First Look At The Freshly Reopened Canal Park After Yearlong Construction Project

Just in time for the busy summer season, a popular Duluth destination has reopened to the public!

Last spring, I shared that the green space in front of the Lake Superior Maritime Museum & visitor center in Canal Park would undergo a lengthy construction project. (The space is actually known as "Canal Park". I know, confusing. Canal Park in Canal Park.)

Anyway, the area was closed to the public last spring for the US Army Corps of Engineers to construct a new shoreline protection system and better connect the pier to the Duluth Lakewalk.

The Lakewalk (and adjacent shoreline) was restored a few years ago after extensive damage from a few powerful storms that brought with them strong, damaging waves.

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The area right in front of the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center was not part of this city project, as it falls under the US Army Corps of Engineers' jurisdiction.

They spent the 2025 construction season working on the shoreline and sidewalk infrastructure to connect with the recently improved Lakewalk in a more seamless capacity, pausing during the winter, and finishing the work this spring.

During the project, a tall fence blocked some iconic views and forced people to detour from the Lakewalk around the construction site to get to the Lift Bridge and pier.

Those fences came down this week, opening the area to the public for the first time in about a year. The only remaining fencing is some orange snow fencing that's been put up temporarily to keep people off the new sod that was put in. Aside from that, it is now open for the season!

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One of the biggest changes you'll notice is that you won't need to walk or push a stroller through a pile of rocks on the sidewalk connecting the Lakewalk to the pier. At least, that's the hope. The small rocks that often covered the end of the sidewalk near the pier have been contained in barriers along the edges of the sidewalk in the area.

There are a number of other improvements to the area beyond that. Here's a look at the newly reopened space!