Minnesota Bikepack Ideas?

[cfi on the fly]

Anybody have any good routes in the Minnesota area?  I would like a 3 night route with single track through wooded area that is mostly level.  But open to any ideas and adventures that people have had in the good state of Minnesota. 

[SlowDave]

I was up there a couple of years ago for 4th of July.  It was a family thing and brought my bike along to escape.  We were at a lake about an hour and a half north of Minneapolis, can't remember the name.  There were extensive snow mobile routes and XC ski trails.  Although the trails were lengthy they tended to be restricted to the area.  There may be some that cover the type of ground you are looking for and a couple of calls to some XC ski and snowmobile shops there might get you some good information.

A word of warning, the tick situation was the worse I have ever seen.  In the first ten minutes in the woods I must have had 20-30 on each leg and my arms had them too.  No exageration.  I hastily pulled them off and I guess parts of a couple stayed in the skin.  I still have problems with those spots.

Dave

[mnmtb]

This past Sunday, the Star Tribune newspaper just published a full page of trails in Minnesota.  These are all rail to trail with a few exceptions.  You could make a loop about 300-400 miles from Brainard up to Ely then back down to Grand Rapids.  Along the way you could hook into the Arrowhead trail and if you are there after June 11, the new Cayuna Country Trail (An IMBA epic).  Jay Cook state park has some trails and there are others pepperaed along the way.

For more ideas www.morcmtb.org is the local IMBA chapter with lts of very helpful folks.