bike trail guide PAUL BUNYAN

An investment in American heritage.

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The Brainerd Lakes Area offers hundreds

of miles of scenic, low traffic, and

smooth bike routes.Area Trails Include:Cuyuna Lakes TrailCuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike TrailsPillsbury Forest Mountain Bike TrailsScenic & low-traffic routes

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Minnesota’s Playground

Paul Bunyan Trail The 115-mile, paved Paul Bunyan Trail is Minnesota’s and the country’s longest paved rail trail. It has been inducted into the Rails to Trails Conservancy’s Hall of Fame, as a “signature Minnesota destination.” The trail starts at Crow Wing State Park near Brainerd and ends at Bemidji State Park near Bemidji. Including a few on-road connections, the total mileage is closer to 123 miles.

The trail’s namesake, Paul Bunyan, is a reminder of the rich forestlands that supported a robust timber industry and are ever present on your ride through the pines. Much of the old red pine forest has been preserved in the Chippewa National Forest, which hosts a portion of the trail near Walker.

The northern trailhead is located in Lake Bemidji State Park.

You will see many incarnations of Paul Bunyan and his sidekick, Babe the Blue Ox, in towns along this one-of-a-kind trail, but there are some things you can only find with the help of technology. Geocachers call the Paul Bunyan trail a Power Trail because almost 1000 geocaches wait to be discovered along the route.

The Paul Bunyan Trail winds through the tall pines of the Chippewa National Forest. Vic Olson photo.

36 Summer 2015 Minnesota Trails

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