Arrowhead & Taconite EMERGENCY INFO In an emergency call 911 MAP EXPLANATION Fort Francis Black Bay TRAILS & THEIR PERMITTED USES STATE TRAILS Law Enforcement 11 C A N A D A 11 71 Rainy Lake State Patrol International Falls 218-749-7720 Itasca County Sheriff 218-326-3477 Island View Arrowhead State Trail Koochiching County Sheriff 218-283-4416 71 St. Louis County Sheriff (Virginia) 218-749-7134 332 602 Voyageurs (Hibbing) 218-262-0132 Black Rainy Lake *Evenings and weekends 218-749-6010 332 Bay State Forest & Park Trail 11 Area Police Departments 53 Ely 26 218-365-3222 River HAGGERMAN State Forest Ski Trails Tower TO LITTLE 218-753-6660 TRAIL FORK RIVER Virginia Rat Root 218-741-2191 Lake Grand Rapids 218-326-3464 Root Woodenfrog TRAIL 97 D.N.R. Rat Ericsburg National 119 Grant–in–Aid Trails Medical/Hospitals WEST Ely 218-365-3271 5 Kabetogama 8 Virginia 218-741-3340 122 Kabetogama Hibbing 218-262-4881 D.N.R. VOYAGEUR Grand Rapids 218-326-3401 East Lake Namakan TRAIL SYMBOLS Branch Kabetogama 3 123 3 Lake 122 Snowmobile Parking OTHER INFO Ash River 217 D.N.R. Ray 53 CRANE Park The Taconite and Arrowhead State Trails were Rat X-Country Ski Campground authorized by the Minnesota Legislature in 217 29 Moose Sand 129 VOYAGEUR 1974-5. These long-distance trails were developed Beaver Ash River Point Hiking Shelter primarily for winter use. As a result, sections ASH RIVER Kabetogama 20 FALLS LAKE Lake Brook TRAIL of these trails may be impassible during warm 493 River Shelter/Campsite Picnic Area Grand Rapids-Ely & Tower-International Falls weather months when the ground is not frozen, River due to wet soils and standing water. Mountain Root Ash Little 8 bikers and horseback riders are urged to call the Fork 521 Fire Tower Vista nearest Trails and Waterways Area office before River Johnson leaving for their destination to inquire about River Lake local trail conditions and amenities. 53 TRAIL Long N River Lake PARKING AVAILABLE Arbutus At Taconite: International Falls Rat 520 203 - McCarthy Beach State Park Ash Crane ARROWHEAD TRAIL Vermilion Falls C A N A D A Ranch Road - Minnesota Hwy 73 Root U.S.F.S. Lake KOOCHICHING Sheep COUNTY - U.S. Hwy 53 Boundary Waters Canoe Ely Fort Kabetogama River 10 491 ITASCA - Minnesota Hwy 1 493 Area Wilderness COUNTY toll Francis ARROWHEAD Black Crane Lake TACONITE TRAIL - Minnesota Hwy 169, Peyla bridge River Chub 24 0 1 234 8 Grand Rapids ST. LOUIS - Minnesota Hwy 135, Tower INTERNATIONAL Lake Vermilion COUNTY 424 Duck 491 SCALE: one inch equals four miles At Arrowhead: U.S. Customs Bug L. Rainy 6 Echo Duluth FALLS CO. 203 River 518 Crane Lake - 2 Mi. West of Hwy 169 on Hwy 1 3rd. St. Ash Lake River VOYAGEUR CRANE LAKE TRAIL 4th. St. CO. STATE 2 11 Lk. Silver L. 9 River Trail Mileage CAMPING AVAILABLE: (Taconite only) Ash Black - McCarthy Beach State Park Duck Elephant Park Ave. Lk. Lake ST. LOUISST. - Pfeifer Lake, National Forest KOOCHICHING VOYAGEUR COUNTRY 601 - Bear Head Lake State Park TRAIL Minneapolis Hospital 11th. St. - Several rustic campsites along trail 8 Echo Lake St. Paul Vermilion 332 *All communities along the Taconite and Arrowhead Pelican River 24 9th. St. 9th. 15th. St. Elephant Echo Lake trails have food, fuel, lodging and retail areas Lake available to campers. State U.S.F.S. International 53 11 Mall TRAIL Superior TACONITE COMMUNITIES: 11 Old Hwy. Buyck Nett Lake 793 - Grand Rapids 71 TR Nett Lake A Kjostad L. 23 Cusson VOYAGEUR IL 23 LAKE “Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs of - Tower TRAIL the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is available to all Voyageurs National 180 River Picket L. - Ely Park Headquarters 24 individuals regardless of race, color, creed or religion, national origin, 11 Falls 4 sex, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual - Side Lake International 514 Moose orientation, age or disability. Discrimination inquires should be sent Airport Nett Lake Lk. ARROWHEAD COMMUNITIES: Indian Lake Myrtle to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette VOYAGEUR WEST TRAIL Reservation Pelican National Road, St. Paul, MN 55155-4031; or the Equal Opportunity Office, 53 - Tower River Carlson Lake Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240.” - Cook 23 Lake Orr 23 VOYAGEUR CRANE - Orr Pelican Ben Lake Printed on 100% recycled paper - International Falls with a minimum of 23 TM 7 Winchester Lake 15% post-consumer material. Glendale Trademark of American Soybean Association Forest VOYAGEUR TRAIL NATURAL FEATURES 24 Elbow Forest River Elbow Lake THE ARROWHEAD TRAIL is relatively flat between The trail links three state parks: Bear Head Lake, A variety of game fish including walleye, northern 119 53 THE ARROWHEAD & TACONITE STATE International Falls and the Ash River. The higher 426 Soudan Underground Mine and McCarthy Beach. pike, trout and smallmouth bass are found in the Vermilion TRAILS are located in northern Minnesota’s 422 ground is mainly forested with aspen; lower ground The landscape in and around Bear Head Lake State area’s large numbers of lakes and rivers. The Gheen Corner Hoodoo L. 24 1999 State of Minnesota Itasca, Koochiching and St. Louis counties. has a mix of spruce and ash. The trail goes through 74 Gheen Department of Park resembles the BWCAW. The park’s land is landscape of the area is a result of the under-lying 422 They are primarily snowmobile trails and a number of areas that have standing water in the very rolling and rocky, elevations ranging from 1,450 geology. The area’s bedrock formation known as 12 24 Natural Resources form the backbone to an extensive Grant- summer which makes these portions of the trail feet up to 1,590 feet. the Canadian Shield is some of the oldest rock on in-Aid trail system. Portions of both trails mostly suited to winter use. earth. It was formed by volcanic action 667 406 Soudan Underground Mine State Park is located on approximately 2.7 billion years ago. Later, ancient Wakemup are suitable for horseback riding, as well as The southern part of the Arrowhead is very different a rugged ridge and contains the historic Soudan seas laid down the valuable iron ore that is still mountain biking, hiking and backpacking from the northern part. It features rolling hills with underground mine. It is Minnesota’s only mined in the area today. Further volcanic activity Vermilion Lake in the summer. Call the DNR for specific numerous lakes and streams. Many of the hills have underground iron ore mine open to the public. swept away the sea and formed two mountain 73 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness large areas of exposed rock and enormous boulders. Tours descend 27 levels to the bottom of the mine, 71 information. ranges. The advancing and receding of glaciers, 540 This part is heavily timbered with a mix of where there is a constant year-round temperature and millions of years of erosion have worn the 78 Burntside State Forest hardwoods and conifers. of 52 degrees. The park also contains picturesque mountains down, resulting in the present rugged 78 The Arrowhead State Trail stretches 135 stands of old-growth white and norway pines mixed landscape found along some parts of the trail. Linden miles, from 10 miles west of Tower at the This mix of trees on the Arrowhead is spectacularly Grove 11 with balsam fir and aspen. The lower elevations 24 71 intersection of the Taconite State Trail, to colorful in autumn. are dominated by white cedar interspersed with The Arrowhead and Taconite State Trails provide a 1 431 408 Little River balsam fir, tamarack, black spruce, ash and muskeg. great opportunity to explore this area. To preserve 500 Fork Ericsburg, 10 miles south of International 500 this opportunity for the future, please respect the 79 Falls. The trail user may see a ridge of solid Sturgeon 25 Cook Vermilion Lake 169 Native northern Minnesota wildlife is abundant area's plant and wildlife communities. 12 Vermilion Lk. 73 79 Ind. Res. Soudan Under- white pine changing to a ravine of mixed along both trails. Some species to watch for are Rice ground Mine Lost The Taconite State Trail stretches 165 miles moose, timber wolf, brush wolf, white-tailed deer, 85 River 25 53 77 State Park Eagles hardwoods, then a ridge of aspen, birch black bear, lynx, porcupine, red fox, snowshoe hare, BEARSKIN River 1 Lake 1 Nest from Grand Rapids to Ely and intersects TRAIL 20 Sturgeon River Lakes fisher, pine marten and red squirrel. 923 413 Tower Soudan with the Arrowhead State Trail just west of and basswood blended with maples. Sturgeon 87 Star STATE Lake 491 State Lake Vermilion. Eight trail waysides and 78 476 169 12 3 Over 100 varieties of birds live in the area. Some TR THE TACONITE TRAIL winds through forests of 22 AI picnic facilities offer scenic vistas of the birds, like the grosbeaks, nuthatches, chickadees 22 State Forest Putnam L birch and aspen intertwined with pine, leading the River Peyla Shermans 1 12 Lake Bear Head hills, lakes and rivers of this area. and pileated woodpeckers, inhabit the area year- Corner Angora 1 visitor by many isolated lakes and streams. From 481 688 2 PUTNAM LAKE Lake round. Birds like the snow bunting and snowy owl 492 Forest 487 Big Aspen TRAIL State Park Grand Rapids heading north, you see the impact of NOTE: 25 WOLF Pfeiffer Pike West migrate south from the arctic for the winter; the bald TRACK Lake River Two River 135 the taconite and iron mining industry.