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Trans Minnesota Adventure Trail (TMAT)

Jim - this is awesome work... thanks, really enjoying this.

Need to round up you, Rocklym and Cannonshot here soon. :evil

Ian
 
:thumb A wonderful journey and what a great way to showcase an adventure state. I hope to see this and / or the Trans-Wisconsin in the GS Giant mix.

Thank You for sharing !!!
 
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"Yellow Birch"
in the
MN Nemadji State Forest
Easy Peasy on the TMAT


Source: http://www.exploreminnesota.com
The Nemadji State Forest landscape here varies from
gently rolling upland to steep stream valleys and elongated swamps.
A portion of the Willard Munger State Trail
connects Nemadji forest trails
with some in the St. Croix State Forest and St. Croix State Park
including the Gandy Dancer, Yellow Birch, Continental Divide, and the Upper Willow trails.
Check for permitted use signs.




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LINKY:
Great Map




Once the weather turns nice I am hoping to do a long weekend ride in this area
(R100GS with dirt tires)
Anyone with route suggestions?
Anyone want to come with? PM me.

 
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Gandy Dancer Trail

This 30-mile trail along an abandoned railroad grade begins in Danbury, Wis.,
and travels north through Minnesota before looping back into Wisconsin.

Connections to OHV trails in the St. Croix and Nemadji state forests,
along with a wide variety of landscapes and terrain,
make the Gandy Dancer Trail a popular destination for riders.


Built on a former railroad corridor,
the trail is named for the work crews who laid the railroad tracks.
The crews used tools made by the Gandy Tool Company of Chicago.
The crews were known to work by keeping their voices
and the movement of their feet and tools in harmony.
This manner of work led the crews to become known as "Gandy Dancers."


A state trail pass is required on some sections of the trail
here are some of the Links for some of the other TMAT trail sections:
http://www.riderplanet-usa.com/atv/trails/info/minnesota_13032/ride_50d2.htm



http://www.riderplanet-usa.com/atv/trails/info/minnesota_09714/ride_1421.htm




http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ohv/trail_detail.html?id=11



http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ohv/trail_detail.html?id=6




http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ohv/trail_detail.html?id=33



http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ohv/trail_detail.html?id=36



http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ohv/trail_detail.html?id=37




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A few areas of the Gandy Dancer have some
parallel off-road trails

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:thumb

 

:thumb


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For parts of the Gandy Dancer Trail
it parallels country roads, as railroad tracks often do
Watch for small road/driveway that came off the road and crossed the trail
(trail users must yield)

:)
Download the Gandy Dancer Trail PDF here:
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/ohv/gandy_dancer.pdf

Danbury, Wisconsin - South
47 miles is a bicycle trail. No ATV or motorcycles allowed

Danbury, Wisconsin - North
51 miles of the GD Trail is open for ATV & bikes
I would not be afraid to ride just about any motorcycle down the Gandy Dancer

The TMAT doesn't go all the way down to Danbury Wisconsin
but Danbury is a Gas Stop


I know some dualsport riders don't like rail to trail routes,
I love Rail To Trails, especially the Dancer:heart

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:thumb

 
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Black Lake Bog
an interstate natural area located in
Pine County, Minnesota and Douglas County, Wisconsin.

The Minnesota portion of the site contains
black ash swamp, fen, forested bog, and open bog plant communities.


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:thumb


These are absolutely wonderful!

Great stuff!! Thanks.
I hope some of these routes are part of the Gypsy Tour this summer.


Thanks for the wonderful pictures and riding ideas.
I must try at least part of this ride when attending the MOA Rally.


:thumb A wonderful journey and what a great way to showcase an adventure state.
I hope to see this and / or the Trans-Wisconsin in the GS Giant mix.

Thank You for sharing !!!

I am sure Chad Berger AKA rokklym (rock climb) will start his ride report soon.
Rokklym is the person who charted the Trans Wisconsin Adventure ride.
Chad also has led tours on the Great River Road Gravel Ride
and looping them all together for a grand tour
called http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=932261
North Central Overland Route
Here is his file:
http://dualsportmaps.com/?link=112773








Great photos Jim!
I skipped the Gandy Dancer when I did the route, guess I have a reason to go back!

About 25 miles of the Dancer are on the main TMAT route



Jim - this is awesome work... thanks, really enjoying this.

Need to round up you, Rokklym and Cannonshot here soon. :evil

Ian






:dance There is some great riding in the area :dance
 
Below:
Youtube video of someone riding the Straight Arrow Trail in Nemadji State Forest​


located just off the TMAT & is rated medium difficult

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-JPF8o3Vt7U?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


These videos (not mine) are just off the TMAT
& would be perfect riding with a small dirt bike

;)

The Straight Arrow MC Club
build, maintain and sign approximately 45 miles of off-highway motorcycle trail
located in the northeast corner of the Nemadji State Forest,
approximately 27 miles of which are single track trails for motorcycles only.

An additional 5 miles of public OHM trail in Douglas County, WI.
connect to these trails
http://www.douglascountywi.org/DocumentCenter/View/895




Straight Arrows Trail Map:
http://www.straightarrows.org/nemadji-ohm/nemadji-trail-maps

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wRr7LNxBSj8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

:thumb


 


:deal
Great county maps for finding gravel roads.

LINKY: find gravel roads





Anyone that gets the opportunity to ride Douglas county in WI
should make sure they turn their knobs on Summit Trail
St. Croix Adventure Trail
great alternative to the TMAT East (0r to do a loop ride)
it crosses the St. Croix River at Osceola, WI.,
then rejoins the TMAT just south of St. Croix State Forest.
twisty gravel roads, some sugar sand.

http://dualsportmaps.com/?link=100496
Another Wisconsin option - Summit Trail, just East of the Gandy Dancer Trail.
Extended track to include Skyline Drive in Duluth

If you do the St. Croix Adventure Trail
it would be easy to get you 10 Wisconsin Road Rustic Road Patch
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/scenic/northwest.htm



http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=599560&page=8
:D


I realize that at least part of the point of this project is to map out an adventure ride that stays within the borders of the state.
However, I have been riding a portion of this trail for several years,
and would like to offer an alternate route from Scandia to Duluth,
that spends a lot of time in Wisconsin, though it doesn't stray far from the border.



mnat1.jpg


Crossing the river at Osceola,
there is a fun Rustic Road that follows the river to St. Croix Falls.
About 8 miles North of St C Falls, the fun, sandy roads start,
and it is about 90% dirt from here on.


mnat2.jpg


South of Grantsburg, there is a wetlands/wildlife refuge,
then North of town, an even larger refuge area known as Crex Meadows.
These are an absolute blast to ride through, and usually pretty empty.

mnat3.jpg


The routes converge just South of St. Croix State Forest, another fun area.
About halfway up the Gandy Dancer,
I turn off onto the road into the Nemadji State Forest,
and follow forest roads & ATV trails on a crazy-fun tour through the forest
that ends up back on the Gandy Dancer.
]There are lots of single-track trails to play on here if you have the right bike, and some extra time.
The red track is another alternate that follows Summit Trail on the WI side.
It makes a great return route for day trips, and is deserted most of the time.


mnat4.jpg


The route then heads back across the border, and has some more great dirt roads to ride
before you hit pavement and cross back across the bridge at Oliver to MN 23,
and the really fun south end of Skyline Drive.
I've tried both sides of the St. Croix in this area,
and this route on the WI side is a hands-down winner over the MN side.


In case you are wondering how technical this route is,
I will say that I have ridden it all on my KTM 950 Adventure.

There is some deep sand in places, but it's all rideable.

give it a try, I'm sure you'll like it.
NOTE:
GPS File post 115


I have attached 2 GPS files that will make a nice loop,
 

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  • MN-WI Adv Trail(1).gpx
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:)



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Running along the abandoned Soo Line,
a highlight of the Gandy Dancer State Trail
is the 520-foot bridge over the scenic St. Croix River
less than one mile north of Danbury, Wisconsin

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Gandy Dancer Trail
- Starts in the St. Croix State Forest just east of Hinckley and travels north 31 miles. Connects the St. Croix State Forest and the Nemadji State Forest. Level of difficulty for the Gandy Dancer is rated as a green circle (easiest),

Nemadji State Forest
- Located in Northeastern Pine county the Nemadji State Forest offers riders 100 miles of ATV / Off-road vehicle trails. The rating for these trails is green circle (easiest).
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_forests/sft00035.pdf

St. Croix State Forest
- Located approximately 28 miles east of Hinckley . the St. Croix state forest has approximately 45 miles of four wheeling trails and also connects to the Gandy Dancer Trail. The difficulty rating for these trails is rated as a blue square (more difficult)
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_forests/sft00044.pdf

General Andrews State Forest
- Located 20 miles north of Hinckley, near Willow River. This state forest, although smaller, offers over 39 miles of ATV trails. The difficulty rating for this trail is blue square (more difficult).
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_forests/sft00020.pdf

Chengwatana State Forest
11 Miles Off-Highway Motorcycling
- Located southwest of St. Croix State Park trails rated as a blue square (more difficult).
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/ohv/chengwatana.pdf
Chengwatana State Forest is approximately 12 miles east of Pine City.
Parking is located 9 miles east of County Rd 9, off County Rd 10/Chengwatana Forest Road
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_forests/sft00012.pdf


It should be noted
That to ride most of the mentioned trails
(Nemadji, Chengwatana and Gandy Dancer for sure),
you will need to purchase a trail sticker from the Minnesota DNR.
-K
1. What do I need to legally ride Minnesota trails?

Check the Minnesota DNR page and latest OHV handbook for the latest info.
You need a DNR trail sticker attached to your license plate
in order to ride State Trails with a Dual-Sport / Adventure bike.
The official TMAT route has a short part within the St. Croix State Forest
that uses a State Trail and also uses the Gandy Dancer State Trail.


Note:
Trail fees for motorcycles are good.
Wisconsin does not have a system for motorcycle trail fee
and we are not allowed to go on many ATV trails.





The above trails
North of Rally
(Trailhead 80 miles north of Saint Paul)
near Danbury Wisconsin,
Pine City and Hinckley, Minnesota.

Hinkley: 78.8 mi, 1 hour 12 minutes from Rally site
Danbury, WI: 105 mi, 1 hour 37 minutes from Rally site

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=minnesota+state+fair&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF-8&ei=rYz1UsuGDYiSyAGOuoGIBw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ



:thumb


Hey Beer Team, is it possible to ride the routes you list above without using a GPS?
I've got an older one . . . Are maps available to purchase for the routes,
that I can use while trying to figure out my old GPS (Garmin Nuvi 50)
Gandy Dancer to Yellow Birch Trail route is well marked with State Forest signage

I have PDF links included on the ride list:
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_forests/sft00035.pdf
Best to fiend a riding partner with a GPS as most of the single track I would not ride alone.

http://www.co.pine.mn.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={3E54E986-E9BD-48ED-86C9-7CE91668DE62}


The TMAT GPS files are here:

http://minneadv.info/category/gps/
Dualsport Maps have a free download of the TMAT and all the riding loops
The video is very informative on how to download the riding loops

DualSportMaps.com holds all the GPS data for the Trans-Minnesota Adventure Trail and also has a Android app that goes with it that allows you to use your Android phone as a GPS.


Matthew Lourey State Trail
http://archive.leg.state.mn.us/docs/2012/mandated/120539.pdf
The Matthew Lourey State Trail runs along Minnesota's eastern boundary.
It starts in Chengwatana State Forest,
runs northeasternly along the St. Croix River through the St. Croix State Park
and into the St. Croix State Forest,
and then in a northerly direction through the Nemadji State Forest
before terminating near Holyoke
This segment of the trail is unpaved,
and is intended for snowmobile, motorcycle, ATV, horseback riding, and mountain biking

;)


 

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:dance

Itinerary
Sunday 8-25 2013
Boring Rally, lunch at Duluth Grill & stopped at Aerostich
Rode the TMAT north and wilderness camped at Ely MN.

Monday 8-26-13
Rode the TMAT north to International Falls, MN

Tuesday 8-27-13
Back tracked roads from International Falls back to Duluth. Dinner at Grandma's


Wednesday 8-28-13
Duluth to south of the Twin Cities
Visited Dennis Kirk in Rush City, MN

Thursday 8-29-13
Arrive at Davenport Iowa for the National Antique Motorcycle Show



:dance
 
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