Our Vision

The Cuyuna Lakes State Trail will be an important part of a regional network of multi-purpose recreational trails serving the entire central Minnesota lakes region. The Cuyuna Lakes State Trail will connect the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area (CCSRA) to the Paul Bunyan State Trail on the west and to Aitkin on the east. When complete, this breathtaking trail will cover a distance of thirty miles.

The Cuyuna Lakes Trail Association was formed in 1998. The original members were participants in a Blandin Leadership program involving the Cuyuna Range area. With local help and support, a dream to create the Cuyuna Lakes Trail was born; it’s purpose being to preserve and yet share the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area, encouraging a variety of outdoor recreational activities.  CLTA was incorporated as a non-profit in 2001 and is an advocate for the state trail linking Brainerd, Riverton, Ironton, Crosby, Deerwood, and Aitkin. In 2002, the trail was legislatively authorized as the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail (M.S. 85.015, Subdivision 24).

The first segment of the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail enhances the recreational dimension of the 5,000-acre CCSRA in the historic Cuyuna iron-mining region of Minnesota. The future intersecting local trail system will connect the Cuyuna Range communities and provide access to points of interest, community activities, schools and merchants.

The trail meets the demand for diverse recreational opportunities for persons of all ages and abilities:

• The paved alignments support walking, running, biking, in-line skating and cross-country skiing.
• Paved trails and connecting local trails provide alternative transportation within the Cuyuna communities, supporting commuting to schools, shopping, and other community resources.
• The unpaved alignments support snowmobiles, mountain biking, horseback riding and hiking.

Visitors to the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail also engage in camping, birding, horseback riding, mountain biking, rock collecting, off-trail hiking, boating, fishing, canoeing, swimming, scuba diving and nature appreciation.

What's more, the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail alignment boasts:

• The Mississippi River.
• The rich heritage of the Cuyuna Iron Range.
• The newly formed Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area.
• The Croft Mine Historical Park, a development of the IRRRB.
• Connections to the Paul Bunyan State Trail, Lake Bemidji State Park, and Crow Wing State Park.
• Public forests, parks, sites of historical interest and community facilities.
• An established tourism industry and demand for trail access.
• Bountiful wildlife and hundreds of lakes, rivers and wetlands.
• A natural connection between other state and regional trails in the central Minnesota region, including a north connection to the Mesabi Regional Trail in Grand Rapids and an east-west connection to the Munger State Trail near Duluth, as well as a connection to the Glacial Lake Aitkin Trail system in Aitkin County.

Because segments generally follow the Mississippi River corridor, it is a part of the Mississippi River Trail -- a 10-state cycling route that will allow cyclists to tour from the headwaters of the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Goals

• To create a trail system that invites family participation, supports a broad range of recreational activities by persons with a broad range of ability and interests and promotes healthy life styles through year-round outdoor activities and interaction with the natural environment.
• To connect recreational trails in the central Minnesota lakes area to enhance the Cuyuna Range image as a tourist destination and as part of the greater central Minnesota lakes tourism area.
• To use existing public right-of-way and preserve unused railroad corridors for trail alignments.
• To coordinate and work cooperatively with other local trail user groups to explore opportunities for recreation in the area.
• To promote economic stability and opportunity by linking communities, enhancing the Cuyuna Range identity as a destination for tourism and business and expanding local and regional opportunities for economic development.
• To provide the opportunity for trail users to experience and appreciate the natural and cultural resources along the trail.
• To preserve the unique culture and rich history of the Cuyuna Range.
• To be a good neighbor.