Traffic, noise, dust and public safety concerns cited Posted
Marshall Helmberger
EAGLES NEST TWP Residents here are upset over a plan to open an ATV route as early as this month across a series of gravel roads in the township, but it’s not clear what county or township officials can do to head off the plan.
The route would connect a portion of the Taconite Trail between Tower and Ely that is currently off limits to ATVs because it lies within the boundaries of Bear Head State Park. Current state park policy and rules generally prohibit ATV use, although snowmobiles, which primarily operate on frozen ground, are allowed.
Greg Aamott
REGIONAL Six years ago, the Legislature directed the Department of Natural Resources to develop a motorized touring route from the North Shore of Lake Superior to the North Dakota border, utilizing an extensive network of existing highways and back roads. Tower and Ely are both included along the route.
The idea was to provide a designated route for motorists – including those who prefer off-road vehicles like four-wheel drive trucks and all-terrain vehicles – who could drive across northern Minnesota, experience the state’s natural beauty and, perhaps, camp and stop in some small towns along the way.
“Definitely, one of the selling points was that (the route) would connect people to places they wouldn’t ordinarily see, to some other outdoors opportunities,” said Andrew Brown, a DNR project manager based in Grand Rapids.