Trail Committee looks to focus on extending trail

HURLEY - Over 20 people attended Tuesday's meeting of the Iron County Regional Trail Committee, leading to the election of new leaders and the reaching of a consensus on how to move forward with bringing the regional trail through Iron County.

The effort is the latest development in the ongoing effort to construct a non-motorized trail between the ski trails in Montreal, Wis. and Sunday Lake in Wakefield.

Although no formal action was taken, the group agreed to move forward with the plan to partner with local motorized-trail advocates in supporting the county's grant application from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to purchase a portion of the the former Soo Rail Line railroad grade that runs through the county.

While specifics would need to be figured out, the rough plan agreed at the meeting would have the non-motorized trail constructed between the Montreal River Trailhead - where the existing section of the regional trail enters Wisconsin from Ironwood - and a train trestle west of Hurley where the Soo Line and a second rail grade running parallel to it intersect.

"The goal is to follow along the railroad grade on the backside of Hurley," said Will Andresen, with the University of Wisconsin's Iron County Extension Office, who has been one of the leaders of the effort to develop the regional trail.

From the rail trestle, the group agreed bring the trail to Cary Park as the first phase of a development that would ultimately continue to Montreal.

Andresen said that the park's existing facilities made it a logical trailhead and served as a more tangible accomplishment than reaching all the way to Montreal.

"If you're familiar with Cary Park, there is a parking lot, restrooms, a volleyball court, playground, lots of positive trailhead-like (amenities)," Andresen said. "Maybe if we use that as phase one ... that would then get us part-way to the ultimate goal of getting us to Montreal."

He also warned that the development of the trail in Iron County was a long process and warned that it could take anywhere from 3 to 5 years, if not longer.

The group also discussed how committee's plans fit into larger trail development efforts in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Andresen said while he was unaware of any active efforts to extend trails further west than Montreal, there was talk of going south towards Mercer. If a link with Mercer was established, Andresen said, there would soon be a connection to a circle of trails running from Mercer, through Manitowish and Boulder Junction, to Marenisco and Watersmeet in Michigan before connecting back to the regional trail - and Michigan's Iron Belle trail running from Ironwood to Detroit - in Wakefield.

Toward the end of the meeting, Andresen looked for someone to assume a leadership role on the committee as his position with the extension office is designed more for assisting local efforts rather than leading them.

Following Andresen's suggestion, Bob Traczyk and Karen Hagemann volunteered to co-chair the group.

The committee's next meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 1 at the Iron County courthouse.