Modern society loves creating alternative realities around shared themes. Take ugly sweater contests, “The Great Gatsby” parties, or masquerades for example—concepts that center around fun and fantasy. Biking has these features, too—allowing riders to escape mundane reality by embracing two-wheeled freedom and imagination. Minnesota’s 4,000-plus miles of paved bike trails are great places to get yourself far from the ordinary. Mix in some singletrack mountain biking trails and gravel paths for good measure. Whichever you prefer, use our curated guide to explore themed rides across the state that fit your lifestyle and interests.
Courtesy of Lovin' Lake County
Go Back in Time
The paved Root River State Trail in southeastern Minnesota’s Bluff Country runs 42 miles from the town of Fountain east to the quaint hamlet of Houston (once a steamboat port and railroad hub). The Root River Valley & Southern Minnesota Railroad (RRV&SM) was chartered on March 2, 1855, and the towns that popped up along the railway are full of historical landmarks and buildings that transport you back in time on today’s bike trail.
To park in Fountain, turn from Highway 52 onto County Road 8, and proceed 1 mile to the parking lot near the city park. To park in Houston, turn west on Plum Street off Highway 76 and go one block to the Nature Center.
The trail follows the Root River, which unites four other rural communities on its way—Lanesboro, Whalan, Peterson, and Rushford. These towns offer welcoming amenities, including bed-and-breakfasts, campgrounds, restaurants, and shops. Just beware of abundant ice cream stops: Some also call this route the “ice cream to ice cream” trail.
Lanesboro is full of historic buildings like Old Village Hall and Hotel Lanesboro. Browse through the History Museum, and if you’re riding through town in the fall, view the History Alive! Lanesboro theatrical performances. Take a break at Pedal Pushers Cafe on Parkway Avenue for bicyclist-friendly dining and spirits.
Further down the trail, stop in Peterson to check out the 1877 Peterson Station Museum, with historical memorabilia, photographs, and artifacts of a different age.
Photo by Chris Pascone
Urban Sprawl
How many cities have a mountain bike trail crossing them from one end to the other? Duluth does. The sprawling “Zenith City” has its own 41-mile mountain bike traverse trail, generally considered to be a moderately challenging ride. If you start at 6 a.m. on a summer morning, you can finish riding the entire Duluth Traverse (DT) by sunset. There’s even a Race Across Duluth, or RAD, held in September each year.
Duluth is rugged, and its Traverse is, too. The Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores (or COGGS—Duluth’s bike advocacy group) call the DT a “mostly flow trail
with a few unavoidable rocky sections.”
You’re never more than half a mile from any neighborhood on this ride, with cafes, bars, and other goods readily accessible. Enjoy exploring Duluth’s micro-neighborhoods one after another. You can park and start at Chambers Grove Park—ride north on the
St. Louis River Trail and watch for official DT trail markers. Heading west, the Traverse takes you through Spirit Mountain Recreation Area (campground available) and Brewer Park, then skirts the Lincoln Park Craft District, which is a prime example of Duluth’s urban renewal with a lively bar scene. You’ll see mountain bikes parked all summer long at Superior Street’s breweries, cideries, and distilleries, like Wild State Cider, Ursa Minor Brewing, Duluth Cider, and the brand-new Duluth Whiskey Project. Ride down paved Lincoln Park Drive from the DT to get fast access to restaurants and bars, or take the demanding Lincoln Park Craft Connector Trail if you want to jump gaps and hit drops on your way down. Just be prepared for a wicked climb back up to the DT.
After riding east across Observation Hill, with stunning views of Lake Superior, you’ll come through some beautiful urban woods into the Chester Park/Central Hillside neighborhood. Here, you have two colleges—The College of St. Scholastica and the University of Minnesota Duluth—and more camping available at UMD’s Bagley Nature Area. When the DT crosses West College Street, take a detour down to Woodland Avenue to find all kinds of college-centered cuisine. Tavern on the Hill has an extensive outdoor patio right across the street from a free bike repair station.
Finish up the Traverse riding through Hartley Park over to Hawk Ridge, and then
it’s downhill all the way to the trail’s end in Lester Park, where Lake Superior is just
steps away. Congrats—you’ve just put a new spin on urban sprawl.
Photo by Chris Pascone
Commuter’s Paradise
Are you a fan of sustainability, efficiency, and quality of life? Do you like getting the blood flowing to start your day, while enjoying the sunrise scenery? If you said yes, Midtown Greenway is your bike-commuting dream come true. This active transportation corridor in the heart of Minneapolis can be even faster than crossing the city by car at certain times of the day.
Nestled 20 feet below street level in an early-20th-century railroad cut, the Greenway provides barrier-free travel. In some sections, you’re pedaling under bridges carrying city traffic overhead. In others, you’re on a levy, with car traffic passing underneath you. It’s like biking on cruise control.
“I get on the Greenway at 6:30 in the morning, and I see the same people every morning going to work,” says Andrew Anderson of South Minneapolis. Anderson’s favorite part about the trail? The public murals that line the Greenway. “There are murals under every bridge, and you don’t get distracted by traffic, so you can enjoy them,” explains Anderson.
The Greenway has westbound and eastbound biking lanes, as well as a separate walking path. This well-developed infrastructure, combined with the surrounding tranquil gardens, make this rail trail a commuter’s paradise. You can use it to get to work by bike 365 days a year—the Greenway is plowed in winter and lit at night.
Industrial Transportation
Minnesota is full of railroad lines turned into bike paths, but perhaps none is more dramatic in scope than the Mesabi Trail. On the Iron Range, you can cycle through 28 different towns and travel 162 miles by bike. Start from the east end of the trail in Ely, parking in the lot off Miners Drive and riding to the Mesabi Trail entry point kiosk. Or start from the west in Grand Rapids, parking at the north end of the Itasca County Fairgrounds lot. You can also find parking and trail access in any of the other 26 communities in between.
Throughout the trail’s path, you’ll see evidence of the mining and forestry industries that spawned the railway connections. Various sections of the trail use former stretches of railbed once operated by the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway (DM&IR).
This system was once the largest transporter of ore and taconite in the United States. The trail isn’t all old railbed, though—expect plenty of hills with both challenging climbs and luxurious descents. Paved trail predominates, with some gravel sections in spots.
Get a stunning view of the Rochleau open pit mine from the dedicated Mesabi Trail
bike lane on the state’s tallest bridge in Virginia. Visit Locomotive Park in Mountain
Iron—the self-proclaimed Taconite Capital of the World—and see the Minnesota
Discovery Center in Chisolm. Enjoy the contrast between the region’s historical
heavy machinery and your featherlight bike.
Photo by Adobe/Daniel Thornberg
Pack a Pole
Fishing and biking seem to go hand in hand: Both are quiet, peaceful pursuits that can promote introspection. To make fishing a part of the ride, you’ll need a compact, packable rod. A Tenkara fly rod is a long telescoping rod with no reel, just a short line tied to the rod tip. It’s fishing in its simplest form, and perfect for when your ride crosses a stream
with a nice trout pool below. Flip some flies into the creek for brookies or browns.
If Tenkara fishing sounds too simple, bring a collapsible multipiece rod and spinning reel in your pannier bag, and cast further out from shore on lakes and rivers. One trail with a plethora of piscatorial opportunities is the Paul Bunyan Trail, starting from the scenic Brainerd Lakes Area.
Named after the legendary lumberjack, this trail carries rich folklore, while also leading through rich fish habitat. There are 115 miles of trail all the way north to Bemidji, crossing spots like the Turtle River, Mississippi River, and seven other rivers and streams perfect for shore casting. To enhance the fishing theme, stop in at legendary local fishing store Reeds Family Outdoor Outfitters in Walker. Or take a short detour on the Heartland State Trail to see the Nevis Tiger Muskie Sculpture.
Photo by Michelle Pierson
State Parks Sampler
The Gitchi-Gami State Trail is a paved bicycle trail that parallels the dramatic Lake Superior shoreline in bits and pieces between Two Harbors and Grand Marais. Why only pieces? Currently, 36 out of an eventual 89 miles are complete. Not coincidentally, the finished segments generally run on state land (think state parks) that dot Superior’s shores.
Gooseberry Falls State Park, Iona’s Beach Scientific and Recreation Area, Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, Temperance River State Park, and Cascade River State Park all play host to the Gitchi-Gami State Trail.
Sure, you won’t be able to bike between them all on a trail, and taking narrow, twisty Highway 61 can be a harrowing experience. But if you’ve got a car to fill in the gaps, you can ride trail sections leading to whispering waterfalls, Lake Superior overlooks, and sunny shorelines in some of the best state parks in the Midwest.
This year, the Gitchi-Gami Trail Association is celebrating a quarter century of supported bike rides. Their 25th Annual North Shore Bike Ride will be held on Aug. 16, 2025.
Photo by Chris Pascone
Backwoods Biking
Biking is synonymous with exploration. Many of us choose to explore hard-to-reach areas by bike. If exploring the backwoods on two wheels is your kind of adventure, Minnesota’s Arrowhead is your playground. Backwoods biking is everywhere here, whether you take gravel National Forest Service roads or singletrack mountain bike trails. Why not combine them both? To make it more of an adventure, trick your bike out for bikepacking, carrying your own sleeping system, tent, and food for an overnight excursion.
Start your backwoods trip at Britton Peak Trailhead in Tofte. Ride the spectacular Jackpot and High Climber singletrack mountain bike trails for 16 miles through the deep woods to Lutsen. You’ll cross only one road (Onion River Road) the whole way. The maple ridges here are particularly stunning in fall.
High Climber will bring you to Ski Hill Road in Lutsen, where there are multiple lunch options at Lutsen Mountains resort. Then it’s time to live dangerously. Head north
from Ski Hill Road on the logging road that parallels the Poplar River. This remote
two-track eventually crosses the Poplar (the bridge is not maintained). Then head
due north to Barker Lake Road, from which you can connect with Honeymoon Road
and then the Caribou Trail.
From Caribou, ride the beautiful gravel roads of Cook County toward Grand Marais. Your woods ride will bring you east on Murmur Creek Road, Pike Lake Road, Cascade River Road, and Bally Creek Road—all home ground to the Le Grand du Nord cycling race held each May. Camp overnight at Cascade River Rustic Campground or Devil Track Lake Campground to round out a glorious day.
Make your pick on day two: Roll into Grand Marais on more gravel and celebrate
your ruggedness with a beer in town (you can overnight again at the Grand Marais
Recreation Area, with 296 campsites), or go straight to more singletrack glory at
Pincushion Mountain Trails on the Gunflint Trail.
Read the digital edition of Minnesota Monthly‘s 2025 Bike Minnesota guide!
