I’ve been hiking for over four decades—through national parks, along rugged coastlines, up alpine ridges, and I still get quietly excited when I discover a trail system that surprises me. Brewer Park in Duluth, Minnesota, is one of those rare places. It’s not about altitude or fame. It’s about depth. Subtle, layered, and evolving with every season.

At 67, I don’t charge up trails the way I did in my 30s. These days, I walk to listen, to the wind in the trees, to my own breath, to the land itself. Brewer Park speaks in a language I’ve come to understand well: steady, grounded, and deeply rooted.

An Understated Trek

Tucked into Duluth’s hillside, Brewer Park offers miles of interconnected trails that wind through dense forest, rocky outcroppings, and unexpected clearings. It’s part of the larger Piedmont-Brewer trail system and offers enough variety to keep both weekend wanderers and seasoned hikers like myself engaged.

I usually start on the Superior Hiking Trail section, it’s well-maintained and gradually climbs into the heart of Brewer’s higher terrain. The elevation isn’t dramatic, but the views you earn along the way are worth every step. From certain points, you can catch glimpses of Lake Superior framed by the silhouettes of boreal trees. On a quiet morning, it’s poetry.

Terrain With Personality

One thing I appreciate about Brewer is its terrain. It doesn’t hand things to you. The trails can be rocky and rooty in places, and after a rain, they demand good boots and even better balance. But that’s part of the appeal, it keeps you aware, keeps your mind sharp.

For those who’ve spent a lifetime hiking, you’ll understand what I mean when I say this park has character. You feel it in the way the trail narrows unexpectedly or how the moss softens the path in low spots. It reminds me of hiking in the Adirondacks in the ‘80s, raw and unpolished, but cared for in its own way.