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al <br />Mississippi River <br />Mississippi Crossings <br />Mississippi Northwoods <br />Scenic Mississippi <br />Paul Bunyan/Heartland Trail <br />MRT Alternative Route <br />Open Water <br />Trails <br />State Parks <br />Interstate Highways <br />US Trunk Highways <br />State Trunk Highways <br />County Boundary <br />Nisswa <br />Taconite , t <br />-.-- <br />tate Trail3) <br />Grand Rapids <br />0 0 La Prairie <br />Crow Wing <br />Paul Bunyan <br />State Trail <br />Baxter o <br />Crow Wing State Park <br />o Fort Ripley <br />Little Falls o <br />Charles A. Lindbergh State Par <br />Schoolcraft Cohasset <br />State Park <br />1114 <br />SZ1•47ir,i <br />Crosby t A'kin <br />0 0 Cuyuna Country .tate <br />0 Ironton Recreation Area : State Trail <br />Riverton <br />„A(., <br />0 <br />Brainerd <br />Morrisol <br />Mississippi River Trail Bikeway- The <br />bikeway, largely on the shoulders of low vol <br />roads, offering the safest and best bicycling <br />along the length of the Mississippi River thr. <br />from the headwaters at Lake Itasca to the G <br />RT is a <br />me, paved <br />experience <br />ugh ten states, <br />If of Mexico. <br />Mille Lacs Lake <br />PalisadeBE <br />ro <br />Aitkin <br />Father Hennepin State Park <br />Mille Lacs Kathio State Park 'm <br />MISSISSIPPI CROSSINGS <br />ROUTE COMPOSITION: <br />Savanna Portage State Park <br />ROUTE CHARACTERISTICS: <br />96% On -road Route Surface: Paved <br />4% Off -road Trail <br />Distance: 138 miles <br />Crossroads ofna,ure, <br />culture, and transportation offer you <br />ample opportunities to play and learn. <br />Uncover layers of history within this <br />quiet rural setting; the river was first <br />a passageway for fur traders, then <br />steamboats transporting logs. Many <br />boats landed at ramps that are still in use <br />today. Settlements rose where the lines <br />of land travel met the river. Hydroelectric <br />dams display the power of the Mississippi <br />River and give insight into the river's <br />influence on area industry. <br />Below Grand Rapids, the river flows south <br />for the first time in Minnesota. The route <br />links to off -road trails that provide side <br />trips within the Cuyuna Country State <br />Recreation Area. Iron ore pits and mine <br />spoils have transformed the landscape <br />from swamps and underground water to <br />peaks and lakes which now hosts one of <br />the country's best mountain biking trail <br />systems. As you move south, fish, swim, <br />golf, hike and enjoy the plentiful resorts <br />and lakes in the Brainerd area. In Crow <br />Wing State Park, a mile off the bikeway, <br />discover a scenic natural area that is <br />located around a former frontier town. <br />Morrison County Road 213 is a pleasant <br />route into Little Falls leading to the <br />beautiful riverside state park and historic <br />site where Charles <br />Lindbergh grew up. <br />Key Themes <br />Nature's Impact - experience <br />the history of the landscape <br />from former glaciers to mines <br />to lakes and see three major <br />North American biomes <br />- the eastern deciduous <br />woodlands, the northern <br />boreal forests, and the <br />western prairies. <br />The river, the rail, and the <br />dams - learn about the river's <br />significant influence on area <br />industry. <br />Recreation and rest come <br />together at the many lakeside <br />resorts. <br />Mountain biking offers you <br />and your bike a different <br />experience at the Cuyuna <br />Country State Recreation <br />Area. <br />Character of the River <br />The river turns south, carving <br />a serpentine path through <br />the gentle terrain amid many <br />lakes and rivertowns. <br />GRAND RAPIDS TO LITTLE FALLS <br />For more information: www.dot.state.mn.us/bike/mrt.html <br />