Mesabi Trail offers excellent day hiking in Minnesota’s Itasca County

Mesabi State Trail in Keewatin. Photo courtesy of City of Keewatin.

Northwoods forests, turquoise lakes, and intriguing rock outcroppings await day hikers on several segments of the Mesabi State Trail in Minnesota’s Itasca County.

The unfinished bicycle/walking trail runs from Grand Rapids to Ely. When completed, the paved path, including its stem trails, will stretch 115 miles. The trail can be broken into several smaller day hikes that are easy for families with children to handle.

In Itasca County, the trail rambles through several communities, roughly paralleing U.S. Hwy 169. Day hike segments that are heavy on nature, from west to east, include:
g Itasca County Fairgrounds to Soldiers Lane segment – The trail’s western end begins in Grand Rapids at the Itasca County Fairgrounds, where there’s plenty of parking, running through a forested area with a few fire breaks. Turn back at Soldiers Lane for a 1.8-mile round trip.
g Clemsen Avenue to First Avenue segment – In Coleraine, park off of Clemsen Avenue north of Hwy. 169. Follow the treeline west until it opens up, allowing access to the trail. Head east through the woods and past two ponds until First Avenue in Bovey comes into sight for a 0.8-mile round trip.
g Bovey west and east segments – In Bovey, park at the lot for the tennis courts off of Fourth Avenue north of North Street; walk north along First Avenue, turning right/east onto the dirt path that leads to the main trail. Go left/north for the west segment, which heads through a wooded area to a pond; turn around at the pond for an 1.5-mile round trip. For the east segment, from the dirt path instead go right/south, which runs past athletic fields to between a pair of ponds for a 0.75-mile round trip; the east segment can be extended by up to 1.5-miles round trip with a walk through a forest to Hwy. 169.
g Hodgins Avenue to County Road 15 segment – In Taconite, walk south from Hodgins Avenue into a woods until reaching County Road 15 for a 1.33-mile round trip. Park along Hodgins Avenue with the trailhead west of Bennett Street.
g Ekman Avenue to Hill Annex Mine State Park segment – In Marble, park off street near the Ekman Avenue and Ethel Street intersection. The trail heads due north from the intersection to near a lake on its way to the Hill Annex Mine State Park in Calumet for a 2.5-mile round trip.
g Second Avenue to Snowball Lake Road segment – Park along Second Avenue east of Morgan Street in Calumet and take the connector to the main trail. Go left/east past several rock outcroppings, turning around at Snowball Lake Road for a 2.6-mile round trip.
g County Road 86 to O’Brien Creek segment – In Nashwauk, park on the asphalt off the Mesabi State Trail’s intersection with County Road 86 north of Hawkins Avenue. Head east to O’Brien Creek for a 1.8-mile round trip.
g Seventh Avenue to segment – In Keewatin, park in the dirt lot off of Seventh Avenue at the County Road 82 intersection. Take the trail west through a woods to where it splits from County Road 582 (which goes south to Hwy. 169) for an 3-mile round trip.

Tomorrow: Day hiking the Mesabi State Trail in St. Louis County

Find out about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Great day hikes await on Mesabi Trail

Mesabi State Trail. Photo courtesy of Minnesota Dept. of Tourism.

Northwoods forests, turquoise lakes, and intriguing rock outcroppings await day hikers on several segments of the Mesabi State Trail in Minnesota’s St. Louis County.

The unfinished bicycle/walking trail runs from Grand Rapids to Ely. When completed, the paved path, including its stem trails, will stretch 115 miles. The trail can be divided into several smaller day hikes that are easy for families with children to handle.

In St. Louis County, the trail rambles through several communities, stretching from Hibbing and Virginia north to Tower and Ely. Day hike segments that are heavy on nature, from west to east, include:
g Greyhound Bus Museum to Morton Road segment – In Hibbing, the trail runs 5.2-miles round trip past three ponds. Park at the Greyhound Bus Museum, head west on the trail, and turn back at Morton Road.
g Carver Road to County Road 125 segment – In Buhl, head east from the parking lot off County Road 582 north of Culver Avenue to County Road 125 for a 2-mile round trip. The trail heads alongside a lake through a wooded area.
g County Road 25 to Whiteside Road segment – South of Kinney, walk west from the parking lot off of County Road 25 north of U.S. Hwy. 169, turning around at Whiteside Road. The trail runs past two ponds for a 3-mile round trip.
g Mountain Iron east segment – In Mountain Iron, park in the lot off of County Road 582 (aka Main Street) near the County Road 102 (aka Maple Avenue) intersection and head southeast between two ponds. When the trail turns northeast, turn back for a 1.2-mile round trip.
g Virginia west segment – On Virginia’s west side, take the trail just south of the Third Street (aka County Road 109) and Third Avenue (aka Parkville Street) for a 3.6-miles round trip through pine forest to the end of the Mountain Iron east segment. Parking for a couple of vehicles is available at the Third Street and Third Avenue intersection.
g Gilbert south segment – In Gilbert, take the trail southwest near the shores of Lake Ore-Be-Gone then through a pine forest, turning back at County Road 97 for an 3.4-mile round trip. Park in the lot off of Wisconsin Avenue southeast of the Kansas Avenue intersection.
g Embarrass Lake to Giants Ridge segment – A 3.6-miles round trip walk through a thick forest alongside the Embarrass River runs from Embarrass Lake to Giants Ridge Road in Biwabek. A parking lot is off of County Road 135 on the north shore of Embarrass Lake with an underpass to get north of the highway.
g Tower Civic Center to Lake Vermillion segment – In Tower, the trail parallels and twice crosses the East Two River. Park at the Civic Center and hike the trail northwest about a mile to Tower Park on Lake Vermilion.
g Downtown Soudan to McKinley Park Road segment – In Soudan, a spur to the main trail curves north of town through pines along the edge of Soudan Underground Mine State Park. Park at the trailhead off of Main Street between First Avenue and Church Street; turn back at County Road 4596/McKinley Park Road for a 1.2-mile round trip.
g Milt Stenlund Trail – In Ely, the trail reaches its eastern end after running about 1.25 miles one-way (2.5 miles round trip) through a wooded area past a pond from North Savoy Road to the International Wolf Center (on East Sheridan Street); park the center. Those wishing to extend the hike can head alongside the southshore of Miner’s Lake.

Related article:
g Day hiking the Mesabi State Trail in Itasca County

Find out about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Great day hikes await Tower/Soudan visitors

Soudan Underground Mine State Park.
Photo courtesy Minnesota DNR.

Wild rivers, scenic lake shores, and peaceful conifer forests await day hikers in the Tower/Soudan area of the Minnesota Northwoods.

Several national forests and state parks and forests surround Tower/Soudan. The two small communities can be reached by taking U.S. Hwy. 53 north from the Duluth/Superior metro area than Minn. Hwy. 169 northeast.

Among the many great day hiking trails in Tower/Sound are:
g Arrowhead State Trail segment – Though a snowmobile trail, the 135-mile trail running from near Tower to just shy of International Falls can be walked during the other seasons. Park in the lot off of Minn. Hwy. 1 west of Holter Road and take the trail south about 0.9 miles (1.8-miles round trip) to Lehtinen Creek, which empties into Pike River Flowage. Hike it in autumn when the trail won’t be so wet.
g Bear Island-Lake Trail segment – At one time, mineralogists drilled for diamonds near a lake along this trail. From Minn. Hwys 1/169, southeast of Soudan, take Murray Road south to the trailhead; hike 0.4 miles (0.8-miles round trip) to Skeleton Lake’s northern shores.
g Iron Ore Trail segment – The snowmobile trail in winter and hiking trail in summer runs south of Tower, passing through Wahlsten and Embarrass until connecting with the Taconite Spur Trail. Park at the pullout on Sherman Road east of Minn. Hwy. 135; hike south along the creek that flows into West Two River. It’s just under a mile round trip from the trailhead to the river.
g Mesabi State Trail segment – The unfinished bicycle/walking trail runs from Grand Rapids to Biwabik with a small section completed in Tower. Park at the Civic Center and hike the trail northwest about a mile to Tower Park on Lake Vermilion.
g Putnam Lake Trail segment – The route connects the Iron Ore Trail and the Fishing Lakes Trail in Bear Island State Forest, south of Tower and Soudan. Park at the turnout when Sherman Road curves northeast at the fire break, east of Minn. Hwy. 135; take the jeep trail southeast to trailhead. Hiking the trail west includes a bridge over West Two River and walk alongside the waterway; turn around at the junction with Iron Ore Trail for a 2-mile round trip.
g Open-Pit Mines Loop – The aboveground trail at Soudan Underground Mine State Park heads 2.3 miles through a northern hardwood conifer forest. Park at the picnic area lot; the trailhead leaves from the entrance road west of the lot.
g Soudan Underground Iron Ore Mine Historic Tour – Day hikers can walk tunnels a half-mile underground at Minnesota’s oldest iron ore mine. The unique historic tour at Soudan Underground Iron Ore Mine State Park takes visitors through 2.7 billion years of geological history and includes a short aboveground segment.
g Taconite State Trail segment – Primarily a snowmobiling trail running 165 miles from Grand Rapids to Ely, a segment of it in Tower can be day hiked during the summer. A 1.5-mile round trip route starts between Pine and Birch streets south of South Third Street and heads over the East Two River; turn back at the second crossing of the river.

Read more about day hiking Northeast Minnesota in my Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northeast Minnesota guidebook.