Walker Area Trail

[fatbaldpop1]

Anybody know any good trails near Walker? Need to be there tomorrow and will have some free time.

Thanks.

[TML]

Here's some ideas:

http://www.morcmtb.org/trailreviews/northeast/chippewanat.htm

I've ridden some in the Soumi hills but they're quite a ways from Walker.

Have fun exploring, it's a beautiful area.

--TML

[whitt_travis]

Gah! You suck! I wish I had the day off tommorow and I coulda trailed around with you... I'm in Bemidji, and you have a few options... There's the Heartland trail over there... If I remember right it'll take you down to park rapids... It's not much for mountain biking, but it's a nice paved trail for the most part. Mayn... Give me more heads up next time!

[TrailPatrol]

You're probably already up there, but here are three suggestions:

Stop by the US Forest Service office in Walker and pick up the "Biking" brochure, look at it and grab any of the corresponding maps that appeal to you. They are all free.

Stop by Backstreet Bikes in Walker. They can put you on all the best trails up there.

Three, check out Cass County's recreational website. It's www.casscomn.com (http://www.casscomn.com) and click on Bicycling. They have trails listed there.

There is a lot of good riding in the Chippewa National Forest and the Paul Bunyan and Land o' Lakes State Forests. Have a great weekend! I will be up there again in two weeks.

Ride safe,
:banana:
Hans

[whitt_travis]

Trailpro, Backstreet isn't really actively selling bikes or doing bike stuff anymore... I called the other day for a friend looking at the market and they said they quit selling bikes, and they may do repairs and tune ups by appointment only. Kinda sucks.

[homebrewbiker]

Anybody know any good trails near Walker? Need to be there tomorrow and will have some free time.

Thanks.My friend lives up there, is a cross country skier and suggested to me that I try the Shingobee trail, I think you take a right at the Holiday in downtown off of 371. I asked him if there were any no biking signs and he said he did not see any. He also said it is dirt trails and for skiing has some pretty wicked downhill sections.

Other than that you can take the Paul Bunyan Trail, there is a turnoff to the national forest, again not sure if the forest is OK for biking. Last few times I've been on the Bunyan Trail have seen some friggin' morons on 4 wheelers, kicking up a crapload of dust, pretty much ruining my biking experience. :mad: But that is another thread.

In the past, I have also biked in Hackensack near Woman Lake on the old logging trails, some good stuff and some boring stuff.

[whitt_travis]

The heartland trail or whatever it's called is pretty lame now too, it used to be an old dirt railroad grade but now they smoked it and paved it all... Used to be able to find stuff along the trail to make it worthwhile. But it's a nice paved trail otherwise.

[TrailPatrol]

The Paul Bunyan Trail and Paul Bunyan State Forest are two separate entities. The PBT runs from Baxter, next to Brainerd, to Bemidji, and is a very nice paved trail, with one other serious flaw. It's a 100 mile trail (57 paved miles so far) with no developed camping along it's route. The Willard Munger from Hinkley to Duluth and the Mesabi Trail from Ely to Grand Rapids (about 50% completed) have lots of good camping near the trails, and therefore I feel make a much better trip.

The PBSF is a multi-use state forest, adjacent to the Chippewa National Forest's west side. There are a number of shared trails in the forest, and it gets heavy ATV use.

Shingobee (a former downhill ski area years ago) is open to biking, as is the entire North-Country Trail in the Chippewa National Forest. Again, pick up a copy of the biking brochure at any USFS office (Cass Lake, Walker, Deer River or Blackduck) and the trail maps that accompany it. The NCT was badly overgrown when I tried to patrol there two weeks ago. I have not been advised by the Forest Service yet that it was mowed since I was up there.

Get ahold of Steve Johnson's Mountain Biking Minnesota at REI or Freewheel. He has a number of trails listed from that area in the book. Our website also has links to the Chippewa N.F.

One note: State forests are managed by the Minnesota DNR, and it is an agency just discovering that people want to ride moutain bikes on unpaved trails. (I know...they are my employer) National Forests are manged by the US Forest Service, a federal agency, which has a longstanding history of supporting mountain biking on the millions of acres it manages across the US, and a long standing agreement with IMBA to do so. For whatever reason, people confuse the two. I may work for the DNR, but I have been a US Forest Service volunteer for the past six years, because of their MTB policies. The DNR is learning, but it isn't going to happen overnight. In the interm the Chippewa and Chequamegon (WI) National Forests are very pro-mountain biking, while the Superior N.F. with it's BWCA and strong canoe emphasis, is also just starting to get into MTBs.

You are going to find a lot of places in the state and national forests to ride, but you need to be aware that much of it is shared trail with ATVs and/or horses or hikers. I am not big on riding with the ATV crowd, but the ones I have met on the trail have been very nice, and even shared a cold soda with me on a hot summer day. At least with ATVs, you know they aren't going to shy up and kick you, and they don'y leave deposits on the trail, either!

Ride safe,
:banana:
Hans

[homebrewbiker]

The Paul Bunyan Trail and Paul Bunyan State Forest are two separate entities. The PBT runs from Baxter, next to Brainerd, to Bemidji, and is a very nice paved trail, with one other serious flaw. It's a 100 mile trail (57 paved miles so far) with no developed camping along it's route. The Willard Munger from Hinkley to Duluth and the Mesabi Trail from Ely to Grand Rapids (about 50% completed) have lots of good camping near the trails, and therefore I feel make a much better trip.

Well it was the unpaved portion starting on the North side of Walker (close to where you can see the lake if memory serves) where I saw the ATV's, the sign said Paul Bunyan trail and I could have sworn it also said No Motorized Vehicles. It is a pretty boring and grueling trail, varying from loose sand to loose rock. From Walker it has a slight incline and wears me down fairly quickly. But the terrain is the biggest challenge (trying to keep the bike going straight through the loose sand in the center of the trail).

Next time I am up there I am going to try Shingobee, since I won't have the problem with ATVs up there (now that I know biking is OK). I have seen the Paul Bunyan Forest turn off but it didn't look too appealing and I didn't know for sure if bikers were allowed.

THanks for the tip about the book, I will definitely check it out.

As an aside, I love that area of the state. During the summer you can fish, bike and golf and also enjoy just about any water sport there is.

[GearDaddy]

It's been a few years, but I once rode the Paul Bunyan State Forest trails just north of Akeley. It was actually excellent. I attempted to follow the description in Cindy Bijold's/Cindy Storm's "The North Country Guide to Mountain Biking", but actually got lost. There was a ton of trail. Lots of pretty cool singletrack. The only problem was that I encountered some overgrown stuff and a few downed trees.

Afterward I did a little research and discovered that they call this the "Martineau trails". There is actually an enduro motorcyle event held on some of these trails. Follow the link, http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ohv/trails/martineau.html, and you can view a nice PDF trail map.

I basically only touched the trail on the west side of Hwy. 64, and only a small portion too (after 3 hours of riding!). It seems that these trails are more well known now, so I can't speak for their condition. I didn't see much evidence of ATVs, rather it looked more like motorcycles only. I saw noone else when riding. I'd really recommend these trails, but be prepared to do some exploring and possibly orienteering because nothing was marked that I could tell.

I've also skied at Shingobee before. Nice hilly and challenging trail system. There wasn't that much trail though. I would guess that it's only so-so for mountain biking like many X-C trail systems that tend to be grassy. But who knows, give it a shot.

[fatbaldpop1]

One of the great parts of riding up north in the various forests is the rugged nature of the trails. There will be blowdown, tremendous overhang, deep grass and unexpected rocks and roots. You will fall or slip...so be it. Find the ATV trails...those will test your ability as well. Rocks everywhere, branches slapping at you, but this is what enduro riding is all about in my opinion. The fact that so many people have responded to this thread is great. In the last year I have come across a bear (not cool) a timberwolf (very cool) beavers, deer, grouse, partridge, pheasant, horses (cool..w/o people), people (sort of cool), flowers that i cannot explain and critters I don't recognize.

Bring your camelback, abd bike repair kit and be prepared to get temporarily lost....LIfe is good...