Lakewalk Bike Trail Coastal Tour at NORC 2026: Coastal Engineering Along Lake Superior
It was a perfect Duluth morning for kicking off the Lakewalk Bike Trail Coastal Tour, a part of the National Outdoor Recreation Conference (NORC), which brings outdoor recreation professionals together to share ideas, projects, and best practices related to trails, infrastructure, and outdoor spaces.
AMI’s Ryan Dagger, along with the City of Duluth’s Landscape Architect Jim Shoberg and Senior Project Manager Michael LeBeau, led the tour, telling the story of how Duluth transformed from a heavily industrial city into a thriving outdoor and tourist town. The tour started at Harbor Plaza and ended in Canal Park, with stops at Bayfront Park, Corner of the Lake Beach, Beacon Pointe, and Brighton Beach.
AMI has contributed to many projects along the route, including:
Several improvements to the DECC seawall, including work supporting new cruise ship operations
Multiple phases of work to rehabilitate and protect the Lakewalk
Brighton Beach shoreline improvements
The tour highlighted the balance between resilient infrastructure and Lake Superior’s natural systems—touching on living shorelines, climate adaptation, and designing trails close to the shore. Participants also learned about how the Lakewalk is maintained, history of and the tourism that has developed around it, and the different coastal engineering techniques that have been utilized along sections of the trail.
AMI is proud to be part of the work shaping Duluth’s shoreline—past, present, and future.
