Favorite hiking trails: Grassy Point Trail stroll

My favorite hiking trail is the Grassy Point Trail in West Duluth. It follows Keene Creek, right by Irving Field, over Raleigh Street and into a parking area where there is a boardwalk over the water. I usually walk only as far as Raleigh Street, but do plan to tackle the whole trail one day soon. It’s a scenic, peaceful trail with many wildflowers, birds and wildlife. Deer may be seen in the paper mill field — the Laura MacArthur school forest project. I once saw a green heron on Keene Creek!

There is an abundance of wildflowers, including white and yellow sweet clovers, marsh marigolds in the spring, butter and eggs (pretty yellow wild snap dragons), wild campanulas (bell flowers), wild asters, dames rockets, many vetches and lead plants, forget-me-nots, full thistles (which are beautiful in bloom and much loved by nesting goldfinches) and my personal favorite, purple prairie clovers. There are also many wild raspberries.

Now that I’m retired, I love walking this trail almost daily to relax, exercise and unwind. The trail is also popular with bicyclists.

Submitted by Edna Ciurleo of Duluth.