Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Charity Smith/Daily Globe A Mt. Zion nature trail bridge over a creek on the campus of Gogebic Community College in Ironwood is in disrepair after being damaged in a flood in 2016. College officials hope to repair this and other bridges in an effort to revive the trail.
IRONWOOD - Behind the ski chalet of Mt. Zion lies a hidden gem - a nature walk through the woods, over a small stream, covering approximately a mile. The walk has been used year round for hiking, snowshoeing and fishing, and even Frisbee golf, said a Gogebic Community College spokesperson.
However, in 2016 a great "hundred year flood" severely damaged the two wooden bridges along the path. College officials plan to repair the bridges.
"Imagine how nice this would be if these bridges were redone," said college president George McNulty told the Daily Globe on a recent walk along the trail. "Hopefully, we can get it done this year."
The college has been seeking a contractor for the bridge repair project since early May, but McNulty said the college has not yet received any bids.
McNulty said contractors may face challenges accessing the bridges with equipment and supplies without destroying the natural habitat. He said the other issue is the wet and muddy terrain. "It's super, super soggy," he said.
The 2016 flood heavily damaged the bridges and dislodged them, moving them away from the path in spots. Now the broken bridges are partially hidden by overgrown brush.
"You wouldn't even see this bridge," said McNulty, pointing to one of the broken structures under overgrown ground cover.
He said that particular bridge could be replaced with something smaller than what he estimated was 18 feet wide.
McNulty said the bridges were put up in the early 1980s.
"This is beautiful all times of the year. It's incredibly beautiful and it adds to what we can offer on the recreation side," he said. "This whole area is just such a neat place."
