Mesabi Trail
The Mesabi Trail is a 132-mile paved bicycle trail running from Grand Rapids, Minnesota to Ely, Minnesota. As of 2008, the trail is still under construction with approximately 97 miles of trail complete. The trail goes through the many small towns along it, such as Marble, Keewatin, Hibbing, Mountain Iron, Virginia, and Gilbert. 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.
| Year | Start | End | Max Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Biwabik (Giant's Ridge Ski Resort) | Chisholm (Ironworld Discovery Center) | 50 miles |
| 2006 | Biwabik (Giant's Ridge Ski Resort) | Hibbing (Bennet Park) | 57 miles |
| 2007 | Marble | Virginia (Olcott Park) | 51 miles |
| 2008 | Marble | Virginia (Olcott Park) | 51 miles |
| 2009 | Grand Rapids (Itasca County Fairgrounds) | Chisholm (Museum of Mining) | 50 miles |
| 2010 | Biwabik (Giant's Ridge Ski Resort) | Hibbing (Bennet Park) | 50 miles |
| 2011 | Chisholm (Minnesota Discover Center) | Grand Rapids (Itasca County Fairgrounds) | 48 miles |
| 2012 | Grand Rapids (Itasca County Fairgrounds) | Virginia (Olcott Park) | 64 miles |
| 2013 | ? | ? | ? |
| 2014 | Fayal Township (Township Hall) | Coleraine (Longyear Park) | 69 miles |
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.
