Martin Road Bike Route

Old Vermilion Trail, Duluth, MN
Originally uploaded by Almondigas18.

I've been looking for a training route that has wide, pebble and debris-free shoulders. I now have that along Martin Road.

Here's the route:
-From St. Marie St. beside UMD, turn LEFT on Woodland Ave.
-Turn RIGHT on E. Hardy St.
-E. Hardy St. becomes Snively Road
-Snively Road becomes Jean Duluth Road
-Turn LEFT at Martin Road (after Pleasant View Road). Martin Road will take you through rolling country out of St. Louis County and into the Cannossa County.
-When you reach Pike Lake, you will be about 16 miles from UMD.

After this, there are two options:
1. Turn back and take a RIGHT on Rice Lake Rd. This will take you to West Duluth and the Willard Munger Bike Trail.
2. Turn back and head home to UMD.

I chose option No. 2 yesterday. I wasn't ready for a whole day's ride. My water was running out and I had finished my almond butter and jelly sandwiches.

But I recommend this bike route for light training purposes. You won't run into many stop lights, the shoulders are clean and wide, and it has a good combination of flat portions and gentle uphills and downhills.



Just before Snively Rd. becomes Jean Duluth Road, there is also the option of turning RIGHT at Skyline Parkway. I haven't tried this yet. But this is another option if you'd like a more scenic but light ride.