Paul Bunyan Trail Map

PaulBunyanTrail

CrowWingStateParktoBaxter/Brainerd 13mi.

Baxter/BrainerdtoMerrifield 9mi.

MerrifieldtoNisswa 7mi.

Nisswa toPequotLakes 6mi.

PequotLakesto Jenkins 3mi.

Jenkins to PineRiver 6mi.

PineRivertoBackus 9mi.

BackustoHackensack 8mi.

Hackensack to Walker 23mi.

Shelter Campground

PicnicArea

BikeRental

Parking

Restrooms

Food

Nisswa home the Paul Bunyan Trail, and now the Gull Lake Trail as well.

The paved, multi-use Gull Lake Trail will total 21 miles through four communities - Nisswa, Lake Shore, Fairview Township and East Gull Lake - when complete, traveling around the north, west and south ends of Gull Lake.

All that remains is a portion to complete the link between Lake Shore and Nisswa, as well as the final part in Fairview Township.

Both Nisswa and Fairview Township received a final grant from the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks & Trails Commission to complete their parts of the trail, likely in summer 2024. Lake Shore must secure funding to complete its part of the trail.

In Nisswa, recreation enthusiasts will find the 3.1-mile paved Gull Lake Trail along Lower Roy Lake Road and Hazelwood Drive. The trail will take people to Nisswa Lake Park and the tunnel that goes under Highway 371 to downtown Nisswa and the Paul Bunyan Trail.

Lake Shore has 2.276 miles of trail that is adjacent to, but detached from, County State Aid Highway 77; 1.77 miles of widened shoulder along CSAH 77; and 1.3 miles from Bar Harbor Supper Club, over the Gull Lake Narrows, past Zorbaz on Gull to the Whitney Gravel Pit entrance.

The remaining portion will connect Nisswa and Lake Shore.

Fairview Township has the longest trail portion at 7.8 miles. The north (3.1 mile) segment extends from Sandy Point Road to a half mile south of Sunshine’s Summerhouse, with a .6-mile gap in the middle that still must be completed. The southern 3.1 miles extends from Hunters Ridge Trail to Wood Drive/East Gull Lake.

Paul Bunyan Trail

The Paul Bunyan Trail runs 115 miles, including through downtown Nisswa. This multi-use recreational trail built on a former railroad bed has long been used by those who like to walk, hike, bike, inline skate and snowmobile.

The trail extends from Crow Wing State Park south of Brainerd to Lake Bemidji State Park in Bemidji. Area communities the trail travels through include Brainerd, Baxter, Merrifield, Nisswa, Pequot Lakes, Jenkins, Pine River, Backus and Hackensack.

Nisswa offers trail access, a parking lot, rest area and public restrooms for trail users.

Many times, accessibility can be a roadblock for families looking to enjoy their vacation destination.

Not in Nisswa - we truly make sure that there is fun for everyone!

Take Nisswa Falls Mini Golf, for example. When the course was being designed, owner Bob Johnson made sure to include 9 holes that are Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant.

So whether you’re on feet or on wheels, they have you covered. They even have special golf clubs made for those in a wheelchair!

Confidence Learning Center is located a short drive from Nisswa on Sylvan Lake. They provide year-round outdoor educational and recreational experiences for people of all ages with cognitive and developmental disabilities.

Bring your whole family to enjoy fishing, ziplining, the giant slide, the nature center and more fun activities for everyone.

The Paul Bunyan Trail is another great option for everyone. Bike, walk, Rollerblade, skate, roll - everyone can enjoy it.

Take in the beautiful sights of the lakes area as you go along. Bring a picnic lunch or stop at one of the area’s great restaurants or breweries along the trail.

Wildlife is abundant - you never know what you might see!

We mean it when we say bring EVERYONE to Nisswa - we can’t wait to see you!

20-YEAR EMPLOYEE CARRIES ON TRADITION AS OWNER

Kelsey Bean has owned The Chocolate Ox candy and ice cream store in Nisswa for the past year, but many likely recognize her from years gone by.

Bean started working at the popular downtown Nisswa store as a high school sophomore, never dreaming it would become her career.

“This was technically my first job I ever had,” Bean said.

Rob and Loriese Stoll bought the former Nisswa Country Store in 2003 and renamed it The Chocolate Ox. Bean joined them a year later, in 2004.

“And here I am 20 years later,” she said.

After graduating from Brainerd High School in 2006, Bean earned a teaching degree from St. Cloud State University four years later. She was an elementary school teacher for 15 years with the Sauk Rapids-Rice School District.

In all that time, she never left The Chocolate Ox.

She continued working there during the summers while in high school and college, as well as while teaching.

“I would teach during the week and then help on the weekends,” Bean said. She managed the downtown location for 18 years.

WOMEN’S

“We’ve worked so hard to make this a magical experience and to make this such a tradition for families that it was important to me after being here for so long - I was so invested in it - I wanted to make sure that it continued,” Bean said of agreeing to buy the business.

“This has turned into a destination, a tradition for a lot of families,” she said. “We tend to be the first stop when they get into town and we also tend to be the one they make sure they hit on their way out. It’s become such a tradition.”

She sees kids she first met in car seats who have now graduated from college and still visit the Nisswa staple.

“It’s so fun to see what it’s turned into … to make it such a magical experience that it becomes a family tradition,” she said.

Staff plays a big part in the business’s success, and Bean praises the staff retention. So many people begin work there while in high school and stay through their college years for a total of five to eight years.

Bean works hard, but life hasn’t always been easy. In September 2021, her husband, Chris Bean, died of a heart aneurysm at age 35. They’d been together for 17 years and married for 10 years.

He had just opened a medical supply business that Bean now owns. She’d teach during the day and do medical business work at night while still filling in at The Chocolate Ox as well.

“It’s important to me to honor that legacy he had,” she said of her husband’s business.

She resigned her teaching position in June 2022 to give herself a break.

Becoming owner of The Chocolate Ox last year was a perfect fit.

“I’m such a people person. My parents are people people. Emily (her sister) and I grew up that way,” she said.

Her sister, Emily Beutz, owns two Nisswa businesses - Emily Kaye Bridal and Nisswa Tuxedo next door, both on Smiley Road off Highway 371.

Bean recruited a former longtime Chocolate Ox coworker, Ben Westerberg, to return to be her general manager. She also owns The Chocolate Ox location at

Grand View Lodge.

“I like being present every day. It’s important to have my face at both locations and to check in with staff,” she said.

“This has really always been my dream,” Bean said of owning The Chocolate Ox. “To keep this dream, this tradition, alive in Nisswa.

“It still feels like home to me. I’m still behind the counter. I’m still scooping ice cream,” she said.

Defining what The Chocolate Ox is to people, Bean said: “Think of your fondest childhood memory - vacation, whether you went to summer camp or you vacationed at a cabin or you had a tradition of going to a resort. But you think of your fondest memory growing up as a child and the joy that that tradition that your family had during your summer months brought you, and that’s the Chocolate Ox.

“It’s so much more than the candy and ice cream. It’s a memory. It’s a feeling. It’s a pure feeling of joy and happiness. It’s not just a storefront,” Bean said. “It’s a core childhood memory for a lot of people.”

The Nisswa Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center is 10 years old. A new Welcome Center was built 10 years ago to house the Nisswa Chamber of Commerce.

It is located in downtown Nisswa, right on the Paul Bunyan Trail.

The welcome center is the best place in the area to find all the information for your stay in the Lakes Area. We have brochures, maps and books to help you plan your days and nights while on vacation.

We are open all year long! Visit us weekdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m.2 p.m. We have added Sundays 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the summer.

If you live here, we have great information for your guests and information for you to plan a little getaway to another location.

If you’re new in town, we can be a valuable resource of information for what Nisswa has to offer and how to get tied in to the community.

The Welcome Center has restrooms and a water fountain and is open 24 hours a day, every day.

It is a great stop if you are in town shopping or just passing through while out enjoying the Paul Bunyan Trail.

We even have a water station to quench your pets’ thirst. Be sure to stop and see us!