Minnesota’s Largest Bike Trial Completed After 30 Years
Bike trails are gaining in popularity around the US. While you would think that these trails would be in rural areas or built on abandoned railroad tracks, that isn’t always the case. One of the most popular trails is in New York City. Another is in Washington DC.
Now after 30 years, the longest paved bike trail in Minnesota is finally completed, reported NPR. Spanning 165 miles (266 kilometers) the Mesabi Trail stretches between Grand Rapids and Ely and passes through 28 towns, forests, and wetlands.
While 30 to 40 percent of the trail was built on old railroad grades, the rest is a mixture of old logging and forest roads.
Sarah Ciochetto, deputy director of the St. Louis and Lake Counties Regional Railroad Authority, which manages the bike trail told NPR, “It’s quite a mix of terrain, which makes us different than a regular rail trail because we’re not straight and flat; we’re all over the place.”
The Beginning of the Mesabi Trail
The idea for the Mesabi Trail came from former US representative Jim Oberstar in the early 1990s. An avid cyclist he was a visionary in foreseeing the rise in popularity of bike trails. But it took many years for it to come to fruition and to get the funding. Now after 30 years, the trail was finally completed in September 2026, reported The Ely Echo.
The funding came from a myriad of organizations over the years, including grants, government agencies, organizations, and volunteers.
“No single organization, funding source or individual could have built what we see here today. This trail is the product of three decades of partnership and persistence,” Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation commissioner Ida Rukavina, told The Ely Echo.
The project was led by the Mesabi Trail Work Group chair Bob Whalen and project manager Bob Manzoline who worked to push the trail forward. But the construction was also not easy as the trail supporters faced challenges from challenging landscapes and pushback from landowners.
“Some of these places that Bob and I went to, they were saying, you know, these bicyclists, they’re going to rob us and steal our batteries from our snowmobiles and rob and pillage. They didn’t quite understand what bicyclists do,” Whalen said.
Another issue arose when Manzoline approached the Ely city council to use a snowmobile trail for the trail route. It ended up that the bike trail was built on the snowmobile trail and the work was completed.
How to Use the Trail
The trail use has been growing steadily, according to NPR and in 2025, 285,000 people used the trail, but it should increase this year due to the grand opening celebrations.
While most of the cyclists come from the Twin Cities, people come from the Midwest and other places. Some of them will cycle just a part of the trail and others will do the entire route over several days. People camp out or stay at short term rentals or motels that are available along the trail. The Mesabi Trail organization also runs a shuttle service from the end of the trail back to the beginning.
According to the Mesabi Trail organization. The bike trail offers amazing scenic views of the forests of Northern Minnesota, crosses bridges, as well as historical areas that tell the story of old iron ore mines and the logging industry.
If you are looking to travel by pedal power instead of cars, cycling this trail will give you an experience like non other. So, bring your wheels, your gear and enjoy the ride before the snow falls.
