Hike Paddle Ride Adventure Company
Exciting Ways to Explore the Grandeur of Duluth and the North Shore
Hike, Paddle, Ride Adventure Co owners Jake and Maria Miller and their daughter Lynnea (4yr) and son Finley (7yr). - Photo by Alannah Michalski
New Duluth residents Jake and Maria Miller were looking for ways that they and their two young children could enjoy and explore the beautiful great outdoors in the Northland.
The couple, who met in college, married in 2008 and moved to Duluth in 2018. He works for Cirrus and she is a teacher’s aide at Lakeview Christian Academy.
Maria is originally from Silver Bay, and she recalls enjoying the beauty of the Northwoods and the Lake with her family as a child. Jake is from Idaho and was more accustomed to the mountains and the wide open, sparse desert spaces out West.
Their move to Duluth was a trip down memory lane for Maria, and a new densely- wooded green terrain to discover for Jake. The family started exploring places they could hike, bike, paddle and camp on their own and with friends.
Lynnea Miller and her ride. Photo by Alannah Michalski.
The couple began talking about setting up a website to help others have the information they needed to explore Duluth and the North Shore. Before long they started selecting, mapping, photographing and taking videos of places to include.
“We started with ones that we wanted to try ourselves,” explained Jake. Their first adventure was kayaking on Fish Lake, and the list just kept growing from there. “We love doing all three and often go to locales where there is access to hiking, biking, and paddling,” said Jake.
Their project was the beginning of Hike Paddle Ride Adventure Company. Its mission is to help those searching for paths to hike, trails to bike, or places to kayak near Duluth and on the North Shore. The website offers users a wide variety of "package-ready" places to Hike, Paddle and Ride in Duluth and on the North Shore with very specific maps, and information
Breathtaking photos and videos add to the site’s plethora of information. “Doing this website, we get to see, document and explore a lot of exciting spaces,” said Jake. “We work on finding places that are super accessible, not requiring hours to get to.”
Hike Paddle Ride Adventure Co. - Website Photo.
Maria added, “We offer choices for seasoned outdoors people and beginners, and we are loving the feedback from everyone. We are proud of the helpful information offered at what we think is a much-needed site.”
“This is truly a family venture. Since it is so time-consuming, I don’t want to be out in the field on my own. We always look for ways to make it fun for the whole family,” noted Jake.
“Our son even likes to bring a sketchbook when we go out to draw what he sees,” added Maria.
Whether for hiking, paddling, or riding, their ready-made, self-guided excursions are designed to give people the confidence to know where they are going and what they will find when they get there.
Their website offers users “a stress-free, easy to plan, outdoor experience. People just need to select an adventure, view the data, get the directions and go!”
Their current “Hike Duluth” guides include Ely Peak, Skyline, Carlton Trail, Congdon Trail, Kingsbury and Keene, White Pine Trail and Lone Pine Trail.
“We especially love Ely Peak,” noted Maria. “It is an easy trail to get to and the 360-degree view is incredible.”
Gorgeous “Hike North Shore” sites include Oberg Mountain, Day Hill Trail, Lookout Mountain, High Falls, Humpback Trail, Kadunce River, Carlton Peak and Mount Baldy.
For those paddling in either kayak or on stand-up paddle boards, the “Paddle Duluth” section guides visitors to specific put-in and take-out locations. Duluth area bodies of water to paddle include Fish Lake West, Chambers Grove, Grand Portage, Cloquet River, Boyscout Landing and Fish Lake South.
“Paddle North Shore” spots on the site so far are Crooked Lake, Cascade Lake, Timber Frear, Crescent Lake, Toohey and Four-Mile.
Maria Miller and daughter Lynnea. Photo by Alannah Michalski
“Ride Duluth” sites with a variety of difficulty levels featured are Mission Creek, Munger Trail, Keene Creek, Park Point, Antenna Farm, Waabizheshikana Trail, and Skyline.
“Ride North Shore” trails also provide varying degrees of difficulty and include High Climber, Split Rock, Britton Peak, Gooseberry, Jackpot, Cutface Creek and Pincushion.
Each hike or ride adventure comes with driving directions to the trailheads, distance data, an elevation graph, and downloadable turn-by-turn picture directions to guide visitors along the trails.
The site even has links to gas, hotels, rest stops, campgrounds, restaurants, coffee, fast food, groceries, attractions, events, parks, museums, EV charging, banks and more.
The great outdoors doesn't always come with great cell phone coverage. Site users can plan ahead for losing cell service by saving driving directions, turn-by-turn photos, and other information to their phones.
The Millers are enjoying helping people find their perfect adventures. Tourists and residents alike are selecting a multitude of wonderful places to visit, engaging in activities to help stay fit, and creating unforgettable family memories along the way.
Plan your next Duluth or North Shore adventure at www.hikepaddleride.com
