A few summers ago, I flew to Minneapolis for CFMOTO’s press launch and to visit our parent company’s main office. When CFMOTO gave me the keys to the 650 ADVentura and left me free for a day, I headed north to Duluth to visit my friend Andy Goldfine and tour the Aerostich factory and shop.
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It was a hot, muggy morning when I left my hotel in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis and made my way onto Interstate 35. The 160-mile trip to Duluth took a little more than two hours and along the way , I was in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, I passed countless signs advertising fishing boats, fishing lakes, fish farms and marinas. I also endured two showers, which kept me cool in my mesh jacket and riding jeans. But as I-35 descends a steep hill toward downtown Duluth, temperatures drop into the mid-50s due to the cooling effect of Lake Superior. As I pulled into Aerostich’s parking lot, my teeth were chattering.
Andy Goldfine came to visit Horseman office many times over the years, but I had never been to the Aerostich factory before, so getting a personal tour from him was a real honor. After touring the factory, Andy took me on a tour of Duluth and we had lunch at a cozy Italian diner called Va Bene, where I warmed up with meatball soup and coffee.
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Before parting, Andy took pity on me coldly and gave me a smile. Aerostich waterproof/windproof inner shell to wear under my mesh jacket. He also suggested that I try the Skyline Parkway, a scenic byway that runs a few hundred feet from downtown Duluth and offers great views of the city and Lake Superior.
I biked north along the lakeshore to Lester Park, where the Parkway begins on Occidental Avenue as it heads north along Amity Creek, gaining 400 feet as it follows and passes a long waterfall. In less than half a mile, the road crossed the creek and its name became Seven Bridges Road. (The Steve Young song “Seven Bridges Road,” later covered by the Eagles and Dolly Parton, is about a street in Montgomery, Alabama.) Incidentally, the first bridge on Seven Bridges Road is not one of the seven bridge of the same name; it is designated “Bridge 0”.
Construction of the Skyline Parkway began in 1889 along a plateau that was once the gravel shore of an ancient glacial lake that predated Lake Superior. Ten years later, a local land developer named Samuel F. Snively began construction on Seven Bridges Road. The original bridges were built in the early 1900s, but nearly all have been rebuilt in the past few decades and each stone arch bridge is a work of civil engineering art.
At the end of Seven Bridges Road, the Parkway turns left and onto a gravel road as it enters the Hawk Ridge Nature Preserve. Several hiking trails branch off the road, and the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory is a popular place to observe raptor migrations.
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The avenue turns to sidewalks again as it meanders through residential areas. Drivers should always be alert to Parkway signs because many turns are required to stay on track. After crossing Chester Creek, the Parkway continues to wind through residential areas. Before long, the lakeside homes disappeared and drivers were treated to sweeping views of Lake Superior, downtown Duluth and, just across Saint Louis Bay, neighboring Superior, Wisconsin.
After passing Twin Ponds, the Skyline Parkway runs along the edge of the golf course, crosses U.S. Highway 53 and crosses several creeks before passing through the wooded parkland. The scenery and views were pleasant all the way. I jumped off the avenue as it crossed
I-35 back to Minneapolis, but it continues south on the freeway, winding through Magney‑Snively Natural Area before ending at Becks Road.
If you plan to visit the Aerostich factory or will be passing through Duluth on your Lake Superior Circuit Tour or other motorcycling in Minnesota, I highly recommend adding the Skyline Parkway to your itinerary. Due to Duluth’s icy winters, some sections of the Skyline Parkway are closed for the season, so plan accordingly.
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