Spring has sprung and there is nothing better than a nice evening walk in the warm spring air. Heidi and I decided it would be nice to change things up and take a walk on the Soo-Line South trail between Wahkon and Isle MN. The Soo-Line is a former rail line that has been converted into a trail system throughout central Minnesota. The Soo-Line trail system starts as the Soo-Line Recreational Trail that runs between Royalton and Holdingford MN. The Soo-Line Recreational Trail turns into the Soo-Line South in Royalton. The Soo-Line South continues northeast from Royalton to the Wisconsin border where it turns into the Saunders State Trail and ends in Boylston Junction just south of Superior WI.
The first sections of the Soo-line South trail system starts just north of Holdingford MN. This section is known as the Soo-Line Recreational Trail and runs from just north of Holdingford to Royalton. At the southern end of the trail it connects up with the Lake Wobegon Trail that runs for an additional 65 miles. The Soo-Line Recreational Trail is 10 miles of paved trail that is open to biking, hiking, and in-line skaters from April 1st to October 31st. The trail is closed for the month of November for deer hunting season. The trail reopens on December 1st for snowmobiles and cross country skiers. There is a trailhead in Royalton where the trail switches to the Soo-Line South Trail.
The longest section of the Soo-Line South trail system is the section that runs 114 miles from Royalton MN to the Wisconsin border. This section is known as the Soo-Line South trail and is also open to ATV, biking, hiking and other summer activities from April 1st to October 31st. As with the Recreational Trail, the South trail is closed for deer hunting season in the month of November. The trail is open to snowmobiles from December 1st to April 1st. The trail is gravel from Royalton to Onamia and is mainly used for class 1 and 2 ATV. In Onamia, it becomes a split-use trail. One side is gravel for ATV use and the other is paved for bikers, hikers and in-line skaters. The trail is split-use between the communities of Onamia and Isle and passes through the town of Wahkon. The trail turns back to gravel after Isle and continues that way all the way to the Wisconsin border. As the trail heads northeast it connects up with several other trails including the Foxy Loop Trail, Red Top trails, Solana Loop, Soo Pits trails, and the Soo-Line North that runs to Cass Lake MN. In Moose Lake the trail connects up the Willard Munger State Trail that runs from Hinckley to Duluth.
This evening we decided to start in Wahkon and walked east towards Isle MN. The trail was quiet and the evening air was warm. This section of trail is mostly surrounded by wetlands and Tamarac forest. About halfway through our walk we stopped to watch an eagle soar over the tamarac swamp that runs next to the trail. The paved trail and the gravel trail run parallel to one another and we did encounter a few ATV’s and UTV’s as we walked. Most were courteous and slowed down as they passed us. Many people waved as they passed and it was nice to see the trail being used as it should with respect for all using the trail. There were others who did not slow down and left us in a cloud of dust as they flew by. The paved trail is designated for non motorized use but there were a couple of ATV’s that drove down the paved side for some reason. Being that the two trails run parallel, the traffic on the gravel side and the dirt pushed up on the pavement are the only real issue with having the split trail. Hiking the trail is not an issue but biking or other activities could be a challenge with the gravel that has been pushed up on the paved side. We walked to the point where the trail from Father Hennepin State Park connected to the Soo-Line South Trail. The Father Hennepin State Park access trail is paved and gives you access to the state park and Mille Lacs Lake.. We turned around at that point and walked quietly back to our car in Wahkon. The Soo-Line trail system is a great place to walk and enjoy different activities.
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