Lodge to Lodge Bicycling

The Mesabi Trail takes its name from the original Ojibwa Indian legend, Land of the Mesabi, which means "Sleeping Giant." The trail winds beneath, around, and through the Mesabi Iron Range-- where the nation finds its largest supply of iron ore and the continent finds its divide; where water flows North to the Hudson Bay, South to the Gulf of Mexico, and East to the Atlantic. It is an enchanting place full of immigrant history and Native American legends. Along the trail you travel through the beauty of northern forests, past hundreds of crystal clear lakes and rivers, around the scenic water-filled iron mines known as the "great canyons of the north" and into the historic communities of the Iron Range.

While you are here for the adventure you might as well take in some of the other sights the area has to offer. While biking, stop and take a cooling dip in one of the areas many lakes. Explore turn of the century logging at the Grand Rapids Forest History Center. Spend a day mountain biking Giant Ridge's mountain biking trails. Land as an immigrant to find your fortune as a miner at Ironworld Discovery Center. Ride over 2,000 feet down a mines shaft to your workstation at the Soudan Underground Mine. Or find your wild side at the International Wolf Exhibit in Ely.

There's a lot more— especially the people and their exciting range communities! Iron Rangers are famous hosts— they make you feel part of their family!

The Mesabi Trail is a project of the St. Louis & Lake Counties Regional Railroad Authority in cooperation with the Itasca County Rail Authority. The trail office is located at the Ironworld Discovery Center in Chisholm, MN. For more information, see the Mesabi Trail web site.

The Adventure: Lodge to Lodge Bicycling

We are here to help. You pedal and we shuttle. You pick the lodges and inns along the trail and we pack your lunch, shuttle you to your car and fill you with a breakfast fit for a lumberjack or an iron miner. Most importantly, we give you tips to find the best dining, the highest overlooks and other exciting attractions along the trail.

You'll find nearly 70 miles of completed 10-14 ft wide paved bike paths on the Mesabi Trail. When completed, the Mesabi Trail will run from Grand Rapids through Communities of the mighty Iron Range to Ely. Its 132-mile length will make it the longest paved trail in the USA.