Redhead: New Mountain Bike Trails Coming to Minnesota's Iron Range

By Gary Sjoquist

with images from Minnesota Discovery Center

A decade in the making, Minnesota’s newest mountain bike destination opened with an initial 15 miles on the grounds of the Minnesota Discovery Center (MDC) in Chisholm last June. At Redhead, riders have been ripping, railing and sending it with rave reviews, and in 2021 there’s even more to come to the fledgling trail system in the heart of the Iron Range.

THE BACKSTORY

Redhead joins Cuyuna and Tioga as mountain bike trail networks built from abandoned mines. “It’s spectacular,” Benji Neff, President of the Iron Range Off-Road Cyclists (IROC) said. “At Redhead, you ride down into an abandoned mine, on trails etched into the red rock walls.”

According to IROC member Pete Kero, Redhead began as a shared dream between local riders. “We began thinking about using Redhead for mountain biking 10 years ago,” said Kero, an environmental engineer who lives in Hibbing. “We’d peek over the fences to see the red rock walls and pit lakes, and it seemed like an awesome place to go riding,” he said. He knew they’d have to overcome obstacles. “We talked to the property owners,” he said. “They said it was impossible because of state statutes. Using abandoned mine sites was illegal for recreation. That was our first dilemma.”

But Kero and others were persistent, and thanks to help from St. Louis County, former Minnesota State Legislator Jason Metsa, and current State Senator David Tomassoni, the goal of repurposing Redhead’s abandoned mines for recreation continued to gather momentum. Helping their cause was the well-documented economic impacts in the Cuyuna Lakes and Duluth areas brought by mountain bikers.

In 2018, the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) voted to invest nearly $5 million into building mountain bike trail networks at three locations on the Range. Tioga, near Cohasset, received $625,000 to develop a 30-mile system of trails. Redhead received $1.77 million to build 25 miles of trail, and another $2.5 million was provided for 37 miles of downhill and cross-county trails at Giant’s Ridge.

“Trail systems like the Redhead have great potential to significantly impact our region,” said Mark Phillips, IRRRB Commissioner. “The Redhead trail can add to the quality of life for local residents, attract tourism spending, and be a business recruiting tool for our region.” BUILDING REDHEAD Once the funding was secured, the IRRRB brought in Project Manager Jeff Schoenbauer, and Project Coordinator Scott Linnenburger, to build Redhead. Both had worked on Cuyuna, so knew the challenges of building singletrack at abandoned mine sites.

Linnenburger, in particular, was “blown away” by Redhead’s red rock walls, canyons, and iridescent blue water in the mine lakes. “It just didn’t seem like Minnesota,” he recalls. “Utah, or Colorado, maybe, but here it is, in northern Minnesota. It’s pretty cool.”

Schoenbauer and Linnenburger assembled five professional trail building companies to work side by side to build Redhead, including Rock Solid, a company nationally known for high quality rock work. Orange Crush and Fractured Falls, Redhead’s most iconic trails, were built mostly by Rock Solid.

MINNESOTA DISCOVERY CENTER

The Minnesota Discovery Center is the state’s largest museum complex outside of the Twin Cities and it now serves as the trailhead facility at Redhead. This 33,000 squarefoot, nonprofit museum and research center sits on the edge of a 660-acre campus that comprises several former mining sites, so it made sense to use MDC’s facilities as the host for the Redhead trail network.

Donna Johnson, MDC’s Executive Director, says riders will have access to MDC’s existing facilities including the gift shop, outdoor food court, parking, restrooms and the Rustic Pig restaurant. Her plans also include retrofitting an old trolley bus to serve as a food truck, and eventually having lodging options with direct trail access for riders and their families.

Additionally, MDC has partnered with 30 West Fitness and Recreation, a local business in downtown Chisholm, to construct a bike shop at MDC that will offer bike rentals and tune ups. “Since Redhead’s soft opening in June, we’ve seen a steady stream of trail users,” said Johnson. “We estimate more than 15,000 visitors came to ride here in 2020. This park has so much to offer and we are excited to say, we are just getting started.“

RIDING REDHEAD

A quick look at Redhead’s map shows how the trails descend from the MDC parking lot down into and around the mine lakes. The Rim Trail, finished late in 2020, winds high above and around the far east side of a massive mine lake and continues along the southern edge to join trails leading to the Glen Location, an operating trolley stop during the summer months.

Redhead’s most challenging trails are a mixture of steep descents, elaborate rockwork, and stunning scenery. Fractured Falls, a one-way expert trail, drops through canyons before threading past a lagoon draining over a waterfall; you ride over the waterfall, and then climb perhaps the steepest short climb in Minnesota.

Orange Crush, another one-way expert trail, is basically a steep drop off the edge of a cliff. It’s difficult to walk, let alone ride. Repeat riders will note carefully placed mine rock to create multiple riding lines.

Mine Blast, rated intermediate, takes you to Redhead’s highest point, where the massive Hull Rust Mine looms to the west, before descending through steep switchbacks and monster berms. Nearby, the beginner rated Bright Side and intermediate level Boneyard loops feature steady rollers and short climbs through heavily forested areas.

With Phase One trails completed, Phase Two development, anticipated to start as early as 2022, will include a skills park and more beginner and intermediate trails. It also includes plans for a shuttle van and trailer to drop off and pick up riders at the Glen Location who might want to return to the main trailhead or visit nearby Chisholm.