Superior Hiking Trail closes due to Crosby wildfire now spanning 160 acres

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The portion of the Superior Hiking Trail that will be closed due to the Crosby wildfire. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center.  (Supplied)

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (FOX 9) - A part of the Superior Hiking Trail will be temporarily closed due to the Crosby wildfire in northern Minnesota. 

Closure of Superior Hiking Trail

What we know:

According to the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center, a part of the Superior Hiking Trail in the George H. Crosby Manitou State Park will temporarily close. 

The portion of trail will close at 8 a.m. Friday, Oct. 10. The trail will be closed between Caribou Falls State Wayside Rest to Lake County Road 7. 

The state park is currently staying open. 

Fire officials say a weather change expected on Friday will shift the winds from the south to northwest, which could push the fire toward the Superior Hiking Trail. 

The wildfire has expanded to 16 acres, but is 25% contained. 

The backstory:

The fire broke out on Oct. 9 at the George H. Crosby Manitou State Park on the Lake Superior North Shore. It went from 50 acres to 160, but is now starting to be contained. 

Steep terrain is making it difficult for firefighters to access the fire, which is primarily in a remote ridge area of George H. Crosby Manitou State Park. This is along the Lake Superior North Shore between Duluth and Lutsen, about 10 miles southwest of Tofte.