Thurs, Sept. 25, 2025, Grand Rapids to Hibbing, MN (44 miles, 1576 ft. climb)
We couldn’t have asked for better weather for our first day biking the Mesabi Trail — mid-70s, partly cloudy, and a TAILWIND all day!
We were so excited to finally carve out a few days to try this new trail. The scenery did not disappoint, as we rode through forests and saw several deep lakes from former iron mines along the route.
There were two things that surprised us about this trail. First, it was HILLY! Nothing like the Southern Tier, or even most days on RAGBRAI in Iowa, but we were used to bike trails being straight and flat. At least the ones in Wisconsin. Beth actually liked the hills, though, as they provided variety and some exciting downhills.
The second thing that surprised us is that most of the small towns we rode through didn’t have a place to eat or even bathrooms or an obvious place to fill our water bottles. We were glad we each carried two water bottles. I think because most of the trail is relatively new, these accommodations will grow as more people come to check it out.
Anyway, today we rode from the birthplace of Judy Garland to the birthplace of Bob Dylan. We missed our biggest goal of getting a tour of the Hibbing High School. The only time slot was 3:00 pm, and we got a late start due to an elaborate breakfast and story session at the Gilbert Mansion. (No regrets there!)
But we did look at the outside of the school and read about it. When it was built in 1922, it was known as “The school with the golden doorknobs.” The mining company built it for the town because their expanding mine required the destruction of the old high school. It cost $4M in 1922, which is the equivalent of $50M today! We hope to tour it next time.
After riding by the high school and Bob Dylan’s boyhood home two blocks away, we finished our day at the Red Rock Hotel. There were a bunch of nice hotels on the south end of town three miles away, but we like to be near downtown so we can walk to eat. This hotel was much better than we expected! The owner has been doing this for 40 years, and took great pride in his restoration. By the time we return, the pool and hot tub should be fully operational.
We walked a half mile downtown to BoomTown Brewery and enjoyed a great meal while sitting outside on the sidewalk. I never thought that would be possible in northern Minnesota in late September! But it was a beautiful evening to cap off our first day of the Mesabi Trail.
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TRANSLATIONS/BACKGROUND: “Mesabi Trail” = a new paved, off-road bicycle trail in Northern Minnesota from the Mississippi River (Grand Rapids) to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (Ely). For this trip, Beth and I are riding the 80 miles of the western half, from Grand Rapids to Eveleth. We hope to ride the eastern half next summer, when it should be finished all the way to Ely.
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LINKS:
Old-fashioned BLOG if you have friends who don’t use Facebook:
“Old Scouter” Facebook page if you want to follow big adventures with more pictures and video clips (but not unrelated personal posts):
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066334039590
“Old Scouter” YouTube page (when I get time to edit after the trip):