Beginner Off-Road Trails
Near Brook Park, Minnesota

This is a simple dirt road serving as the main avenue to the rest of the forest. Along the way, there are some nice views, especially where it opens up to the main bog/marshland. Keep in mind, this road sits very close to the waterline in several spots, so the ground may get soft in those sections d...
Learn more about Chengwatana Forest Road

This is a short section of the Matthew Lourey State Trail that's accessible to OHVs in the summertime. Note that this is an out-and-back trail because OHV access ends at a dirt turn-around while the snowmobile trail continues north. Expect some smaller whoops, braking bumps, a few mud holes, and roc...
Learn more about Matthew Lourey State Trail

This trail is one of the few in the whole forest that does not have any deep water crossings. There are a few shallow puddles that you'll encounter, but nothing extreme. Overall, this route is a nice break from the boggy trails in the rest of the system. It also smells wonderfully of pine.
Learn more about High Ground

The Red Top Loop is located within a wooded area between the communities of Isle and McGrath in Aitkin County. The Red Top Loop trail network is made up of several different trails, all generally looping back to the main Red Top Loop. The entire network consists of more than 25 miles of ATV accessib...
Learn more about Red Top Loop

Wahkon to McGrath is a section of converted rail grade. It's 15 miles long and takes about 30 minutes with an average speed of 13.7 MPH. This section starts at the Wahkon City Park. There is an easily-accessed gas station at this city park in Wahkon. (There's no parking for trailers to start your tr...
Learn more about Wahkon to McGrath

The Foxy Loop is the first ATV trail network along the Soo Line Trail just north of Isle, Minnesota. There are about 2.5 miles of trail within the Foxy Loop network. The 1.5-mile main trail runs between the north and south gates of this bidirectional trail. Several side trails can be run as loops of...
Learn more about Foxy Loop Main

The Foxy Loop 2 is a shorter loop trail within the Foxy Loop network, accessed a short distance in from either entrance on the Soo Line. The trail is a little shorter than the Foxy Loop Main at only 1 mile. Combined with the Foxy Main, the network is roughly 2.5 miles of trail. This network is a gr...
Learn more about Foxy Loop 2

The Solana Loop has roughly 15 miles of rideable trail with the main loop being about 14 miles. The trail also provides access to the Solana State Forest, which includes an additional 25+ miles of trail. The Solana Loop provides a mostly level ride through the forest with occasional rolling hills. T...
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Onamia to Wahkon on the Soo Line South is a section of converted rail grade. At 8.2 miles long, it takes about 30 minutes with an average speed of 13.7 MPH. This section of the Soo Line South Trail is provided by Mille Lacs County and maintained by the Mille Lacs Drift Skippers Snowmobile/ATV Club. ...
Learn more about Onamia to Wahkon

If you’re trying to get onto dirt (or sand) as soon as you’re off the freeway, run this instead of taking Old Hwy 61 into the rest of the state forest. It’s an easy trail overall, but in dry conditions the sand can get pretty loose. Not a problem with 4x4 and decent tires. After rain, there are a fe...
Learn more about Freeway West FR

This trail is a long, mostly straight sand track with some hills, braking bumps, small whoops, and a few areas that collect water after rain, particularly as you get closer to Doc's Sports Bar. This is a great connector if you're tired after a day of riding and want to sit down for a hot meal at Doc...
Learn more about Doc's Trail

McGrath to Denham on the Soo Line South is a section of converted rail grade. It's 19 miles long and takes about 40 minutes with an average speed of 28.5 MPH. This section has a few muddy areas due to spring thaw and could be wet during rainy times later in the season.
Learn more about McGrath to Denham

Hillman to Onamia on the Soo Line South Trail is a section of converted rail grade. At 12 miles long, it takes about 30 minutes with an average speed of 24.1 mph. This section of the Soo Line South Trail is provided by Mille Lacs County and maintained by the Mille Lacs Drift Skippers Snowmobile/ATV ...
Learn more about Hillman to Onamia

This trail is meant to take you to Zalesky Lake as an out-and-back; however, there is significant deadfall across the southern part of the trail that makes it impassable. In its current state, it is still useful as it provides access to a dispersed campsite. It's not clear whether the end of this tr...
Learn more about Zalesky Lake Trail

This is one of the more fun ATV-type trails in this system. On the freeway side, there is a section with some taller whoops before it enters the forest. The rest of the trail is a faster, flowy sand track that weaves through the pines. There are many blind corners on this trail, so be sure to respec...
Learn more about Sandy Pines Trail

This is a fast, straight section with a lot of small sand whoops and braking bumps. Some of the whoops are big enough to double on a dirt bike if you carry speed. The trail runs parallel to the freeway for much of its length, with a fence on that side. The sand can get a little loose in dry conditio...
Learn more about Freeway View Trail

This is a long, straight sand track forest road that connects the east and west sides of the state forest. This is one of the main roads used to transfer between the other roads and trails in the system. Beware of multiple intersections where other vehicle traffic can be difficult to see. There is s...
Learn more about East West Forest Road

This is a basic sandy forest road that connects Dago Lake Road to Willow River N Forest Road. Beware of the intersection with East/West forest road, where it can be hard to see other vehicle traffic, especially in the summer when the trees are filled out. Use this road to access other trails in the ...
Learn more about Freeway East FR

Take this route to return to the Dago Lake boat ramp/parking area or use it to connect up with other trails and forest roads in the system. This trail is a mix of sections that are multiple vehicles wide down to single vehicle width. There is one section that has had a tree across it for some time. ...
Learn more about Dago Lake Fork

This is a longer perimeter forest road that intersects with many other trails and forest roads along the way. This road is mostly a long sand track, but there are a few spots that can hold decent water after heavy rain or snowmelt. There are some hills that are blind, so be sure to stay on your side...
Learn more about Willow River North

This is a simple dirt road serving as the main avenue to the rest of the forest. Along the way, there are some nice views, especially where it opens up to the main bog/marshland. Keep in mind, this road sits very close to the waterline in several spots, so the ground may get soft in those sections d...
Learn more about Chengwatana Forest Road

This is a short section of the Matthew Lourey State Trail that's accessible to OHVs in the summertime. Note that this is an out-and-back trail because OHV access ends at a dirt turn-around while the snowmobile trail continues north. Expect some smaller whoops, braking bumps, a few mud holes, and roc...
Learn more about Matthew Lourey State Trail

This trail is one of the few in the whole forest that does not have any deep water crossings. There are a few shallow puddles that you'll encounter, but nothing extreme. Overall, this route is a nice break from the boggy trails in the rest of the system. It also smells wonderfully of pine.
Learn more about High Ground

The Red Top Loop is located within a wooded area between the communities of Isle and McGrath in Aitkin County. The Red Top Loop trail network is made up of several different trails, all generally looping back to the main Red Top Loop. The entire network consists of more than 25 miles of ATV accessib...
Learn more about Red Top Loop

This is a simple dirt road serving as the main avenue to the rest of the forest. Along the way, there are some nice views, especially where it opens up to the main bog/marshland. Keep in mind, this road sits very close to the waterline in several spots, so the ground may get soft in those sections d...
Learn more about Chengwatana Forest Road

This is a short section of the Matthew Lourey State Trail that's accessible to OHVs in the summertime. Note that this is an out-and-back trail because OHV access ends at a dirt turn-around while the snowmobile trail continues north. Expect some smaller whoops, braking bumps, a few mud holes, and roc...
Learn more about Matthew Lourey State Trail

The Red Top Loop is located within a wooded area between the communities of Isle and McGrath in Aitkin County. The Red Top Loop trail network is made up of several different trails, all generally looping back to the main Red Top Loop. The entire network consists of more than 25 miles of ATV accessib...
Learn more about Red Top Loop

Wahkon to McGrath is a section of converted rail grade. It's 15 miles long and takes about 30 minutes with an average speed of 13.7 MPH. This section starts at the Wahkon City Park. There is an easily-accessed gas station at this city park in Wahkon. (There's no parking for trailers to start your tr...
Learn more about Wahkon to McGrath