2024 ANARC MINNESOTA

OFF-SITE ACTIVITIES & ATTRACTIONS

Early settlers came to Northern Minnesota to mine iron ore on what’s called the Iron Range, first underground and later in massive open pit mines. The ore is shipped by rail to ports on Lake Superior where it is loaded onto 1000’ long ore “Laker” boats which take the ore to blast furnaces on the lower lakes. In early August the weather is generally quite pleasant and the bugs are not much of an issue. Nights can be cool so bring a sweatshirt to sit around the fire.

Here are some ideas for things to do before, during, or after the rally. Several of these attractions explore the mining and cultural heritage of the region.

Somewhat by distance from Gilbert:

  • Mesabi Bike Trail — an easy, paved trail running across the Range. The trail runs right thru Gilbert

  • The Whistling Bird restaurant in Gilbert-authentic Caribbean food. Really.

  • Giant’s Ridge Recreational Area — spas, golfing, lift served mountain biking, lodging, food.

  • US Hockey Hall of Fame — Northern Minnesota has long been a hockey stronghold.

  • Tower-Soudan State Park Underground Mine — go down 2,341 ft into an underground mine. Reservations required. Spectacular!

  • Hibbing & Chisholm area (all these attractions are within a 5 mile radius, all about 30 miles from Gilbert.)

    • Minnesota Discovery Center — museum/interpretive center exploring the cultural and mining history of the Iron Range. Mountain biking trails too.

    • Minnesota Museum of Mining — traditional museum with mining artifacts and cool old iron mining equipment to play on.

    • Greyhound Bus Museum — birthplace of the bus line. Several historic buses from various eras can be seen

    • The Town That Moved — a rich deposit of iron ore was discovered directly under the main part of Hibbing in the early days, and the town was moved to the present location. See old foundations, etc.

    • Hull Rust Mine View — observation platform high above the world’s largest open pit iron mine, and includes huge mining equipment to climb on. This active mine is really big!

    • Bob Dylan home- 2425 7th Ave E, Hibbing, MN 55746 you can drive by

    • Historic Hibbing High School tour — A spectacular 100 year old school on the National Historic Register-by arrangement (gratuity appreciated). Call Bob

    • Kearney 218-966-0366

    • The Stand-drive in restaurant in Chisholm (with car hops!)

  • Take a look at www.ironrange.org for tons more information

  • North Shore of Lake Superior — spectacular scenery as you drive on Highway 61 (yup, the one Bob Dylan wrote about.) Views of Lake Superior from the high, rocky shore. Many state parks and waterfalls, as well as a few interesting towns such as Grand Marais. If you are coming from the East, interesting tours could be:

    • Drive north thru lower Michigan, cross the Mackinaw Bridge, and turn west thru the Upper Peninsula (the UP) to Duluth and on to Gilbert. Buy pasties for trail

    • lunches; heat them up on your exhaust manifold!

    • Drive north thru lower Michigan, cross the Mackinaw Bridge, and turn NE to Sault Ste. Marie (the Soo), and cross into Canada to drive the entire North Shore to Gilbert. See ore boats “lock thru” at the Soo Locks.

    • Drive north in Michigan to Ludington, MI and take the “Badger” car ferry across Lake Michigan to Manitowoc, WI and proceed to Gilbert from there.

    • For those coming from the NE, cross into Canada near Buffalo and go over the tops of Lake Huron and Superior.

    • These tours avoid driving through Chicago.

  • A few interesting attractions on the North Shore:

  • Lakes and fishing — Northern Minnesota is dotted with beautiful lakes and there are opportunities to hire a guide, rent a fishing boat, or spend time on a rented houseboat. Nearby Lake Vermillion with its 365 islands is a gem.

  • You are likely to hear loons calling and perhaps trumpeter swans on Lake Ore-Be-Gone. Ely (ee-lee) is the gateway to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), home of famous polar explorers such as Will Steger, and hosts:

  • Duluth-the western end of Lake Superior dominated by the iron ore shipping industry and an enjoyable tourist destination. A few highlights:

  • Sax-Zim Bog for world class birding in Meadowlands, MN

  • Headwaters of the Mississippi River in Itasca State Park

  • There are two National Parks in the region: