Boardwalk Goes In At Chik-Wauk
Chik-Wauk may have closed its doors for the season nearly a month ago, but don’t be fooled into thinking nothing has been happening behind Chik-Wauk’s closed gate. A group of volunteers set aside time on the last two weekends of October to construct a boardwalk across the lowland area near Chik-Wauk’s driveway.
The boardwalk begins at the southeast end of Chik-Wauk’s main parking area (right next to the small outbuilding you might have noticed near the Amikwiish Way hiking trail head) and winds its way through the woods before cutting across a low area next to an inlet of Saganaga Lake. The boardwalk connects with the pre-existing Rubaboo Road hiking trail. A platform in the middle of the boardwalk offers a spot where hikers can take in the view. The boardwalk is ADA accessible – wide enough for a wheelchair, with easy access onto the boardwalk right off of the driveway and with places to turn around a wheelchair. Some of the funding used for this project came from the Taste of the Gunflint Trail event earlier this fall.
You might notice that only the straight stretches of the boardwalk have been completed so far. The “finesse” work will be completed soon: at least in time for you to take a spin on the new boardwalk when Chik-Wauk reopens in May 2011!