Since 2010, the Duluth Area Outdoor Alliance has inspired collaboration within our outdoor recreation community to help connect more people to all of the incredible outdoor experiences Duluth and the surrounding area has to offer.
Our Mission
Our Story
The Duluth Area Outdoor Alliance (DAOA) started in 2010 when various individuals and organizations gathered to see how the local outdoor recreation community could better represent the existing outdoor recreation opportunities in the region. The original product of these meetings was the creation of the “Outdoor Duluth Recreation Map” that is currently printed and distributed by the City of Duluth Parks and Recreation Department.
Over time, DAOA started to meet more regularly and eventually became an alliance that coalesced around helping the City of Duluth envision, plan and eventually create the public support to fund the St. Louis River Corridor Initiative in 2016. Due to the hard work of the DAOA member-organizations, the City of Duluth passed a referendum to fund the recreational projects outlined in the St. Louis River Corridor Initiative to the tune of $18 Million Dollars, with the mandate that projects be matched dollar for dollar with other funds. Thus, $36 Million dollars have been invested in the community since 2016.
Partnerships
The Duluth Area Outdoor Alliance (DAOA) is a collaborative effort between many local non-profits, outdoor recreation advocates, educators, adventurers, and land managers.
The organizations + businesses that are involved and currently support DAOA:
Our Work
Some key projects include (but are not limited to):
Creation of Quarry Park, which includes new trailheads for the Duluth Traverse, the Superior Hiking Trail, as well as disc golf and an Ice Climbing Park with ice farming capability.
Creation of the Grand Avenue Nordic Center, a world class, cutting edge, modern Cross Country Ski Center with snowmaking.
Creation of the St. Louis River National Water Trail, a Congressional Recognized paddling trail on the St. Louis River Estuary.
Creation of the Duluth Traverse, a world class off-road cycling experience that traverses the length of the city of Duluth with over 100 miles of intentional, purpose built single-track.
Improvement of the Superior Hiking Trail and additional hiking trails in the City of Duluth.
Restoration of the DWP Rail Grade for cycling and walking.
DAOA gathered a majority of the Outdoor Recreation non-profits in the City of Duluth to harness the power of their memberships and build a valuable and robust voice for outdoor recreation in Duluth and Superior. One major DAOA celebration includes the Duluth’s Children’s Outdoor Charter, which was accepted by Duluth City Council as a resolution and clearly states that every child in the City had the right to play and learn in Duluth’s outdoor spaces. In doing so, DAOA created the “Adventure Gap” group which was a gathering of Duluth outdoor non-profits, as well as the City’s youth groups, to build partnerships and start a conversation on how, as a community, we could address and erase barriers to entry for kids going outdoors. Learn more about the Duluth’s Outdoor Children’s Charter HERE.
Present Day
Unfortunately, Covid was highly damaging to not only DAOA’s regular meetings and events, but it also deeply impacted many of the organizations involved in the stewardship of the newly built recreational infrastructure in the area. To that end, DAOA was re-launched in June 2022 through a City of Duluth Tourism Grant.
DAOA meets the second Tuesday of every Month as the committee of the Whole, but also has sub-committees that work independently on specific action items. In addition, DAOA has monthly socials to engage new volunteers and create connections between local organizations. DAOA has relaunched the Adventure Gap initiative, as well as put itself through a facilitated Mission and Vision session to better align itself with current times.
DAOA believes that by consistently bringing together the Outdoor Recreation community and fostering conversation, communication, and relationships, it can maximize the many benefits of the Outdoor Recreation lifestyle for our local communities.
If you are interested in learning more or getting involved, email DuluthAOA@gmail.com