Between 2016 and 2020 Ironwood, Bessemer, and Ramsey built 10-mile paved trail connecting the communities to the Iron Belle Trail.
It utilized old Soo Line railroad grade that extends across the Montreal River into Hurley.
From the time the communities in Gogebic County started building the trail, Iron County Outdoor Recreation Enthusiasts [ICORE] has been working to extend it further into Wisconsin.
The plan is to mostly use the same railroad grade and expand the trail an addition three miles to Montreal.
“We've seen just how popular the Iron Bell trail is. It gets a lot of use for recreation and also people using it as a safe way to travel within and between our communities,” said Ian Shackleford, ICORE Vice President. “The railroad grade is right there, mostly unused, running between Hurley and Montreal. We'd like to just get that grade purchase from the railroad company and convert it into a nice paved trail.”
Parts of the trail will be shared use to not disrupt the motorized trail users that are already using sections of the planned trail.
Shackleford says ICORE has been negotiating with Canadian National, the current railroad grade owners.
It’s going to cost about $200,000 to purchase the section they need.
ICORE has already secured grants from Enbridge and the Gogebic Range Health Foundation.
It’s applied for $82,000 from the Knowles Nelson Stewardship Fund, which leaves about $55,000 to raise over the next year.
“ICORE believes that walking and biking and skiing and paddling are just good ways for recreation, good ways to get exercise, and these paved trails are also a good, safe way for transportation,” said Shackleford. “We think they're good for the community members and good for tourism.”
The trail would be owned by the cities of Hurley and Montreal.
Shackleford says acquiring the railroad grade is the first step. He estimates ICORE will need to raise another $2 million to pave the trail and restore the two historic railroad bridges the trail will cross.
“Although it has taken a while, we're really grateful to the support we've received,” said Shackleford. “We try to keep in mind that a lot of the work is already done. The railroad grade is already there. When you walk that, you can just see all the work that went into all the fill and material building up that grade to make it so smooth. It's still there. We just need to buy it from the railroad company and fix some areas and pave it, and there we've got a trail.”
You can learn more about the Hurley Montreal Trail, including how to contribute, on ICORE's website.
Shackleford says ICORE also has openings on its board of directors and its trails committee if people are looking to get more involved.
