2240

Trail Overview

Also known as the Lost Forty Trail, this route winds through a rare stand of old-growth forest in the Chippewa National Forest near Blackduck, Minnesota. The hiking trail along the route forms a one-mile loop that leads hikers through towering red and white pines, some of which are between 300 and 400 years old. These trees were spared from logging due to a surveying error in 1882, and interpretive signs along the path offer insight into the area's history and natural features. Access is via Forest Road 2240, also called Lost 40 Road, about 53 miles north of Grand Rapids. The trail is relatively easy and can be enjoyed in all seasons, including on cross-country skis in winter. The 2240 road leading in is scenic, with a narrow bridge crossing and gentle curves through wooded terrain. The route also passes a Wildlife Management Area, and there are a few narrower offshoots along the way that are accessible by ATV. While vault toilets are available at the parking area, there is no potable water, so visitors should come prepared.

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Difficulty

This trail is well-maintained and used regularly by OHV users, so be watchful of other off-roaders and adventurers.

History

Covering more than 1.6 million acres of glacial lakes, red-pine uplands, and sphagnum bogs, Minnesota's Chippewa National Forest lets motorists experience the North Woods at an unrushed pace. Paved state highways soon yield to a lattice of numbered forest roads, most of them well-graded gravel that thread between kettle ponds and stands of towering white pine, the tree that helped earn the forest its 1908 designation as one of America's first national forests. The forest harbors one of the highest breeding densities of bald eagles in the continental United States, and patient drivers often glimpse loons, black bears, and white-tailed deer as they move from shoreline to clear-cut regrowth and back again.

Technical Rating

2240 can be accessed by the following ride types:

• High-Clearance 4x4
• SUV
• SxS (60")
• ATV (50")
• Dirt Bike