Echo Valley Motocross Park

Echo Valley Motocross Park sits on 40 rolling acres off Lavoy Road outside Brookston, Minnesota, 30 miles west of Duluth and 12 miles up Highway 33 from Cloquet. The track is a mile of natural terrain with a big view, headlined by a 90-foot tabletop and a run of high-flying jumps that bring the top riders in the Midwest to its race weekends. Amber and Spencer Kadlec run the place, and the tagline on the fliers is good rides, better people.

Racing is AMA District 23 through ARMCA, five dirt-bike weekends a season plus a quad MX weekend in the fall and a Range Riders Motorcycle Club hare scramble that uses the moto track for Saturday practice. Echo Valley pairs with MotoCity Raceway in Little Falls and Staples on the NorthStar Series, 15 races with more than $20,000 in giveaways for riders who race nine of them, and the September Premier Event is the Northern Region's D23 featured round with bonus points, live music, a petting zoo for the kids and three concession stands. Race weekends open the gates Friday at 4 PM, run organized practice Saturday from 9 to 3, and race Sunday from 8:30 practice laps in a two-moto format. Entry is $35 for each of the first two classes and cheaper after, quads are $40 a class, gate is $10 for everyone 4 and up, and overnight parking is $20 a night with no hookups but a water fill. Between the motos the crew stages dodgeball, lip sync contests, buddy and Moto Mom races and parades.

The Saturday practices are open to non-racers, $35 a rider from 9 to 3, and they are the easiest way to ride the tabletop; AMA membership is required for them under the track's insurance, and race Sundays need a District 23 card as well, with day passes sold at the gate. Wednesday evening practices at $30 split big bikes and little bikes when the track schedules them. Full gear is required down to over-the-ankle boots and a chest protector, minors without a parent need a notarized release or an AMA annual minor waiver, pit vehicles are registered at the gate for licensed drivers 18 and up, and cash saves the 5 percent card fee. Call before you haul at (218) 391-8422 or (218) 270-0423.