Hurley Non-Motorized Trail progress

June 7, 2020

The ICORE Trails Committee continues working on the proposed non-motorized trail between Hurley and Montreal. This spring we worked with the City of Hurley and helped them submit a $28,750 grant proposal to Wisconsin DNR. The grant would fund up to 50% of the appraised value of the Canadian National railroad grade between Hurley and Montreal. The grade is 2.9 miles and includes two bridges, one over the Iron Horse motorized trail and one over the West Fork Montreal River. The grant proposal was 129 pages long!
 
Thanks to our grant from the Gogebic Range Health Foundation, we’ve also made great progress at the Hurley Trailhead. ICORE awarded a contract to Angelo Luppino, Inc., to build a gravel parking area between the motorized and non-motorized trail, and they completed work in May. The parking area is big enough for 13 vehicles. ICORE volunteers also brought back the benches and the bike rack, all built by Hurley high school students with Northwoods Manufacturing. Dog-walkers are encouraged to use the new dog waste station.

Wood chips were recently delivered to the trailhead by the Iron County Highway Department and need to be spread along the trail to the river. There is no scheduled work date, but everyone is encouraged to stop by with a wheelbarrow or bucket to help “chip away” at the effort at any time! 

Still in the works this summer are a bicycle maintenance station, solar lights, and topsoil for a bare area. We’re seeing more and more people using the trailhead for access to the 6.9-mile Iron Belle Trail between Ironwood and Bessemer (with another three miles under construction this summer, connecting Bessemer to Ramsay). If we can build the Hurley to Montreal trail that will make 12.8 miles of trail linking five communities in two states!