There is signage now as the Paul Bunyan Trail enters a residential area in Bemidji. The route to connect back up with the rail trail portion is a few blocks, where it then skirts the shores of beautiful Lake Bemidji and crosses the Mississippi River. Truly, one of the most scenic portions of the trail.
Trail improvements are still in play to get a bridge crossing Paul Bunyan and connect up to the lakeside trail sooner. Bemidji is actively pursuing bike friendly wayfinding, trails and routes, so be patient as the City, State and local organizations work out the details to ensure safe, well marked experience for all. Come often to see our progress.

What a fantastic trail, especially now that it's completed to Bemidji. I've ridden all of it at one time or another. Recently, I rode the new section from Walker to Bemidji--very smooth, wide pavement--with hardly any users (on weekdays). At the Bemidji end there is no trail head or any signs or maps to the remaining route to Bemidji State Park so I skipped that part. Guthrie is the best stopping point on this stretch with benches, shade trees, porta potty and a large parking lot at the township hall. I couldn't get the water pump to work, however.

I've often found that the largest MN towns (Fergus Falls, Willmar, Brainerd) have non-existent or poor trailheads, while some of the smallest towns really go out of their way to accommodate users. A case in point is the small berg of Hackensack which has bathrooms (not a porta potty), shelter, benches, water, beautiful lake with fishing pier, restaurants, stores with snacks, etc. AND very friendly people. Schedule a stop here and Pine River which has similar amenities.

The trail between Hackensack and the Heartland junction is very atypical of MN trails with many hills and curves for 10-12 miles. Much of this is within the Chippewa National Forest. In addition to the hills and curves, you'll see towering pines, wild flowers and some great lake views at the southern end. When you connect the PB with the Heartland, there's over 150 miles of paved trails on which to cruise. If you go on only one of our wonderful trails don't miss this gem, I can't imagine a trail could be any better. (photos to come)

The trail is now paved all the way from Bemidji to Brainerd for a distance of 100+ miles. There is a 2 mile gap in the trail remaining at the south shore of Lake Bemidji in Bemidji that can biked using surface streets.

"My wife and I just completed a great trip. Rode from Baxter to Pine River, Walker, then Park Rapids on the Heartland Trail. We then reversed our direstion and returned to Baxter where the car was parked at the motel. The trails are great and if you don't camp there are places to stay in small cities along the way. The people were very helpful and every motel had a place to store the bikes. We plan on going back it was so much fun. Ron Gile"

"Don't expect to camp on this trail, you may not find it. State maintained rest stops have had all the trash cans and picnic tables removed. Very poor services. I was very disappointed."

"My wife and I rode the Paul Bunyan trail from Nosswa to Brainerd and back last Summer (2006). This year, in September, we are returning with 20 or so folks, mostly from Colorado, to bike the whole trail as well as much of the Heartland Trail. The PB Trail is beautiful!"

The paved portion of the trail has been extended from Hackensack to Highway 34 and connects with the Heartland Trail. I rode from Hackensack north about eight miles. You are in the northwoods without hugging a highway. It is very beautiful and peaceful. I highly recommend the trail.

My 12-year-old daughter and I rode the trail from Baxter to Pequot Lakes. We enjoyed the wild flowers and pine forests. The trail winds around dozens of lakes and if the sun is out you will see why the Indians called this the land of sky blue waters. There were plenty of gift and specialty shops to browse in Nisswa and Pequot Lakes.

We found a great resort called Breezy Point just six miles east of Pequot Lakes on Highway 11. The resort is on Pelican Lake and has a public beach. The lake is great for swimming with clear shallow water and a naturally sandy bottom. We will be back to explore more of the Paul Bunyan State Trail.

"This is a well-constructed trail whose first link (Brainerd to Nisswau) is downright spectacular as it curves around lakes, passes through shady forests and beside heavy marshes. Beyond Nisswau, the trail becomes straighter and is often too close to the highway to provide the quiet woodsy atmosphere of the first link. We went on a quiet day, though, and got in some very high-speed riding beyond Nisswau--the long straightaways are very inviting to speedsters."