Public Off Road Trails in Minnesota

Minnesota has more than 10,000 lakes. Off-road trail riders can expect to see swamps, and lots of foliage and trees. Minnesota has many trails to choose from, but some close in the winter so riders should check the Department of Natural Resources "Closure" page for updates. Public off-road trails in Minnesota have many similar mechanical and safety regulations as well as uniform signage.

  1. Rules and Regulations

    • Recreation areas at public trails in Minnesota are open from 8 a.m. to one hour before sunset May through October, and 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from November through April. Recreation areas are closed during hunting seasons; check the state closure page for details depending on the time of year. As of January 2011, there were no entrance fees to access recreational trails. Engine noise for all-terrain vehicles and off-road vehicles on public off-road trails must not exceed 99 decibels; off-highway motorcycles must not exceed 96 decibels. All recreation areas use the same off-highway vehicle rules and safety regulations, which are posted on the Department of Natural Resources off-highway vehicle regulation page.

    Trail Markers

    • Public trails in Minnesota are marked with skill level and trail difficulty so that riders can know something about the trail before they ride. Trails with a green circle comprise 10 percent of the trails in Minnesota. They are the easiest to ride; there are no steep hills and few obstacles. Trails marked with blue squares are a little more challenging than those marked with green circles. Eighty percent of the states trails have blue squares; there is a higher degree of risk on these trails. A trail marked with a black diamond is the most difficult. Ten percent of the trails have black diamonds. These trails have very steep grades, sharp alignments and substantial obstacles.

    Open Off-Road Trails

    • Several parks in Minnesota remain opened during winter. The Chengwatana State Forest OHV Trails in Pine County, Minnesota, remained open in 2011. The trails at Chengwatana are surrounded by brush and marshland and three rivers flow through the forest. There is overnight camping at the state forest campground near the Willard Munger State Trail. Agassiz Recreational Trails located on an abandoned railroad grade in Norman County between Ulen and Crookston, Minnesota. Agassiz passes through the cities Twin Valley and Fertile.

    Seasonal Off-Road Trails

    • Bad weather closes or partially closes the majority of public park trails in Minnesota for the season. Appleton Area Recreational OHV Park in Swift County, a 330-acre park of which 260 acres are used for riding, was partially opened in 2011, some areas are off limits, however. Most of the trails at Appleton are used by Class I and Class II all-terrain vehicles, off-highway motorcycles and off-road vehicles. Six miles are for off-highway motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles only. The Blue Ox ATV trail on abandoned railroad grade was closed for the season in 2011. This trail stretches through swamps and stands of trees. It is skirted by the towns of International Falls, Little Fork, Big Falls, and Northome.

    New ATV Laws

    • Several new laws went into effect in 2010. The maximum weight allowance for all-terrain vehicles was raised to 1,000 pounds for Class I and to 1,800 pounds for Class II. Vehicles 25 years and older are now exempt from registration. There are also new recreations restrictions regarding riding during deer hunting season, which is Nov. 5 to Dec. 11 in 2011. Opening and closing season dates for more than a dozen varieties of game are listed on the Department of Natural Resources website.