Activities

Summer activities include hiking, biking and volleyball. Winter activities include snow sledding, downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice-skating. Try wildlife and bird watching by day, or stargazing and Northern Lights sightings on a clear night. Explore the colors of each season. Roasting marshmallows by the fire is a must, any time of year.

Activities such as sailing on Lake Superior, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, snowmobiling, nature hikes, massage and much more can be coordinated through our concierge service. There is a great indoor water-park nearby in Duluth.

For questions regarding activities, reservations and rentals, please call or e-mail us.
218-740-3800

Area Facts, Activities and Links

History

• Originally settled by Sioux (Dakota) and Chippewa (Ojibwa).
• Claimed for France in 1679 by Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut.
• Once home to more millionaires (per capita) than any other city in the world.

Physical Data

• Population: 87,000; within 30-mile radius, population is 184,134.
• Located at the westernmost tip of Lake Superior, halfway between Minneapolis/St. Paul and the Canadian border.
• 2,342 freshwater miles from the Atlantic Ocean to Duluth via the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway.
• Area: 43,067 acres.
• Altitude: Ranges from 605 feet (at Lake Superior’s shoreline) to 1,485 feet above sea level.
• Terrain: City is built into a steep, rocky cliffside; almost mountainous for the Midwest.
• Rated by Money magazine as one of the top four Midwestern small cities, based on livability.

Industry

• Industries include tourism, healthcare, financial/banking, mining, paper, communications, education and shipping.
• City’s harbor welcomes over 1,000 ocean-going and Great Lakes freighters annually.
• Seaway Port Authority of Duluth provides foreign trade zone and economic development services.
• Interlake cargoes of iron, grain, coal and stone combine to make this the top volume port on the Great Lakes with a total of $250 million in annual economic impact.
• Home to the College of St. Scholastica, the University of Minnesota Duluth, Lake Superior Community College, Fond du Lac Community College and across the bay, the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
• Regional medical center for surrounding states and provinces.
• Physician population of over 400; one of every seven residents is employed in healthcare.
• Rated first in the United States for quality healthcare in communities of its size.

Weather

• Annual precipitation: 30.0 inches.
• Annual snowfall: 77.6 inches.
• Average January low temp.: -2.2°F.
• Average July high temp.: 77.1°F.

Visitor Information

• 3.5 million tourist visitors per year accounting for a $400 million economic impact.
• 4,200 hotel rooms in the city.
• 50 restaurants in the downtown area.
• Extensive, climate-controlled skywalk connects downtown facilities.
• 23 city parks, sculpture gardens and rose gardens.
• "State of the Air 2002" report places Duluth among the top 10 metropolitan areas in the United States with the least smog pollution according to data released by the American Lung Association from EPA Air Quality Index research.

Outdoor Duluth Facts

• 105 municipal parks totaling 3,264 acres, plus:
  - Two 27-hole golf courses.
  - 41 tennis courts.
  - 29 baseball/softball fields.
  - 22 neighborhood recreation centers.
  - 11 senior centers.
  - 45 miles of snowmobile trails.
  - 44 kilometers of cross-country ski trails.
  - 8 self-guided hiking trails.
  - Regional zoo.
• Dozens of rivers and creeks within the city.
• Secluded waterfalls throughout town.
• Hartley Park is 975 acres; Barton Peak Forest Park is 2,775 acres. By comparison, New York’s Central Park is just 860 acres.
• Rock–climbing opportunities throughout the city.
• Home to the North Shore Scenic Drive, designated a National All American Road
• 30-mile scenic drive follows ancient shoreline 600 feet above the city.
• Abundance of wildlife; including bear, deer and moose within city limits.
• Fishing opportunities: salmon, lake trout, sturgeon, walleye, other big-water fish, plus the annual “smelt run.”
• International sculpture garden features works from sister cities in Sweden, Russia, Canada and Japan.
• Rose garden blooms with more than 40,000 roses.
• Enger Tower overlooks the city and was dedicated by Crown Prince Olav of Norway.
• Park Point beach is the world’s longest natural sand bar, jutting seven miles into Lake Superior.
• Rated by Golf Digest (July ’98) as first in the nation for quality and accessibility in public golf.
• Recognized by the Audubon Society, Hawk Ridge acts as a “funnel” for tens of thousands of migratory hawks, eagles and other birds of prey.
• Some of the most vertical downhill skiing in the Midwest.
• Gateway to Lake Superior’s scenic north shore.
  - 2.5-hour drive to the Canadian border.
  - Split Rock lighthouse.
  - Gooseberry Falls State Park.
  - Tettegouche State Park.
• One-hour drive from the Iron Range.
  - Largest open-pit mine in the world.
  - Supplied the iron that built the nation.
• Just over one-hour drive to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness/Quetico Canadian Provincial Park.
  - Thousands of acres of untouched wilderness.
  - Much of the area is accessible only by canoe and portage.
• "State of the Air 2002" report places Duluth among the top 10 metropolitan areas in the United States with the least smog pollution according to data released by the American Lung Association from EPA Air Quality Index research.

Lake Superior Facts

• Largest freshwater lake in the world.
• 350 miles east to west, 160 miles north to south.
• 31,280 square surface miles.
• Average depth: 483 feet.
• Deepest point: 1,333 feet.
• 3 quadrillion gallons, or 2,900 cubic miles, of water.
• Elevation: 600 feet above sea level; not to exceed 602 feet, as ordered by the International Join Commission.
• Large enough to dramatically affect weather patterns in surrounding areas; in Duluth, that means warmer winters and cooler summers.
• Final resting place for over 350 shipwrecks, including the famous Edmund Fitzgerald.
• Shoreline length, including islands: 2,726 miles.
• Empties into Lake Huron via the St. Mary’s River.
• Is large enough to contain all the other Great Lakes, plus three additional lakes the size of Lake Erie.
• Water flows into the lake from a drainage basin area of 49,300 square miles.
• It would take 191 years for the rivers in the drainage basin to refill the lake.
• Named by French explorers as “le lac superieur,” meaning “upper lake.”
• Known for its clear, cold water and agate beaches.
• Average water temp.: 40°F.
• Could cover all of North America in water three feet deep.
• Seasonal storms can lead to waves over 20 feet high.

Annual Events

Winterfest

• Winter activities-over 100 events.
• Warmer by the Lake - activities for the entire family.
• John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, a qualifier for the Iditarod.
• Polar Bear Plunge.
• Ski jumping contest.

Grandma's Marathon

• One of Duluth's biggest events.
• Runners and other visitors from around the world.
• Variety of activities surrounding the race.
• Elite classes; team competitions.

Fourthfest

• Great music and food on the waterfront.
• Incredible fireworks display.

Bayfront Blues Festival

• Cool blues on Lake Superior's shore.
• Four days of nationally known acts.

NorthShore InLine Marathon

• Largest inline race in North America.
• Same scenic course as Grandma's Marathon.

Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve

• Panoramic view of Lake Superior.
• Spring and fall migration of thousands of birds.
• Hawks, falcons, eagles and many other species.
• Literally a "hawk highway" during migration.

AMSOIL Duluth National Snocross

• Largest on-the-snow event anywhere in the world.
• 1,000 snowmobile racers; 36,000 spectators.
• Pro-am races with some of the world's best drivers.
• Thanksgiving weekend.

Related Links
http://www.visitduluth.com/
http://www.exploreminnesota.com/
http://www.northshoreinfo.com/
http://www.canoecountry.com/