Trip Planning + Navigation (Event Photos)
Thank you to everyone who joined us at our Trip Planning and Navigation on the St. Louis River Estuary National Water Trail event at Bagley Classroom on February 25, 2025!
Melody David-McKnight, Sea Kayak Coordinator for UMD’s Recreational Sports Outdoor Program (RSOP), and student staff Anna, led us on a daydreaming adventure along the St. Louis River. 27 attendees learned about essential trip planning topics such as route selection, access points, gear recommendations, safety tips, and wind and weather considerations. We had the opportunity to touch and try various safety essentials such as a bilge pump, strobes, flares, and more.
Participants followed along on the free St. Louis River Estuary National Water Trail map as we practiced hands-on navigating with a compass. This event was open to the public in an effort to provide free information to help the community feel more confident to get out on the water safely.
We look forward to hosting many more similar events. If you’re interested in joining, sign-up for our newsletter for event updates and more!
This event was made possible through generous financial support from the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR), in partnership with the City of Duluth.
St. Louis River Estuary National Water Trail Resources:
General Launch + Access Point Information
Safety Information
Compass Work
Parts of a Compass and How to Chart a Course / AKA "Coffee Table Daydream" (charting a course starts at 2 minutes 58 seconds) *Melody talks about coordinates in this video, which could be confusing. It should say "bearing" instead of "coordinates."
Triangulation (strategy for getting yourself unlost)
Forecasting Tools
Marine Zone Forecast for Park Point and the Saint Louis River. Predicts wave height.
Windy: great for visualizing wind direction
Always cross-check with the standard forecast, since sometimes the Marine Forecast fails to talk about potential for thunder.
Classes!
