longer rides, family outings and point-to-point trips than a corridor interrupted by a closed crossing. In practice, that kind of continuity is what gives a trail its value for recreation traffic and the businesses that sit near access points in Duluth and along the route.
The work was paid for through Get Out MORE, short for Modernize Outdoor Recreation Experiences. The Minnesota DNR launched the initiative in 2023 as a one-time $150 million investment, and says projects are planned, underway or complete in 63 of Minnesota’s 87 counties. In northeastern Minnesota, where trails often function as recreation infrastructure, transportation spines and tourism assets at the same time, the reopened Munger segment now returns as a safer and more reliable route for summer use.
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