"If you are camping, stay off this trail, you may not find anything. State run rest stops have been stripped of their trash cans and picnic tables. Other states recognize the improtance of bike trails and maintain and support them. I am sad to say Minnesota does not."

"I rode this trail in mid July from Carlton to Duluth and back. The trail is paved with asphalt but is need of repair as the surface is rough in some places. The bridge over the St. Louis River gorge is awesome. You get plenty of scenic views elsewhere along the trail too.

The ride from Carlton to Duluth was pretty much just a coast cause it's mostly downhill. Even the ride back against the slight grade wasn't difficult. However, if you're going to ride from Duluth west note the parking at the Duluth trailhead is mimimal and lacks water and restroom. In fact the first restroom on the trail from Duluth is at the Carlton trailhead, which is about 15 miles away. That includes water too.

The trail doesn't have all that many road crossings and doesn't have a road paralleling it, so that makes it all the more enjoyable."

"This is the central portion of a trail system that will eventually go from Winona (near MN's southern border) to Canada and is already connected to Wisconsin's beautiful LaCrosse to Elroy trail. The portion from Hinckley to Carlton is typical central Minnesota terrain--flat, straight, often windy, and easy--but the final leg from Carlton to Duluth remains our favorite ride. This segment passes near the Jay Cooke State Park (take the time to ride down into this scenic wonder)and over the St. Louis River gorge, then cuts through the rocks of Barden's Peak over Lake Superior's bay. In Duluth, you can hook the old Highway 61 trail to Two Harbors--very bike friendly, usually quiet, and a beautiful ride along the North Shore of Lake Superior. "