Former Minnesota Iron Mines Reborn as Vast Trail Network and Clear-Water Recreation Hub
Thirty-three years after the state took over abandoned iron mines, Minnesota has turned the Cuyuna Country area into a major recreation destination with extensive bike trails and crystal-clear lakes.
In 1993 the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources assumed control of 5,000 acres of abandoned iron-mining land, establishing the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area to protect water quality and encourage natural recovery. Over the ensuing three decades, former open pits filled with clear water, creating fifteen lakes—Portsmouth Mine Pit Lake reaching depths of 525 feet, the deepest in the state. A collaborative effort involving local residents, the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Crew, and the International Mountain Bicycling Association produced more than 50 miles of singletrack trails, 7.5 miles of adaptive routes, and an 8-mile paved corridor connecting Crosby, Ironton and Riverton.
Winter grooming adds roughly 40 miles of snow trails for fat-bike enthusiasts. The project spurred new businesses such as bike shops and modest lodging, while the Minnesota DNR manages shoreline access for fishing, kayaking and scuba diving, and restricts private housing and intensive timber harvesting. Today the former industrial scar stands as a showcase of ecological reclamation and outdoor tourism in the Midwest.
Why it matters
It shows how degraded industrial land can be transformed into a sustainable recreation and tourism asset.
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