Mesabi Trail

The Mesabi Trail is a 132 mile paved bicycle trail running from Grand [Rapids, Minnesota] to Ely, Minnesota. As of 2022, two sections remain to be completed: McKinley to Biwabik, and the seven miles south of Tower. Trail construction is expected to be finished by 2026. The trail goes through the many small towns along it, such as Marble, Keewatin, Hibbing, Mountain [Iron, Minnesota|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 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	Chisholm	50 miles
2006	Biwabik	Hibbing	57 miles
2007	Marble	Virginia	51 miles
2008	Marble	Virginia	51 miles
2009	Grand Rapids	Chisholm	50 miles
2010	Biwabik	Hibbing	50 miles
2011	Chisholm	Grand Rapids	48 miles
2012	Grand Rapids	Virginia	64 miles
2013	?	?	?
2014	Fayal Township	Coleraine	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.