Arrowhead Chapter - North Country Trail Association

Highway 6 to Bear Head Lake State Park

The Arrowhead Chapter has members from the Remer, Grand Rapids, and Iron Range areas. You can be our newest member by joining NCTA Arrowhead Chapter! The Chapter has volunteer opportunities for building, maintaining, promoting, and interpreting the Trail in our area. We are currently building new trail segments near Grand Rapids. We host trail workdays and regular hikes and social events throughout the year.

Key Data

Chapter Trail Section

The Arrowhead Chapter is responsible for the 150 miles of NCT in eastern Cass, Itasca, and St. Louis counties between the Chippewa National Forest and Ely. This is the large gap in the NCT’s Arrowhead Reroute.

Connect and Get Involved

Resources

Use the Report Trail Condition form to alert NCTA and the Chapter to poor trail conditions. Visit the Trail Alerts page while planning your adventure.

Suggested Hikes

CR-61 trailhead south to Blandin Road: Hike along the scenic Prairie River, around tailings piles from the Lind-Greenway Mine covered in pines, and through an aspen forest.

Grand Rapids Sports Complex north to Blandin Road: Hike two miles through the University of Minnesota’s North Central Research and Outreach Center property and see some historic forestry research, cross utility corridors, and pass through young aspen forest.

Tioga Beach Park to CR-17 and back: Hike two miles through a mix of county and private lands (please stay on the Trail) and pass through the former Tioga #2 iron mine area. You'll get a great view from above the Tioga Mine pit lake, pass by the Tioga Recreation Area mountain bike trail system, and then hike through the former mine processing area and by a fine tailings pile before dropping down to the edge of Cavanaugh Lake.

CR-17 to True Road: Hike about 1.25 miles through Itasca County forest land, along the shore of Long Lake, and pass by a fine tailings basin (man-made ponds and large area planted to pine trees) that was a part of the Tioga Mine operation. Look for signs of past manipulation of the land. There is a parking area located off a spur trail that leads south to True Road that is just east of the trail's crossing of the road.

Forest History Center to the Grand Rapids Sports Complex: Hike about 5.2 miles through downtown Grand Rapids passing by several cool sites along the way, including: the Forest History Center (definitely a worthy visit!), the Itasca County Family YMCA, the only crossing of the Mississippi River, the Grand Rapids Public Library, KAXE, and the Itasca Fairgrounds Park and Campground.

For more on the history of iron mines along the NCNST, download this flyer based upon a 2022 presentation made by local historian Todd Monroe.

Chapter Maps and Guidance

Additional Local Resources