THE AREA’S HISTORY
The now 30-mile long trail bike trail at Cuyuna
Country State Recreation Area opened to riders
in 2011. It was built on land abandoned by
mining companies in the 1980s and features
rugged trails built on hills formed by the tailings
left behind by miners.
The area has a hotbed of activity during World
War I and World War II when it was mined for the
manganese-rich iron ore deposits discovered
there. The ore was used to harden the steel
needed for wartime production.
Mining peaked in the region in about 1953, and
came to an end in 1982 when the last reported
shipment of iron ore was made. The land sat
unused—officially anyway—until 1993 when
the State Recreation Area was designated.
“I’ve ridden amazing trails around the country,
but none of those places have the people that
I am blessed to consider family like the Cuyuna
Lakes Recreational Area. The trails are just icing
on the community cake,” said Martens.
“The trails at Cuyuna run through a beautiful,
pristine area of Minnesota. Along the
wonderfully maintained trail there’s reclaimed
forest, mining hills that provide for elevation that
is hard to get in Minnesota otherwise. Plus, there
are nice vistas and amazing fall colors,” he added.
Martens started riding the trails at Cuyuna
Country State Recreation Area well long
before they opened to the public in 2011. “In
about 2004, I had friends in the area that were
exploring and dreaming of the mountain bike
trails. We were riding the piles of tailings and the
hills out there in preparation for competitions,”
said Martens.
As the park was being developed, Martens
worked closely with Aaron Hautala, the
executive director of the Cuyuna Lakes
Mountain Bike Crew, to make sure the trails
would offer the best riding experience possible.
The organization Hautala, 41, leads works with
the Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
to repair and groom the trails along what he
calls an amazing example of Mother Nature’s
handiwork.
“It has been 35 years since mining ended.
The 600-foot-deep pits are now full of water,
and a new forest has grown up on what
were once unusable piles of dirt. Now in the
middle of Central Minnesota you have a rocky,
mountainous environment that doesn’t belong
here because it was man made, but is a mecca
for mountain bike riders,” said Hautala, who goes
onto explain there are big plans for the future in
the area.
“We are very excited about the new Bike Skills
and Bike Jumps Area in the Miner’s Mountain
Rally Center near the parking lot that will
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