Growth in state's new mountain biking trails goes for a different mix

Mountain bike sellers and buyers addled by supply-chain issues wrought by the pandemic can take heart that the supply of places to ride across Minnesota is abundant. And getting larger.

Gary Sjoquist said the growth is exciting, and he is anticipating the impact. Sjoquist is a longtime bicycling and trail advocate and co-founder of the Minnesota Cycling Association, which has more than 2,000 student-athletes competing in its mountain biking race series, beginning later this month.

"[The trail expansion] is really interesting because of the social and economic impacts," he said. "It is the byproduct stuff that it has brought to the state."

Tourism around biking and other recreation at Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area is transforming the Cuyuna Lakes region, for example, with new resorts and businesses to accommodate residents and visitors. Nearly 25 new businesses have opened or gained new ownership in Crosby and Ironton since the trail system opened in 2011.

Managers of the new Redhead Mountain Bike Park anticipate similar good news farther up the Iron Range.

"We really do have something here and we have to do our best to capitalize on the momentum," said Jordan Metsa, who's helped coordinate the Chisholm system's first 25 miles and plans for expansion. Metsa is the funding development and marketing coordinator for Minnesota Discovery Center, an Iron Range museum and Redhead's main trailhead.

A glance at some current projects around the state:

Redhead Mountain Bike Park, Chisholm

With its red rock walls and canyons, Redhead Mountain Bike Park draws comparisons to the system in Cuyuna Country: abandoned landscapes reclaimed and rejuvenated from their beginnings as iron-ore mine pits. And like Cuyuna, Redhead has plans to expand on its singletrack trails.

In 2018, the city of Chisholm received $1.77 million from the state Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) to build Redhead, part of a $5 million investment toward trail work at Tioga Recreation Area, near Cohasset, and at Giants Ridge in Biwabik.

Now, Redhead is hoping to secure another $1.9 million next year from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) for "phase two" at the park, which will include 14 more miles, a skills park, and a pump track where cyclists can work on their skills. The funding also would pay for adapted cycling on new paths and widening some existing ones, and beef up conveniences for riders, like changing stations and an improved trailhead at the park's Glen location.

It's estimated that more than 25,000 riders have visited the park since its soft opening in June 2020. It officially opened this summer.

Metsa said Redhead will launch a public fundraising campaign this month to support the expansion, and watch for action on its grant request from the LCCMR. If approved, the funding would be allocated next summer.

"People are really starting to take notice and wanting to get involved," Metsa said. "I think it is exciting that we can love something together and build something together."

Split Rock Wilds, North Shore

Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is top of mind because of the new campground expected to open this fall, but the area is creating a buzz over its mountain biking, too.

A trail system called Split Rock Wilds, built and managed by Lake County's forestry department, is 12 miles of new singletrack pieced together over the last year — with more miles about to open. Cyclists thus far have accessed the trail at Cove Point near Beaver Bay. Another 10 miles under construction — and near completion — will create an entire loop between Cove Point and a southern trailhead in the new Shipwreck Creek campground at the state park, said Lake County forester Dave Cizmas. Access at the Wilds southern trailhead won't open until the campground does.

"This system is very different than any other system in the state," Cizmas said. "We very much built the trail for the terrain, on the terrain, and the terrain is really rugged."

County land commissioner Nate Eide and the department secured $1.8 million in Legacy amendment and IRRRB funding to begin the dirt work last year. There also have been local private donors, and trail help from nonprofit partners, such as One Track Mind Foundation.

For all the great ridgeline views of Lake Superior and boreal beauty, rock gardens might be the trail's signature. Cizmas said to imagine the gnarly climbs and drops of the Superior Hiking Trail, with its roots and jagged rocks, optimized for mountain bikers. Rock gardens cover places to accommodate spots with less dirt. The new addition will be a less intense ride and complement the original 12-mile track, he said.

While the Wilds waits on the state park's timeline to fully open, Cizmas said the Lake County staff has received positive reviews — and also seen signs of acceptance.

"We've had a bike shop move into Beaver Bay already," he said. "That tells me something."

Sagamore Unit, Cuyuna Country

Cuyuna Country park staff, Department of Natural Resources developers, and Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Crew volunteers are building 15 miles of singletrack in the park's picturesque Sagamore Unit near Riverton. The expansion, which will open next year, will include needed trailhead infrastructure: a rally center parking lot similar to Miner's Mountain, with changing areas, picnic areas, well water and, reflective of the volume of visitors, capacity for 80 vehicles. Nearly 161,000 cyclists rolled in the recreation area in 2020.

Funded by a grant from the city of Riverton and the IRRRB, the project includes now 7 miles for adapted riding, such as the use of hand cycles. The work fits with the vision for a diverse mix of riding experiences, said Steve Hennessy, a DNR parks and trail development consultant. Several new trails opened this summer in the Mahnomen and Yawkey units for intermediate and advanced cyclists.

"We are pretty excited about that piece of this project," Hennessy said of the adapted trail, "and opening up mountain biking to a larger segment of the population."