The Mesabi Trail is a 132 mile paved

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trail running from

Grand Rapids, Minnesota Grand Rapids is a city in Itasca County, Minnesota, United States, and it is the county seat. The population is 11,126 according to the 2020 census. The city is named for the long rapids in the Mississippi River which was the uppermost limit ...

Ely, Minnesota Ely ( ) is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,268 at the 2020 census. Located on the Vermilion iron range, Ely once had several iron ore mines. It is an entry point for campers and canoers into the Bou ...

. As of 2022, two sections remain to be completed: McKinley to Biwabik, and the seven miles south of Tower. Trail construction is expected to be finished by 2024.https://mesabitrail.com/trail-complete-from-tower-to-ely/ The trail goes through the many small towns along it, such as

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, Keewatin,

Hibbing Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range and still relies on that industrial activity today. At th ...

, Mountain Iron,

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. Much of the trail runs along abandoned railroad grade.

The Great River Mesabi Trail Ride

Since 2005, the Mesabi Trail has hosted a long bike ride every year in mid-August. Each stop (usually at a town or at intervals between towns) has fruit, water, granola, and other snacks. In Buhl, there is ice cream. The refreshments are free, as is the food at the ending destination, but there is a fee to ride in this event. To accommodate riders of different abilities, the ride includes multiple official starting points; while the full route may be 50 to 70 miles, intermediate starting places along the route may be as close as 8 or 10 miles from the end.

Historical signs

Along the Mesabi Trail there are signs that establish the history along it. Most of the signs notice certain areas as important to the Mesabi Range's early mining economy.

References

External links

Mesabi Trail Website
Bike paths in Minnesota Protected areas of Itasca County, Minnesota Protected areas of St. Louis County, Minnesota Rail trails in Minnesota {{Minnesota-protected-area-stub