JEAN DULUTH ROAD

From its intersection with Glenwood Avenue straight north, to where it meets County 44/PNormanna Road.

As a relatively short road ride, this basic route is pretty sweet. It's a good one for evenings or mornings when there's not time for something longer. Traffic is heaviest during rural Duluth's version of rush hour.

Like any other basic route on Duluth's outskirts, this basic 10-miler is full of possibilities for rides as short or as long as you want them to be:

•Not feeling like a full 20 miles? Do an out-and-back that fits your time or motivation. Ride Jean Duluth up to Martin Road, ride that till Woodland, then take that back down into town.

•Want to get off the main Jean Duluth route? Take a right on Medin, Riley, or Strand, work your way to North Tischer or over to Lester River Road.

•Here's a fun, somewhat short, loop: Jean Duluth to West Tischer; right onto West Tischer till it meets North Tischer; left on North Tischer to Zimmerman; left on Zimmerman back over to Jean Duluth.

•For something a bit more ambitious, do that loop then, on the way back in on Jean Duluth, take a right onto West Tischer and follow it to Rice Lake Road, take a left on to Rice Lake (heading back into town), another left on to Martin, all the way back over to Jean Duluth.

•Ambitious riders might want to follow Jean Duluth to is intersection with County Road 44/Normanna road (which is also where the shoulder goes away), hang a right and follow 44/Normanna till it turns into Pequawyan Lakes Road, then follow Pequawyan Lakes till turning around or turning off onto Fox Farm Road (which is gravel, and which links up with some other super backwoods, unpaved roads that are excellent cyclocross-training routes) or Rossini or the Two Harbors-Brimson Road—those are routes that can get into the 50-, 75-, and 100-mile range quite easily, and it's wise to have maps, plenty of food & water, lots of patches and tubes, and plenty of time.

Directions to parking
Most of us who live in Duluth's East End ride this route from home, but there are plenty of residential streets to park along near the Glenwood-Jean Duluth intersection. (A huge church parking lot is also right there, but since we've never parked there, we don't know if it is or isn't cool to do so.) The most basic way to the intersection is Woodland Avenue east to Jean Duluth (a right turn two or three blocks past the Arrowhead Road stop light). The next stop sign will be where Jean Duluth crosses Glenwood. 

Miles
10 from Glenwood to County 44/Normanna

Terrain range and difficulty
The main route is straight and rolling—even the long hills are gradual—with a wide, smooth shoulder.

Rider insight

Dan Glisczinski says he enjoys "interval rides via Jean Duluth to Normanna—nicely paved and fast—to connifered Pequaywan Lakes Road."

Most other local riders who mentioned Jean Duluth said something similar to what Glisczinski says; the general effect is, "Well, Jean Duluth is Jean Duluth." It's there, it's a good ride, and there you have it.

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