Stretching between Ely and Grand Rapids with a ton of spur routes that can get you pretty much anywhere you want to go, and the 86-mile Tomahawk Trail to the east, which connects of hundreds more miles of groomed trails. The Taconite Trail is well-maintained by the Minnesota DNR and provides a winding route through forests of birch and aspen intertwined with pine, past many isolated lakes and streams along the way. The trail links to several state parks including Bear Head Lake, Soudan Underground Mine, and McCarthy Beach. The landscape in and around Bear Head Lake State Park is very rocky and rolling. The Tomahawk was recently listed by Supertrax International (a 250,000-circulation snowmobile magazine) as “One of the Ten Best Incomparable Snowmobile Adventures.” To quote the article, “Woven by time, travail and timber through some of mid-America’s deepest, least civilized and most remote country, the Tomahawk links the incredible scenery of the 154-mile Lake Superior North Shore Trail with one of Minnesota’s best developed trail hubs at Ely, Minnesota, a town Charles Kuralt called one of the most authentic northern experiences in America.”

These trails work have very much developed as a result of the natural terrain, while tree cover surrounding the trail edges and the lack of traffic means you can expect a true wilderness experience, along with one of the most scenic trail rides in the state.