Howard Gnesen Road

From the Kenwood Avenue & Arrowhead Road intersection, out to where it meets St. Louis County Road 44/Normanna Road.

North of the intersection, Kenwood becomes Howard Gnesen.

Directions to parking

Lots of parking options (get it?) exist within a block or two of this intersection, especially at two banks and a strip mall that includes a huge grocery store, two sub shops, a liquor store, a drug store and some beef-heavy fast food.

Miles and kilometers of trail

As few or as many as you want. One-way from the Kenwood-Arrowhead intersection to County 44 is just more than 11 miles.

Terrain range and difficulty

Like any of the other roads that head from Duluth proper into rural areas north of town, Howard Gnesen is seldom flat for very long, its shoulders are mostly quite narrow, and traffic is usually light and respectful, if fast-moving. It runs through stretches of trees, fields, and houses that are more occasional as town gets farther away.

Also like other roads that head north, Howard Gnesen is rich with opportunities for fun, challenging, creative loops.

Here are some basic possibilities:

•Howard Gnesen north to Calvary; Calvary to Wodland; Woodland to Arrowhead; Arrowhead back to the start. The Woodland and Arrowhead segments of this eight-mile loop would include heavy traffic at most times of day, though Arrowhead has a nice, wide bike lane, and it's possible to dive off of Woodland at Oxford Street, then poke along residential streets to reach Arrowhead.

•Howard Gnesen to Martin, right on Martin to Jean Duluth—which becomes Snively at Glenwood—to Woodland and to Arrowhead.

•Past Martin, there are too many possible loops, both east and west, in combinations that create rides of almost any length more than 10 miles, to mention. Check online maps or a gazzetteer, pick a route, and go exploring. Be prepared to see deer (wild), horses (domesticated), farms, a barking (and maybe chasing) dog or two, and very few other people.

•At Normanna, a left heads toward Rice Lake Road and a right goes to Pequaywan Lakes Road; both those roads head north far enough to reach the Iron Range and points far beyond.

Rider insight

Roadie veteran Mike Weispfening likes this ride: Howard Gnesen out to Emerson, past Chesney Auto Salvage, to the Minnoette. Take a left. Come back on LaVaque and Martin.

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