I am going to be up there for about 5 days for a wedding over the July 4th weekend and I am planning on taking my bike.
I have read about the Paul Bunyan trail being paved, but is that the best route for a road bike or tri bike? or is it meant for a mtn bike?
If you have any suggestions for routes to take, please let me know. Thanks!
The Paul Bunyan trail is paved for 50+ miles and is perfect for tri bikes and road bikes. I’ve trained on it numerous times as we have a lake home in the area. You can easily get in a 100-mile ride on the trail alone if you want to. Watch out for tourists and recreational riders near the towns connected by the trail (Baxter, Nisswa, Pequot Lakes, Jenkins, Pine River, Backus, Hackensack going from South to North), but there is typically little traffic between towns. Also, the trail will be pretty much wide open early in the morning. The towns make for lots of good places for water stops. The trail is quite flat, so if you’re looking for hills, you’ll have to seek elsewhere. Nisswa is beautiful in the summer - you’ll have a great trip! PM me if you want more information.
Mike
I lived in Brainerd for two years and would kill for a riding trail like the Paul Bunyan. It was great for a road bike and pretty much vacant north of Nisswa, and really dead north of Pequot Lakes. It’s been seven years since I lived up there but at that time it was a much better surface than the crappy roads I’m riding on now.
Awesome. I read online that 92 of the miles were paved as of last spring, but I needed to hear it from a cyclist that it was good for riding. That is great news. My friends are having the wedding at the Grand View Lodge, but we are staying in Nisswa to save some money.