Centennial Trail

The Centennial Trail is a 3.3 mile Moderate trail. 

This trail was developed to honor the Superior National Forest’s 100th anniversary in 2009. It explores one small story in the Forest’s history, that of the Port Arthur, Duluth, and Western Railroad and the ill-fated Paulsen Mine. 

Hikers will be able to see the original mine test pits from the 1890’s and walk the rock cuts and rock trestles created for the railroad. A large wooden trestle no longer stands in a deep gorge, but the view from the location of the trestle is still breathtaking. Trailside ‘station stops’ and a guide booklet will help you discover the history of the area. Markers as waypoints and the trail path are available for those who want to explore the 19th century with 21st century technology.

Remember, artifacts and historic sites are protected by federal laws making collection of artifacts or damage to sites possible felonies, so enjoy with care.

Interpretive Stops

1. The first 1.2 miles of the Centennial Trail is also the Kekekabic Hiking Trail,  a 40 mile long trail built in the mid 1930’s. Its purpose was to allow firefighters access into the more remote areas of the Superior National Forest.  
2. This spur trail leads to the old Gunflint Fire Tower site. The rock foundation of a cabin and remnants of the fire tower are still visible. The trail was re-opened during the Alpine Lake Fire of 2005 so that radio equipment could be placed at the tower site to improve communications.  The photo at right is a similar fire tower on the Gunflint Ranger District, Cascade Tower
3. Five test pits were opened in this area in the early 1890’s by the Gunflint Iron Company, whose major backer John A. Paulsen was the namesake of  Paulsen Mine.  The company wanted to evaluate the purity of the iron deposits as well as explore for gold, silver, and nickel. Only one car load of ore was ever removed.  Please use caution around the test pits
4. On the north side of the Kekekabic Trail you will see the tailings removed from the drainage spanned by the bridge.  Little is known as to why this was done.  The company may have drained the pond so the railway could be built to the test pits.  
5. The bridge crosses the rail bed near a unique railroad feature: one of two switchbacks on this spur.  A switchback was used when the terrain forced a turn too tight for a train to negotiate. A train would pass over a switch to a short spur, then the switch was changed and the train backed up the new track.  While this made tight corners possible, it also limited the length of the train to the length of the spur, and made the train have to run in reverse, sometimes for long distances.
6. This test pit is rumored to be 70 feet deep!  At low water you can still see the wooden beams used to shore up the pit. They appear to be in very good condition more than a hundred years after they were first set. You are now hiking on a newly built portion of the trail above the Port Arthur, Duluth, & Western.  Along the way you will come to a beautiful overlook above an unnamed lake. The railroad ran along the north shore of the lake.
7. The Centennial Trail now follows the historic bed of the PAD&W. Blasted rock was used to fill in the small drainage in front of you to keep the grade of the rail line below a 5% slope. Behind you to the north is a rock cut which supplied material to fill a small valley near  stop 4. Mules, more sure footed than horses, were used to pull the rock filled cars along rails to the valley for unloading.  
8. You are now leaving the rail bed and will follow a newly built trail which runs along the ridge above you.  Watch for spectacular views of areas burned by the 2007 Ham Lake Fire.  This fire’s smoke was visible from space! 
9. This overlook is known as TRAMPS Overlook (Trail Restoration and Maintenance Project Specialists).  In September 2009, ex-smokejumpers from the National Smokejumpers Association helped build the Centennial Trail. The overlook is named in their honor.   From this vantage point, you can see the Gunflint Trail and Gunflint Lake to the east as well as an excellent view of hundreds of downed trees laying in a west to east direction: damage caused by the windstorm of July 4th, 1999.  
10. The valley in which you are standing was once spanned by a 500 foot long, 80 foot high white pine trestle.  Think back to the 1890’s and  imagine the work that went into building such a structure.  Much of the work was completed by Italian immigrants from Canada.  The valuable logs may have been salvaged in the early 20th century after the railway was abandoned, but there are also reports that it burned in the wildfires of 1894 and 1898. If you explore this chasm you can still find evidence of the holes which held the mighty white pine supports. Imagine a train passing above your head over a century ago!
11. Once again, the trail is laid on the historic PAD&W rail bed. Turn and look west towards the rock outcropping 500 feet away.  Picture yourself laying out the railway, trying to figure out how to get from where you are standing to the outcropping.  The terrain is much too steep for switchbacks. A log trestle was the answer.
12. Feel the cool and damp air?  You are entering a 200 foot rock cut which now harbors a microenvironment of ferns and mosses. This cut rarely sees the sun’s rays. Rock debris from this cut was used to fill the valley at your next stop, making the ‘rock trestle’ at signpost 13 the largest human constructed feature of the trail.
13. Beneath your feet is the highest and largest of the ‘rock trestles’ built along the Port Arthur, Duluth, & Western.  Look to the north and see a succession of beaver ponds. The original rail bed ran between the two ponds. The windstorm of 1999, followed by the Ham Lake Fire of 2007 were devastating events from a human standpoint. From this overlook, however, you can see the rebirth of the forest as new growth fills in the niche created by storm and fire.
14. You have come to the end of the portion of the trail that follows the PAD&W road bed. From here, the railroad cut through the woods to another switchback along what is now the Tuscarora Road.  It then returned to curve between the beaver ponds you saw earlier before heading east to the bridge at Gunflint Narrows and Canada.  Your route will follow the trail on to the Round Lake Road, turn left, and follow the road to the snowmobile trail. You will eventually link up with the Gunflint Trail and the trailhead of the Centennial Trail.