Biking
If you’re looking to mountain bike in the Tofte, Minnesota area, we recommend checking out the Britton Peak network of trails and/or the Jackpot / High Climber single track trail that runs between Tofte to Lutsen.
Britton Peak
The Britton Peak network is located 2.5 miles up the Sawbill trail out of Tofte. The trails were recently rehabbed and offer great options for all skill levels. Short Stacker, Crosscut, Flume, Skookum and Jackpot trails are all accessible from the trailhead.
- Short Stacker is an excellent one-way trail for beginners to ride, or a fantastic short loop for more experience riders to warm up on. The 1.2 mile loop takes riders through beautiful maple forest and offers riders an opportunity to test their skills on boardwalks, small drops, smooth rock gardens and small berms. Most obstacles, with the exception of some rock gardens, can be biked around or easily walked. The first half of the trail consists of small undulating hills, while the second half of the loop is slightly downhill, allowing riders to get into a fun, flowy state.
- Crosscut is designated as a one-way blue trail. The trail has a variety of riding with some wonderful rock gardens/features, wooden drops, and other technical features. The features tend to offer some more challenging opportunities for riders than Short Stacker does, but is still very approachable for riders who have a bit of experience under their belt. This trail is, rightly, a favorite loop for many and offers opportunities for those who want to push themselves. The last section of the loop has a beautiful section of flow trail that is slightly downhill, making it easy to gain momentum and become one with the trail.
- Flume is also a blue loop that can be traveled clockwise or counterclockwise. Although this trail tends to have less features and is a bit less “flowy” than Shortstacker and Crosscut, it has some unique rock roll downs and a series of berms that are a lot of fun to ride. If you’re hoping to enjoy the berms while riding downhill, we recommend riding this two-way trail in a clockwise direction (though a handful of folks would argue riding counterclockwise is more enjoyable).
- Skookum is designated as a black, or difficult, one-way trail in the Britton Peak Trail system. This is by far the most technical trail of the system. Most of the technical parts of the trail are comprised of rocks formations and features, many of which are found on short downhill or uphill sections.
Jackpot and Highclimber
Jackpot and Highclimber are two-way trails that run from the Britton Peak trail head near Tofte to Lutsen. Jackpot is the section of the trail that runs between Tofte and Onion River Road while High Climber runs from Onion River Road to Ski Hill Road near Lutsen. Both of these trails are wonderful flow trails that stretch through miles of boreal forest. Although there are so features on the trail, there are less features than there are on the Britton Peak loops. The experience of riders tends to be much more of a flowy point-to-point experience. Both sections of trails offer plenty of climbing opportunities for riders as well as beautiful scenery to view.
One highlight of the Jackpot section are impressive rock walls tower over the side of the trails. Highclimber on the other hand, offers riders the opportunity to overlook Lusten Mountains.
Jackpot and Highclimber can be ridden out-and-back, or if you would like to ride the trail one way, we highly suggest shuttling your cars so you can ride from point to point (we also offer shuttles should you prefer a point-to-point option and don’t have access to two vehicles). Jackpot can be accessed from the Britton Peak trailhead (2.5 miles up the Sawbill Trail from Tofte, MN) or from Onion River Road (park your car on the side of the road near the biking trail located 5 miles up Onion River Road from Highway 61 between Tofte and Lutsen). High Climber can be accessed from Onion River Road or from the end of Ski Hill Road outside of Lutsen.
Pincushion Trail System
Other (relatively) nearby trails can be found in Grand Marais area at the Pincushion Trail System. However, the trails at Pincushion will be closed most of the 2024 riding season as they undergo rehabilitation.
Trail Conditions
If you’re looking for current trail conditions, we recommend checking out the TrailBot app.
We consider ourselves pretty lucky – the Gitchi-Gami State Trail is right out our front door. The paved bike path, or recreation trail, takes riders by incredibly beautiful features of the Minnesota’s North Shore: Lake Superior, state parks, rock cliffs, waterfalls, and river gorges. It travels through both temperate and boreal forest and gives those who travel it an up-close experience of what the area has to offer.
When the trail is complete it will travel nearly ninety miles from Two Harbors to Grand Marais, Minnesota along the shore of Lake Superior. Currently, 30 miles of trail exists in various sections, including a section of trail that parallels Lake Superior from Schroeder to Tofte and Tofte to Ski Hill Road near Lutsen.
This section of trail is held dear to our heart – partially because it’s right outside our shop and we know it intimately, but also because it passes through Temperance State Park, over the Temperance River Gorge and by Carlton Peak. In the spring, riders/walkers will see many seasonal waterfalls and streams as they travel down the path. It offers a delightful experience to anyone willing to get on their bike and pedal, or of course, lace on some shoes and walk.
The trail runs right in front of our door. If you head west you’ll head straight toward Temperance River State Park. If you’d like to take the trail toward Lutsen from our door, you’ll need to cross Highway 61 and head toward Bluefin Grille where you’ll take the wooden lake path (please walk your bikes across the path) to the northeast side of Tofte. There you’ll meet up with the next section of the Gitchi-Gami trail near the Commercial Fishing Museum.
Many wonderful restaurants and businesses are located along this section of the trail including:
- Schroeder Baking Company (19 Lambs Way, Schroeder): This little gem serves up baked goods, soft serve ice cream and hot coffee – an excellent place to begin or end your ride.
- Sawtooth Outfitters (7213 MN-61, Tofte): Stop in and say hi when passing by, and let us know if you have any gear or North Shore adventure related questions – we’re always happy to help. You’ll find us across the highway from Bluefin Bay in Tofte. Or, swing by to rent a bike if you need one.
- Bluefin Grille (7192 MN-61, Tofte): This grille has regionally inspired cuisine. Plus, the dining areas offer outstanding views of Lake Superior.
- Coho Café (7192 MN-61, Tofte): This little bistro as wonderful pizza, sandwiches, drinks (wine, beer, coffee, etc.) and baked goods.
- North Shore Winery and Sawtooth Mountain Cider House (202 Ski Hill Road, Lutsen): You’ll have to go a little out of your way for a stop at this winery and cider house, but we think it is worth it. They make a variety and wines, cider and root beer that are all named after local attractions and activities. To get there from the end of the trail section near Lutsen, you’ll need to ride up Ski Hill Road about 1.5 miles and you’ll find it on the right side of the road.
The remaining 60 miles of trail will be constructed as time and funding allows. Construction has been underway for the trail to extend from Ski Hill Road near Lutsen, where the section of trail currently ends, into the city of Lutsen.
Other trail section highlights around and outside of our immediate area include:
- Sawbill Trail (Paved Section): An out and back ride from Tofte on this section will give riders about 24 miles of distance with excellent views along the Superior National Forest.
- Silver Creek Tunnel: this short (.5 mile) wraps around the Silver Creek Tunnel east of Two Harbors. It offers incredible views of Lake Superior and the perfect spot for many people to stretch their legs when they’re traveling up or down the shore along Highway 61.
- Gooseberry Falls to Silver Bay: It is the longest section of the trail that has been built, and arguably one of the most scenic as it connects iconic North Shore attractions like Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse and the Beaver River Falls.
- Grand Marais to Cutface Creek Wayside: Great lake views as well as a unique bridge crossing over a waterfall is part of the newest 4.8 mile section of the Gitchi-Gami trail.
No fee or pass is required to use any section of the trail, so the next time you’re nearby any section of the trail we encourage you to get out and use it. Whether you’re in Two Harbors, Tofte or Grand Marais are, we think you’ll find something wonderfully surprising when you’re out there.
A map and details about current trail segments are available from the Gitchi-Gami Trail Association here: http://www.ggta.org/map.php
The North Shore has miles and miles of secondary and forest service roads and lots of possibilities for biking.
One great ride from Tofte, known here at the shop as Jeff’s ride, is to ride up the Sawbill trail to Forest Rd. 166, on the left crossing over the Temperance River. Crank the hills up and down until you get to 343, the Temperance River Rd., on the left. There is a little bit of a climb until you crest the hill and then it is down hill to the lake. Be sure to slow down enough to check out the beautiful views of Carlton Peak and the river valley on the left. The best route back is to take another left on the Gitchi-Gami Trail and ride that back to Tofte. Round trip is a little over 20 miles and will take a couple hours (unless you are Jeff and you are trying to get a ride in before your staff person needs to leave to go kayaking, then it is just over an hour, but you better be hammering!)
Another great ride is the Timber Frear Loop. It is located about 20 miles from the shop and is a 20 mile loop on some maintained forest service roads but mostly on unmaintained forest service roads. Whitefish Lake Access is a great place to start from and a great place to swim when you are done.
Brought up your road bike? There are some great road rides on the shore as well. These include: a 10 mi section of the Sawbill Trail out of Tofte, the Gunfint Trail out of Grand Marais, the Caribou Trail in Lutsen, and Lake county Hwy 11 out of Silver Bay. With road improvements and widened shoulders, some sections of Hwy 61 are safe and enjoyable to ride. Other sections have little to no shoulder, cracks in the pavement, pot holes, and can be somewhat risky, especially if you are riding north on a Friday afternoon or south on a Sunday morning, which is when you will encounter the highest levels of traffic.
