This month I ventured north to my family to my home town of Duluth to celebrate my birthday. We always do the usual sights – Canal Park, Maritime Museum (it’s free!), and walking along the lake walk!
But one stop we REALLY wanted to make this time was Spirit Mountain Adventure Park. We hadn’t visited there in 5 years, when our daughter was only 4 and our son was too young to go on any of the attractions. We loved the Timber Twister Alpine Coaster, which is a 5-minute, 3200 foot ride down (and back up) a mountain. You control the speed, which can go up to 26 miles per hour. But they also have other attractions including a Zip Line and Mini-Golf, so I thought it would be a great way to spend a day with my family!
We arrived midday and got our wristbands, which are good for unlimited rides on all open attractions. The wristbands are $49 (as of June 2019), but if you purchase online 24 hours in advance you can save $10.00 per wristband. There are also options to purchase rides individually.
Tickets can be purchased in the Sprung building where there are also restrooms and concessions (snacks and drinks). You can also view and purchase souvenir photos from the Alpine Coaster ride.
First stop: Timber Twister Alpine Coaster! The line varied from a 2-minute wait to a 10-minute wait while we were there, but they did a good job of keeping the line moving.
You can ride individually or in pairs. We put on our seatbelts and waited our turn!
Wheee! The ride was awesome! We rode several times and went down at our own speed – I thought I was pretty fast but my kids said daddy was faster (I say because he’s bigger…).
You get a beautiful view of Lake Superior during the ride, which you can actually watch in its entirety here:
We did it! When you get to the bottom of the hill you get pulled back up and get to just relax and enjoy the views.
After we got a few Alpine Coaster rides out of our system, we had to try the Zip Line.
Like the Alpine Coaster, you can ride the Zip Line individually or with someone else. Then whoosh – you go down 700 feet, come to a stop (it’s pretty quick), and then you’re pulled back to the top.
This ride lasts about 90 seconds.
There is also a neat 9-hole mini golf course, designed by a nationally-renowned local architect, David Salmela. Our kids were too excited about the coaster and Zip Line, so we didn’t get to do this, but other families were enjoying it.
Our kids definitely had to try the Jumping Pillow. I recommend bringing socks with some grip on the bottom for your kids as the surface was hot from the sun.
What you should also know about Spirit Mountain
- Spirit Mountain has attractions throughout the year. They’re best known for great skiing in the winter (it is Duluth after all!), but many don’t know about how much they offer in the summer. In addition to their great Adventure Park, there is Camping, Mountain Biking and Youth Mountain Biking Camps for ages as young as 2! (See the post I wrote about their camps last month.)
- Spirit Mountain makes for a great Minnesota staycation with lodging nearby! With Mountain Villas right onsite, and various other hotels nearby, there are plenty of options.
- There is also a Scenic Chairlift that we missed (hours aren’t always the same as the Adventure Park). It’s included in your wristband, otherwise it’s $17 per person per day for unlimited rides.
- Spectators are welcome, but may not be able to see much. My dad came to watch, and there are several benches and picnic tables available. Unfortunately it’s hard to see all the fun happening from the benches, at least for the Alpine Coaster and Zip Line, so I recommend spectators bring a book.
- For more about pricing, visit their rates page.
- They also have a DEALS page! Visit this before you go for different promotions. They had some great deals the last time I checked!
I love this video (and the cool music) – it’s a great tour of Spirit Mountain!
For more info about Spirit Mountain:
Main Web Site: They have a DEALS page
Villas Web Site: http://spiritmt.com/mountain-
Spirit Mountain Deals Link: http://spiritmt.com/deals
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/spiritmt
More about DULUTH!
- Read more about other fun things to do in my post “Ten Ways to Enjoy Duluth for Less.”
- Pick up the free Northland coupon book at locations like the always-free Maritime Museum in Canal Park!
- Check out VisitDuluth.com for upcoming events and more info!
GIVEAWAY!
***GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED***
Want to win 4 free all-day wristbands for Spirit Mountain Adventure Park in Duluth? For your chance, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. You can get up to 10 entries total. For 3 entries just leave a comment below!
Note that if you click “I Commented” be sure you actually left a blog comment. I can’t tell you how many times people click “I Commented” but didn’t actually do so! It’s a bummer when I have to disqualify them. So be sure to leave a comment – any relevant comment will do!
Enter by Monday, August 21st and the winner will be chosen randomly and contacted on Tuesday, August 22nd.
This post was updated June 2019.
(Disclosure: We received 4 complimentary wristbands for our family in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.)
Meghan Sather says
Looks like fun!
Alix says
I’ve always wanted to check this out. The Alpine coaster looks awesome!
Christy says
My kids would love the Alpine coaster and zipline!!
Nate Dixon says
Can’t wait to give it a try!!!
Chriss says
Oh, i miss spirit mountain! I used to go on nature walks here on my breaks everyday working at a local buisness. The coaster was tons of fun last time i went many years ago. Looks like they’ve been busy adding more and more things. I hope I win!
Elizabeth Johnson-Knapp says
This looks so fun! I look forward to checking it out!
Amber Krieg says
I love Duluth! I can’t believe I’ve missed this place. How awesome!
Katie ottinger says
We are heading to Duluth for my hubby’s bday on the 30th for a few days. It would be so fun to take the kiddos and check out Spirit Mountain!!
Tara Moe says
The family would love this!!!
Katie says
Looks so fun!
Steph Hill says
Oooh this would be fun !!
Taya says
Love to go
cassie merrill says
I’ve always wanted to go! Looks like so much fun. My kids would love it!
Lisa says
I’d love to visit Duluth with the kids!
Melinda says
Totally need to take a family trip!
Melanie Johnson says
My kids have never been to Duluth. This would be a great reason to make the trip.
Jovan smith says
Never been, but would be a great family adventure for our adventureless family summer.
Bill Underwood says
As always… THANKS!
Nicole Winker says
I been to Duluth many times but have never been to Spirit Mountain. Looks like a great time!