53

Trail Overview

This trail begins off Highway 4 and follows a wide, well-maintained gravel surface. It is generally dusty and winds its way through a mix of open fields and forested stretches. Along the way, the trail passes several rural homesteads and tends to carry a fair amount of local traffic, so it's best to take it slow and watch for oncoming vehicles, especially around bends or in areas with limited visibility. At one point, the trail intersects with the Soo Trail, a designated 112-mile route that runs from Moose Lake to Cass Lake. This particular trail is restricted to smaller vehicles under 900cc and 600 pounds, making it suitable for ATVs and side-by-sides rather than full-size vehicles. From the junction, the main trail continues to twist and curve as it approaches a lake. The route eventually leads to an area with a small campground called Green Camp and several lakeside residences. This is not a remote or undeveloped trail, but it does offer a scenic and varied drive through a lightly populated rural area.

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Difficulty

This trail is well-maintained and regularly used by OHV users, so be cautious 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

53 can be accessed by the following ride types:

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