From Gravel Pit to Climbing Hit: Building Quarry Park into NE Minnesota's Premiere Ice Park

What happens when a group of underground ice climbers — who spent decades wondering if their next visit to an abandoned quarry might be their last — decide to stop waiting and start organizing? You get one of the most remarkable outdoor recreation comeback stories in Minnesota.

 In this episode, we head to Duluth to explore Quarry Park (also known as Casket Quarry), a former gravel mine turned beloved city park and world-class ice climbing destination. We’re joined by Dave Pagel, a Duluth-based writer and outdoor advocate who’s been climbing at the quarry since 1978, and Hansi Johnson, Engagement Director for the Minnesota Land Trust, who helped orchestrate the public-private partnership that made the park a reality.

Together, they trace the quarry’s journey from industrial eyesore to neighborhood hangout to legitimate, nationally recognized ice and mixed climbing venue — and share the near-miss moments that almost derailed it all.

 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The quarry’s fascinating history — From its origins as the Duluth Stone Company in the early 1900s, to decades as a neighborhood party spot, to an informal climbing destination discovered in the late 1970s — including how the “Casket Quarry” nickname came to be.
• How a ragtag climbing community became an organized coalition — The story of how the Duluth Climbers Coalition (DCC) formed as a 501(c)(3) in 2015, galvanized by the Saint Louis River Corridor Initiative and $18 million in state funding.
• The critical moments that almost ended it all — Hansi recounts four pivotal junctures where the project could have collapsed: getting DCC to formally organize, discovering the quarry was split between the county and a cemetery association (who didn’t even know they owned it), navigating years of liability concerns, and finding an obscure 19th-century pipe that was the only legal way to route water to the park.
• The ice farming innovation that’s changing the sport — Quarry Park’s smartphone-controlled ice farming system can be operational in three hours rather than the days it takes elsewhere — and as a bonus, actually gave the surrounding neighborhood better water pressure than it had ever had before.
• A park for everyone, not just climbers — How community input expanded the vision to include disc golf (drawing players from as far as Nebraska), hiking trail connections to the Duluth Traverse, dog walking, foraging, and more.

Key Organizations & Resources Mentioned

• Duluth Climbers Coalition (DCC) — The nonprofit partner that helped transform Quarry Park. Their signature annual event, the Duluth Ice and Mix Fest, draws climbers from across the region each February.
• Minnesota Land Trust — Hansi’s organization, which played a central role in the public-private partnership process.
• The Access Fund — The national climbing access organization that provided critical legal guidance throughout the liability negotiations.
• COGGS (Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores) — Duluth’s mountain bike trail-building organization, whose success inspired the city to invest in other outdoor recreation opportunities.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with someone who loves the outdoors. Until next time, we’ll see you outside.

Credits: 
Producers: Randolph Briley & Cody Nelson 
Hosts: Sarah Strommen and Lauren Bennett McGinty
Original Music by Andrew Haaheim and Alsever Lake