The Paul Bunyan State Trail is a multi-use recreational

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

in north-central

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, United States, running between the cities of Baxter/ Brainerd and

Bemidji Bemidji ( ) is a city and the county seat of Beltrami County, in northern Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,574 at the 2020 census. According to 2021 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 15,279, making it ...

. It is named after the giant lumberjack

Paul Bunyan Paul Bunyan is a giant lumberjack and folk hero in American and Canadian folklore. His exploits revolve around the tall tales of his superhuman labors, and he is customarily accompanied by Babe the Blue Ox. The character originated in the or ...

of American folklore. The route was part of the

Burlington Northern Railroad The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a Mergers and acquisitions, merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996. Its historical lineage begins in the e ...

lines abandoned in 1983. The trail covers a distance of . The southern extension, completed in 2012, moved the southern terminus to

Crow Wing State Park Crow Wing State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Crow Wing Rivers. The park interprets the site of Old Crow Wing, one of the most populous towns in Minnesota in the 1850s and 1860s. The ...

. The route through Bemidji follows city streets until an off-road path can be secured. The Paul Bunyan State Trail intersects with the

Heartland State Trail The Heartland State Trail is a multi-use recreational rail trail in north-central Minnesota, USA. It runs between Park Rapids and Cass Lake, intersecting with the Paul Bunyan State Trail around Walker. The entire route is paved, with a parall ...

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...

and in Bemidji joins the

Blue Ox Trail Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ob ...

, which continues to the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...

. As of 2013, the

Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon The Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon is a race in Bemidji, Minnesota, first run in 2013. The race runs around a lake, along a state trail and through a state park. It takes place in October, when many of the forest surroundings are bright with color. Th ...

runs on the portion of the trail along Lake Bemidji to Lake Bemidji State Park.

References

External links

Paul Bunyan State Trail

PaulBunyanTrail.com
{{Authority control Burlington Northern Railroad Leech Lake Minnesota state trails Protected areas of Beltrami County, Minnesota Protected areas of Cass County, Minnesota Protected areas of Crow Wing County, Minnesota Protected areas of Hubbard County, Minnesota Rail trails in Minnesota Brainerd, Minnesota