Mission Creek trails
Mission Creek trailhead off Highway 23, far west Duluth, MN 55808
About Mission Creek trails
Mission Creek is the far western end of Duluth's mountain bike network, in the creek valley between Fond du Lac and Gary-New Duluth. Where the Piedmont trails at the other end of the city are technical and demanding, Mission Creek carries the network's smooth, flowing lines, which makes it the friendlier end of the system for newer riders and the faster end for everyone else.
The trails connect into the Duluth Traverse, the 40-mile spine of a citywide network exceeding 90 miles, built and maintained in partnership between the City of Duluth and COGGS. In winter the same trails are groomed or packed for fat biking, and they see hiking and snowshoe use year round.
The name carries real history. Mission Creek is named for the Ojibwe mission established in this area in the 1830s, after the American Board of Missions sent Edmund Ely to Fond du Lac in 1833. For residents of Duluth's far west end this is the closest singletrack by a wide margin, and it is one of the few recreational amenities in that corner of the city that requires no drive at all.
Good to know: flow lines, creek valley riding, Duluth Traverse connection, hiking, fat biking in winter.
Access: Mission Creek trailhead off Highway 23 between Fond du Lac and Gary-New Duluth
Neighborhoods it serves
The oldest community in Duluth, 14 miles from downtown, at the bottom of the lake.
Gary-New DuluthTwo company-era river towns that people now treat as one, and the service center for the far west end.
Morgan ParkThe concrete company town US Steel built, and the neighborhood that outlived the mill.
SmithvilleRiver-corridor housing below, Bardon Peak above, and a radical labor college in its past.
Where these facts come from
- City of Duluth, Duluth Traverse accessed 2026-08-13
Last reviewed 2026-08-13 by Guide editorial.