Willard Munger State Trail
About Willard Munger State Trail
The Willard Munger State Trail is the longest paved rail trail in the region: the Minnesota DNR describes its Hinckley to Duluth segment as 70 miles and completely paved (Minnesota DNR, accessed 2026-08-14). The wider Willard Munger Trail System also takes in the Gateway, Brown's Creek, Mondale, James L. Oberstar and Alex Laveau state trails, so a larger figure quoted elsewhere is usually the system rather than this trail. Its northern trailhead is in Proctor, and from there it drops southwest through Carlton and Jay Cooke State Park on the old railbed.
For residents of Proctor, Carlton County, and western Duluth, it is the single best recreation asset in reach: flat, car-free, paved, and long enough for a serious ride. A household in Proctor can pedal to a state park without ever driving, which is rare anywhere in Minnesota.
Winter use shifts to snowmobiles on designated segments, and the trail connects into the wider regional motorized network. Trail spurs and connections toward the Duluth Cross City Trail and, potentially, Hermantown have been studied and built out in stages.
Good to know: paved rail trail, Jay Cooke State Park passage, Duluth and Hinckley connections, snowmobile use on designated segments, long-distance touring.
Access: Proctor trailhead, MN; Carlton trailhead; Hinckley, MN
Neighborhoods it serves
The railroad town on the hill: small district, small prices, and the Munger Trail out the back.
Bayview HeightsDuluth by address, Proctor by school bus, 700 feet above West Duluth.
EskoThe school district people move for, on an old farm settlement 20 minutes from Duluth.
CloquetThe mill town that burned down in 1918 and rebuilt itself, twenty minutes from Duluth.
CarltonThe county seat at the gates of Jay Cooke, where the Munger Trail meets the gorge.
HermantownThe Twin Ports' new-construction suburb: level lots, its own schools, and everything on Miller Hill five minutes away.
Fond du LacThe oldest community in Duluth, 14 miles from downtown, at the bottom of the lake.
Where these facts come from
- Minnesota DNR, Willard Munger State Trail accessed 2026-08-14
Last reviewed 2026-08-13 by Guide editorial.