Topic: For the 2025 Superior 100 Mile Trail Race the first segment of the race from Gooseberry Falls State Park to the first aid station at Split Rock will be significantly rerouted from years past. Two different route options will remain in play until race week.
Section: Gooseberry to Split Rock
Impacts: 100 milers
Narrative: The west side of the Split Rock River Loop is closed for a large scale trail rehabilitation project, as a result, the first segment of the Superior 100 Mile Trail Race will have a significant reroute. OUR FIRST CHOICE: The race will start as normal at Gooseberry Falls State Park, but instead of running the Gitchi Gami paved bike trail to Split Rock Wayside (4 flat miles on the paved bike path), then getting on the Split Rock River Loop (4.5 miles of hilly and technical trail running) to the spur into and out of the Split Rock Aid Station (at mile 8.5), our preferred route will be as follows. Start at Gooseberry Falls State Park as normal, run 1.6 miles of Gooseberry Falls State Park cross country skiing and hiking trails (wide non-technical trails with some gradual elevation gain), to 0.5 miles of snowmobile trail (wide non-technical trail, may be wet), join the Superior Hiking Trail for 5.4 miles (undulating and technical SHT), intersect the beginning of the Split Rock River Loop at Strand Creek and run 0.5 miles down to the Split Rock Wayside Parking lot (in the opposite direction of the way we normally run the loop). Run .4 miles into the back side of the Split Rock Aid Station which will be in its normal location and at its normal distance of 8.5 miles. This option has about 100ft less elevation gain than the normal route. The cutoff at Split Rock aid station will remain unchanged. While we DO NOT cross Highway 61, there will be an approximate 1/3rd mile stretch run on the shoulder of Highway 61 (running against traffic), about half of which is inside of a guardrail. Once past the guardrail you will be asked to run single-file on the gravel / grass, not on the paved shoulder. HERE is a diagram detailing the end of this segment as we approach the Split Rick aid station, HERE is a revised static course map showing the entire route, HERE is an updated live map and downloadable GPX file.
OUR SECOND CHOICE: If the contractor doing the trail rehabilitation project on the Split Rock Loop starts work on the half mile of trail between Strand Creek and Split Rock Wayside in advance of the race, OR we have excessive rain in the two weeks leading into the race, we may use yet another alternate route which would consist of running a 4 mile loop within Gooseberry Falls State Park, then running the usual 4 mile segment of the Gitchi Gami Bike Path to Split Rock Wayside, and then into the backside of the Split Rock aid station at mile 8.5, running against traffic off of the shoulder as described above.