The Mesabi is a very unique trail for MN. Most midwest rail trails are flat & somewhat boring. The Mesabi has numerous hills (many pretty steep) and curves. The scenery is spectacular even though much of it is obscured by small trees & shrubs close to the trail. Amenities are few & far between but most of the small towns have restaurants, bars, stores for the basics.

My main complaint is that the trail disappears as you pass through the numerous small towns; you have to be hyper aware. It is replaced by sidewalks, narrow roadways, road shoulders which are often poorly marked & in poor condition, hence dangerous. It's hard to enjoy a continuous, flowing ride. The worst town on this count was Virginia (fairly big town) as the trail jogged on & off roads & sidewalks, through parks, across busy streets, etc. I took an alternate route upon returning on another rough road & got a flat a mile from the end. There was also a bridge construction detour between Hibbing & Chisholm which is supposed to be done by this Oct. If you're tired of boring farm-country trails, give this one a try.

My husband and I biked 3 sections of this trail during and just after Labor Day weekend. It's a beautiful trail, wide and smooth and remarkably scenic. Not a lot of facilities at the trail heads, but all the little towns have pit stops of one sort or another. It is noticeably hillier than the other rail trails we've ridden in Minnesota. Bring lots of water and be prepared for some long climbs with occasional steep grades. We found the signage at the trail itself to be very good, although it is still a little confusing trying to find some of the trail heads. Trail usage was surprisingly light considering how beautiful the weather was. Maybe this trail just hasn't been discovered yet.

Virginia -> Mountain Iron (4.5 miles)
We rode this trail segment just before sunset and thoroughly enjoyed it. Getting out of Virginia was a little messy, but after about a mile of crossing and re-crossing the same busy street we found ourselves on a beautiful wooded trail that occasionally opened out to breathtaking fields of wildflowers. Just before you get to Mountain Iron there is a long dip down, then a longer hill up past the Wacootah Ore Pit, which is full of deep blue-green water. Mountain Iron itself is worth a quick tour. It's the site of the first mine on the Mesabi Range, and fiercely proud of the fact. This would be a great ride on a hot day, since the trail has lots of shade. On the other hand, coming into Mountain Iron just at sunset was a beautiful sight, with the sunset glinting off the historic town hall, the town founder, and the little steam shovel in the park.

Chisholm -> Hibbing (10 miles)
If you can only ride one segment of the trail, this is the one to pick, especially if you're interested in the local history and culture. The town of Chisholm is big enough to have a hotel and some places to eat but small enough to be charming. And the Hull Rust Mine at the Hibbing end of the trail is absolutely jaw-dropping. You can skip Iron World, but you don't want to skip the World's Largest Open Pit Iron Mine. The trail in between is scenic, including a perfect photo op of the beautiful gorge between Chisholm and Hibbing. The trail is far enough from the highway to be very quiet, and the ore dumps are overgrown with wild flowers from May through September. There is one big hill; the rest is gently rolling. There is, however, no shade. We rode on a perfect autumn day with temps in the 60's so this wasn't a problem. If you're riding in the summertime, I'd recommend this segment as an early morning or evening ride.

Here's how to find the downtown Chisholm trail head. The main street of Chisholm is called Lake Street, and is easy to find - just keep driving towards the water tower until you come to the street with all the storefronts. Go downhill on Lake Street until you come to the town lake. Right where the Bridge of Flags starts is the trail head kiosk. If you start at this trail head and ride to the Hull-Rust mine the trip is 10 miles each way, not 7. If you're staying at the Chisholm Inn, ride east and north on the frontage road and pick up the trail at the south end of the lake, right where it crosses the busy north-south street.

Chisholm -> Buhl (4-5 miles)
Perfectly nice ride, but not as pleasant as the other two segments we rode. The trail was wide and smooth, but ran close enough to the road so that the traffic noise was noticeable. Several long, steep hills, including one back-breaker close to the Chisholm end. And there's no shade at all. The one redeeming feature of this stretch of trail is the view of Chisholm from the top of the big hill.

I think there's an error on the last review of this trail. This trail is paved, it is smooth. The surface isn't broken up at all. There is no need for a mountain bike on this trail. I think he's talking about the wrong trail. I last rode this trail in July 07 and there are constant improvements. There was two very short unpaved sections due to road construction but that was it. I wonder what section he rode?

"This trail holds promises of granduer when in fact is poorly laid out and even worse when it comes to finding services needed for touring cyclists. The map I recieved from the web site is horribly inaccurate and the trail surface is rough and poorly maintained. Unless you are day riding with a mountain bike, stay clear of this one."

"I rode this trail from Grand Rapids to the floating bridge past Taconite. I also rode this trail from Marble to Pengilly(see my other review).
And I rode this trail from Hibbing to county road 661 east of Buhl.
The trail is scenic with open pit mine lakes, some really nice long distance views and the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere sometimes.
But the trail looks to be a combination of MUP(multiple use path) and rail/trail.
From Grand Rapids the trail starts hilly and doesn't hit rail/trail for about 5 miles.
After reaching Taconite the trail heads down a steep, steep grade and over a floating bridge in a swamp. Then very shortly after that bridge the trail dead ends on a local highway.
I try to avoid highways if I can, so I went back.
I then rode from Marble to Pengilly.(see seperate review)
If you are going to look for trail heads, I suggest you get a map before you start. I wrote down directions and I couldn't find one of Chisholms trail heads, the one I wanted of course. So I started at Iron World. If the fair happens to be session I don't think you could start from there, because it goes through the middle of the fairgrounds. The directions for the other trail head were flawed. It turns out I was there, but if that's a trailhead where was the parking. It looked like you were supposed to park on an ATV trail!
The only thing about parking at Iron World is that the trail from there to get to the trail is 1.5 miles long, downhill. But you know what that means especially on a hot day like I had(it hit 90).
I rode to Hibbing on a mostly flat rail/trail.
East of Chisholm on the trail is not a rail/trail until you reach Buhl. The ride was up a big steep hill with a nice view overlooking Chisholm at the top. From there until Buhl you ride alot on old 169(it's closed) but there is NO SHADE at all.
Riding east out of Buhl again is rail/trail, but that ends in a few miles. You then have to ride on a local highway south to continue on a trail. That trail is hilly and near U.S. 169 until I turned around at local road 661.
Be prepared to climb hills on this trail, bring bug repellent and be ready for some solitude."

"On July 8th I rode the trail from Marble to Pengilly. The trail looks brand new over the whole distance.
Leaving Marble it's obvious that between here and Calumet it is not a rail/trail. There is a long climb and several smaller ones going the other way.
Once reaching Calumet the rail /trail starts again. The trail dead ends on state 65 about a mile north of Pengilly.
The surface is great, but if you don't like climbing avoid the segment from Marble to Calumet."

"I've decided to keep posting updates on this trail. About 80 of the 132 miles is now completed, and we rode it all this summer. It just keeps getting better. It's never dull--fantastic varieties of scenery, wildlife, Minnesota history (plan on an afternoon on the Iron World side excursion--this should not be missed--take the historic train ride), and a curving, dipping, rising ride on a smooth trail. The trail over the Laurentian Divide isn't done yet, but that will be a scenic major climb and descent. Also the trail will curve past the old underground mine and experimental physics station at Tower (Go down!) If you're not entranced by the crystalline quality of the old mine tailings ponds, you're just not an outdoor person. Watch your trail map on the one weak segment of the trail through the city of Virginia and be ready for two short, steep climbs heading east from Virgina. If you're a golf fan take the side trail (from under the bridge at Embarrass Lake just east of Biwabik) up Giant's Ridge between Biwabik and Aurora and scope out the two championship golf courses carved out of the mountainous forest. Check accommodations ahead if you're not camping--northern Minnesota can be a tough place to find a bed in the summer. Sammy's in Hibbing is a great Italian meal stop. "

"We tried the completed portion from Grand Rapids to Taconite last summer and found it to be our cup of tea. The trail has enough twists and gentle rolls to keep you interested and a marvelous variety of sights, the best of which may be the old mine pits now converted into small, crystal clear lakes. Once the whole trail is completed to Ely, this should be one of the country's great rides. "