NISSWA AREA TRAILS

Nisswa Is Home To The Paul Bunyan Trail And The Gull Lake Trail

Gull Lake Trail

The paved, multi-use Gull Lake Trail totals 21 miles through four communities — Nisswa, Lake Shore, Fairview Township and East Gull Lake — 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.

In Nisswa, recreation enthusiasts will find the 3.1-mile paved Gull Lake Trail along Lower Roy Lake Road and Hazelwood Drive. The trail takes 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 10-foot wide paved trail extends along the west side of CSAH 77, starting at Woods Drive to the south and ending at Sandy Point Road to the north.

Paul Bunyan Trail

The Paul Bunyan Trail runs 123 miles, including through downtown Nisswa. This multi-use recreational trail built on a former railroad bed and converted in 1992, 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.