Norton Park

By Kelly Busche kbusche@duluthnews.com

Sestled between the St. Louis River and Interstate 35, the quaint Norton Park is home to numerous notable trails and part of the Lake Superior Zoo. The trailhead of Willard Munger State Trail starts in the Norton Park. It runs all the way to Hinckley, Minn., and its 70 miles pass through Jay Cooke State Park, Carlton, Moose Lake and Finlayson along the route.

The Western Waterfront Trail also zig-zags through the neighborhood and gives hikers or bikers a scenic path right along the St. Louis River. This five-mile trail runs alongside the Indian Point Campground, which is located on a small section of land that juts out into the river. Visitors can rent bikes, kayaks, canoes and pontoons to explore the nearby area and river.

A small section of the 300-mile Superior Hiking Trail also cuts through the neighborhood. It enters Norton Park near the base of Spirit Mountain Recreation Area to the south and leaves near the Lake Superior Zoo.

The neighborhood was the site of major flooding in 2012. While no one died, several animals from the

Lake Superior Zoo did.

A backed-up culvert in Kingsbury Creek, which acts as the border between Norton and West Duluth, caused the major flooding at the zoo. Floodwaters engulfed bird habitats and washed away barnyard animals, according to News Tribune reporting on the floods.

Some animals were able to escape because of the high-water levels. A polar bear named Berlin escaped, but was later found, tranquilized and brought back to the zoo.

Seals also escaped, with one making it as far as Grand Avenue. They were all found, and relocated back to the zoo. While numerous exhibits were damaged, the zoo opened less than one month later.

Throughout the rest of the city, the heavy rainfall and flash floods caused flooding, sinkholes, open manholes and mudslides.