Find the top rated bike trails in Hibbing, whether you're looking for an easy short bike trail or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a bike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The Taconite State Trail runs for 165 miles between Grand Rapids and Ely, Minnesota, but only the first 6 miles in Grand Rapids are paved. Most of the trail is used in winter for snowmobiling and...
Running through the colorful heart of northern Minnesota’s Iron Range region, the Mesabi Trail is well on its way to becoming one of the longer paved trails in the United States. When completed, the...
The Longyear Lake Trail encircles its namesake lake in the city of Chisholm, Minnesota. On the southeast side of the trail at 4th Avenue, trail users can connect directly with the 115-mile Mesabi...
The Taconite State Trail runs for 165 miles between Grand Rapids and Ely, Minnesota, but only the first 6 miles in Grand Rapids are paved. Most of the trail is used in winter for snowmobiling and...
The Longyear Lake Trail encircles its namesake lake in the city of Chisholm, Minnesota. On the southeast side of the trail at 4th Avenue, trail users can connect directly with the 115-mile Mesabi...
Running through the colorful heart of northern Minnesota’s Iron Range region, the Mesabi Trail is well on its way to becoming one of the longer paved trails in the United States. When completed, the...
The Longyear Lake Trail encircles its namesake lake in the city of Chisholm, Minnesota. On the southeast side of the trail at 4th Avenue, trail users can connect directly with the 115-mile Mesabi...
Running through the colorful heart of northern Minnesota’s Iron Range region, the Mesabi Trail is well on its way to becoming one of the longer paved trails in the United States. When completed, the...
The Taconite State Trail runs for 165 miles between Grand Rapids and Ely, Minnesota, but only the first 6 miles in Grand Rapids are paved. Most of the trail is used in winter for snowmobiling and...
I've ridden this trail several times in the past. This August '20 I took a shuttle from Hibbing to south of Eveleth, not doing a long out & back as usual especially considering the many hills. It was well worth it & would do it again next time when more eastern pavement is in.
I camped in Grand Rapids at the city park which is where the western end starts. Avoid when cars are racing nearby--awful noise for hours. The next day I went east almost to Hibbing--very steep hills. Close to GR I took a branch trail that led to a ball field--ok but disjointed.
All in all a very unique trail for MN where most trails are relatively flat & straight.
I've ridden this trail several times in the past. This August '20 I took a shuttle from Hibbing to south of Eveleth, not doing a long out & back as usual especially considering the many hills. It was well worth it & would do it again next time when more eastern pavement is in.
I camped in Grand Rapids at the city park which is where the western end starts. Avoid when cars are racing nearby--awful noise for hours. The next day I went east almost to Hibbing--very steep hills. Close to GR I took a branch trail that led to a ball field--ok but disjointed.
All in all a very unique trail for MN where most trails are relatively flat & straight.
Have to agree with the positive reviews. The varying grades, scenery, history and over-all length make this trail a real winner. The remarks regarding a lack of water spouts and other amenities are generally accurate, and some of the dinky towns may not have much in the way of said amenities, however by and large it's one helluva trail. One of my favorites in the entire state, truthfully. Those mine pits make for excellent swim/dive sites, incidentally. Besides, I've learned never to look a gift horse in the mouth—you cheat yourself out of a lot if you do!
This trail has varied terrain and lots of side trails as well. If you encounter illegal ATVs on the trail you are to call 911. That is what the park security has directed us to do. We had to report several ATVs to the police in Nashwauk. The police already seemed to know who it was, they did not require to see the photos of the law breakers.
My son and I rode this trail in early August, from Grand Rapids up to Giant's Ridge. We did a self-supported bikepacking trip, camping overnight for two nights along the trail. This gave us plenty of time to see the sights.
It is a glorious trail to ride! It's well used by the locals, generally very well marked and maintained, and really a delight to ride. Other than three or four 8% grade hills, it is not a strenuous ride. The hills are generally quite short so that other than those few bigger hills previously mentioned, a beginner rider could easily do this trail. There is a section of the trail just before Biwabik that is on the road/hiway, and so this section may not be suitable for a beginner.
A word of caution for those camping and/or riding the entire trail: There is no water source at any point once you leave Grand Rapids - no pumps or spigots. Plan to carry plenty of water or be prepared to find a spot in one of the many towns the trail goes through to beg for water (the bars were quite accommodating)! Also, the only actual campsite area was just off the trail in Buhl. Otherwise, camping is limited for bike-packers. I highly recommend this trail for the ride experience and for the history lesson on Minnesota's iron range. There are many support mechanisms in place as well, for those that need it, including shuttle service. Well worth the WheelPass!
No doubt the Mesabi Trail offers a unique experience that's hard to beat. Like the best of the rail trails, but with hills and curves added. I rode 106 miles in two days of round-trip riding from Chisholm to Grand Rapids and had a very good time doing so. Very nice scenery, not too many road crossings, an excellent surface.
The trail stops at the edge of most cities and takes to the road until the other end of town. Most of these segments were pretty well signed, but coming into Nashwauk from the east I encountered conflicting signs posted next to the road and painted on it, followed the wrong one, and went out of my way almost a mile before backtracking.
One poorly signed road section is not a surprise. The biggest surprise (apart from the fact that I didn't at all mind the hills) was the lack of any true trailheads along the way.
The ideal trailhead has a dedicated parking lot for trail users, picnic tables, water, toilet facilities, and the gold standard: shade and showers. Many trailheads lack one or more amenities, but typically a trail has one or two trailheads with most of them.
Many towns along the trail had little to no off-road adjacent parking, there were few bathrooms, and not one trailside place with water to fill my bottles.
Another quirk which is not so unusual was the mileposts. They were spotty for the first 10 miles, then much more prevalent. There were 3 places between 0 and 48 where I found unaccounted gaps of up to 1/2 mile between two mileposts, so by the time you reach 48 you've gone 49. And I went several miles further by riding the "official" (i.e., noted on the map) side trails at Pengilly and Chisholm. Add that to my off-trail adventure, and that's how it took 106 miles to do 48 miles out and back.
We rode from Grand Rapids to Virginia. the trail currently ends in Virginia due to road construction. The trail was in great shape. Any bad spots were spray painted white so you could see them.Yes, there are some hills. Nothing anyone who rides much would worry about.All in all this is an amazing trail. Go now.One downside... restrooms and water almost non-existent.
My husband and I did 53 miles of this trail on the Mesabi Bike Tour in July 2015. It was a well supported and organized ride. We really enjoyed the cooler up north temps and beautiful scenery. The hills are long and challenging but lots of nice downhills too. I had enough after 53 miles. Would love to go again next year!
My wife and I stay at the Hidden Haven Resort in Cohasset, about 10 to 15 miles NW of Grand Rapids. Bob and Katie are the owners, and great people, and the fishing is very good! I usually come in from fishing around 1:30-2:00 grab a snack,and my road bike and head to Grand Rapids to ride the Mesabi. Great trail and scenery! I have road all of it now except the area south out of Ely that's not all completed yet. We go the last week of Sep. for peak color. Awesome ride!
Mark
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.
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