Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Carlton, Minnesota

Carlton County Road 3 to the Wisconsin border on the Soo Line South is a section of converted rail grade that is 7.3 miles long and takes about 30 minutes with an average speed of…
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Nemadji to Carlton County Road 3 on the Soo Line South is a section of converted rail grade that is 9.4 miles long and takes about 30 minutes with an average speed of 16.4 MPH.…
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Interstate Trail North is a sand track that carves through the pines and birch trees and is an out-and-back for 4x4 traffic. OHVs can continue further north. The terrain is mostly sand with some parts…
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Harlis Bypass is a mix of gently loamy single track and some greasy, muddy sections with areas that stay wet year-round. You'll also find some medium-sized rocks and some step-up ledgy roots throughout. It's a…
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Straight Arrow Enduro Riders (SAER) maintains approximately 45 miles of single-track / ATV trail in the Nemadji State Forest. This 5-mile singletrack loop features mostly hard-packed, narrow trail with a few bridges and sections of…
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Straight Arrow Enduro Riders (SAER) maintains approximately 45 miles of single-track / ATV trail in the Nemadji State Forest. This 3-mile singletrack trail isn't as tight as other trails and flows much faster with deep…
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Net Lake Forest Road is the main east/west road through Nemadji. There are tons of dispersed campsites along it and many trail crossings. Be mindful of OHV traffic as it's used as one of the…
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Moose Lake to Nemadji (Carlton County Road 11 at Ballou Road) on the Soo Line South is a section of converted rail grade that is 9.2 miles long and takes about 30 minutes with an…
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Wilderness Trail is a twisty two-track that runs alongside Harlis Road for most of the way. It's a rocky, rutted trail with some up and down hills throughout. There are a couple of areas where…
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Yellow Birch Trail is a winding sand track with water holes along the way. It connects the Matthew Loury State Trail to the Gandy Dancer Trail with the Harlis Road staging area in between. This…
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The southern part of this trail was logged heavily over the winter of 2025, so the route will require a bit of interpretation until that section gets rutted in more. Aside from that, the forest…
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As the name implies, Corduroy Trail is full of choppy roots throughout. Riders should also expect tight trees along the way (some narrower than bar length), several areas that hold water for most of the…
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Iron Pipe, of the Straight Arrows OHM Trail system, is a novice-level single-track motorcycle trail that alternates between flowy and somewhat tight woods sections. Whether you're new to woods single track riding or experienced in…
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The Minnesota portion of the Gandy Dancer trail is an easy 30-mile ride. The trail is open year-round to ATV/UTV/ORV and bikes. In winter, the trail is groomed and shared with snowmobiles. The trail connects…
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This trail features forest-lined paths typical of Nemadji's landscape, with a mix of packed dirt and occasional muddy patches depending on recent weather. Nemadji is known for its network of ATV and OHV trails, so…
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South Extension is the main north/south forest road through Nemadji. It's a simple gravel road with gentle grades throughout, with several dispersed campsites all along the road. South Extension itself ends with a dirt turnaround,…
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Grouse Forest Road is a minimum maintenance road lined by thick brushy forest habitat favored by grouse. You will likely see some standing in the middle of the trail at dawn and dusk. Be careful…
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This route is an out-and-back starting from the Gandy Dancer Trail and traversing through the heart of Nemadji State Forest. The route begins at the Park Forest Trail and eventually becomes the Potlatch Trail. The…
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Moose Lake to Kettle River on the Soo Line North is a section of converted rail grade that is 7 miles long and takes about 20 minutes with an average speed of 21.3 MPH. This…
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Denham to Moose Lake on the Soo Line South is a section of converted rail grade that is 12.6 miles long and takes about 45 minutes with an average speed of 16.8 MPH. This section…
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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…
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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…
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This forest road connects the north and south ends of the forest and is an easy, sandy road about two vehicles wide in most places. There are a few spots where puddles form after rain,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Kettle River to Lawler Loop Trails on the Soo Line North is a section of converted rail grade that is 9.6 miles long and takes about 25 minutes with an average speed of 23.3 MPH.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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