Duluth—A $2,000 grant awarded to the U.S. Forest Service by the Tread Lightly national organization allowed the agency to complete improvements to the Jackpot ATV trailhead parking area near Babbitt.
Tread Lightly promotes responsible outdoor recreation through education. As part of a national celebration of their 25th anniversary, Tread Lightly helped fund 25 trail-related projects across the country, including the Jackpot ATV Trail on the Superior National Forest. The Tread Lightly grant award went towards the purchase, delivery, and spreading of gravel on the trail head parking area, and for the purchase of new maps for both the parking area kiosk and for a new trail head kiosk in Babbitt.
Completed in 2014, the 28-mile Jackpot ATV trail is connected to the Stony Spur ATV Trail. Both trails are part of a broader network of ATV trails and roads that a rider can follow east all the way to the North Shore of Lake Superior. The proposed Prospector Loop Trail is intended to eventually connect Ely with existing trails and further expand opportunities for ATV riders in the area.
The Jackpot ATV Trail is possible through the cooperation and collaboration of partners and volunteers, including the Babbitt ATV Club, the Polaris Foundation, the Minnesota DNR, Tread Lightly, Twin Metals MN, the City of Babbitt, the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa, and the National Forest Foundation. Partnerships provide volunteer efforts and funding that are key to developing and maintaining most National Forest system trails.
For more information about outdoor recreation opportunities, including ATV and off-highway-vehicle riding on the Forest, visit www.fs.usda.gov/superior.