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The Freedom Trail follows a spur of the Great Northern Railroad, the construction of which lead to the 1886 founding of nearby Minot. The transcontinental railroad, now part of the BNSF Railway, ran from St. Paul, Minnesota to Seattle, Washington.
The trail begins on the outskirts of Minot and travels north for 10 miles along the former Tatman Branch Line right-of-way, named for the Tatman township and constructed in 1957 to serve the Minot Air Force Base. The line was abandoned by BNSF in 1997, when it was purchased by Ward County. It remains unimproved with a gravel surface, but is open to the public. The path parallels 27th Street NE for most of its length, offering a straight, flat route through the countryside that ends at Minot Gate, the main entrance to the military base.
There is currently no designated parking for this trail.
Now called the Freedom Trail, the stretch by the base is long, flat, and wide open. It is well maintained gravel.
If this trail had some clay and crushed limestone rolled & packed it would be an excellent trail. The Sign at the North end of the Trail by Minot AFB Commercial Gate states, This is an unimproved trail. Surface is soft or has large ballast, not suitable for a 3 wheel cycle.
Noel Keller 18 Oct 2011
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