cuyuna country state recreation area

A couple of years ago I wrote a review after I first visited this location and only had a basic understanding of this area. I've now visited at least a dozen times and want to provide an update. First, the biking trails are incredible and I'm not over exaggerating. They have one nice paved trail that you can take for a nice ride. The scenery is incredible wherever you are at. The actual mountain bike trails are world class. I'm 50 years old and have been on a couple of classes of trails so don't be intimidated (but be smart). Note that there are a couple of outer locations that have bike trails such as the Yawkey Mine area as well as the Sagamore Mine area. Yawkey appears to be for the more experience and talented rider and Sagamore has some nice grass trails to ride on. All of these trails lay next to the mine pits and provide beautiful lookouts along the way. Now, let's talk about the mines. These mines are like lakes. Crystal clear lakes with great visibility. My wife describes kayaking there as floating on an aquarium, especially on sunny days. We bring our kayaks here often because there of the solitude and beauty. Often this place reminds me of the BWCA. I wish they had primitive campsites there. I should mention the fishing because it can be very good there. I know the mines are stocked with trout, but I've caught only bass, sunfish, and northern pike. So, this is one of my favorite places on earth. They are building this up with more facilities, which kind of saddens me, because the solitude I often enjoy may be gone someday down the road. Nonetheless, this should be a destination of choice if you are even remotely close to the area.

We made the trip here with some friends to camp and bike. Part of the area is being worked on by construction crews, but there are alternative routes to get where you want to go.There are no shortage of trails for every sort of rider from beginner to advanced. The scenery is great, especially from the top of the hill. Of course the best part after getting to the top of the hill is to rocket down the trails.We rode for several hours and wished we had more time. We had planned to come back the following day, but an overnight thunderstorm put an end to that. We are far from experts, but this was one of the best trails we have ridden and we will definitely be back.

First off I would like to say that I was probably the only person in the area who did not do the bike trails. However, the group camp site was fantastic! I loved sleeping near the water and hearing the frogs sing all night. This was a great place to relax and tell stories around the campfire. Even though the campground is close to town it doesn't feel like it.

The Cuyuna bike trails have turned a sow's ear into a silk purse! The trails are beautifully designed and wind through northern forests of pine, birch and hardwoods while skirting gorgeous lakes that were once ugly open pit iron mines. The hills were once waste heaps from mining operations, but, are now nicely forested.

We loved every minute of the MTB trails, scenery and wildlife. MTB traiols are well marked and kept up. Roads could have better signage, but we explored and had a great time.

The mountain bike trails are not for the faint of heart, but they are amazing!! Additionally, there are paved trails and unpaved trails for those looking for a more tame ride. Beautiful views, too! Can't recommend this enough!

My family enjoyed biking and fishing at this really neat state rec area. Lots of bike tails. The really neat thing about the trails is they have trails for all skill levels. From a paved trail to easy dirt to more advanced dirt to insane dirt.Lakes are very beautiful and didn't seem to get much use. Very few kayaks or boats to be seen. Lakes are very scenic and relaxing. 10 mph limit so don't expect to zip around fast.All in all a great place to visit and its free!

Great scenery and challenging trails. The mining lakes were beautiful and the trails provide all levels of challenge. Just know the "easy" trails are also challenging but very reasonable.

My wife and I kayaked on Huntington Mine this July and we loved it. First, nobody else was on the water except for a couple of kids floating on some tubes. The path leading from the parking area to the landing was a little steep, but it had steps built in along the way to make it a fairly easy portage. We opted for Huntington Mine over Pennington Mine because we thought Huntington would be more secluded. The water was very clear and my wife described it as kayaking on an aquarium. We slowly went along the shore from one end to the other watching all of the sunfish and bass swimming amond the fallen trees in the water. I understand the mine is stocked with trout. We decided to just explore the area on the past trip and not fish, but I do plan on going up there this weekend to fish the mine. According to a sign near the parking area you must have a trout stamp along with a fishing license to fish in the Cuyuna Mines. We saw bikers along the paths that weave through the area and plan to bike and kayak there next year.

The paved state trail, Cuyuna Lakes State Trail, runs from Riverton to Crosby - a distance of 6 miles. What a treat it was to discover this gem - gentle rolling trail, shaded on a hot day with wonderful lake views along the way. The recreation area is also used for mountain biking, fishing and even scuba diving. If you're driving up north to the lakes, stop along the way for a great ride.