イスタスカ郡周辺のアトラクション＆必見スポット - トップ12

The Mesabi Trail hugs a segment of the Prairie River, boasting views of red iron-rich hills around it. The river looks great today, considering that in 1991, Enbridge Line 3 pipeline burst and resulted in the largest inland oil spill in U.S. history, releasing about 1.7 million gallons of oil into the area, including the Prairie River.

Nashwauk is a historic mining town built in 1902. This town revolved around the Hawkins Mine, which operated until 1962. Today, Nashwauk retains its small-town charm and sits between two inactive open-pit mines.

The western terminus of the Mesabi Trail in Grand Rapids marks the beginning of a popular paved multi-use path. From here, the trail stretches northeast for over 160 miles, eventually reaching the town of Ely near the Boundary Waters.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has developed a Hiking Club program that features a trail in each of its 68 state parks and recreational areas (https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/clubs.html). Sometimes the trailhead for these hikes can be tricky to find, so here is the trailhead for the Scenic State Park Hiking Club trail. There is a marker with a password somewhere along the length of the trail, but I am not going to reveal that. You have to find it yourself!

The city of Grand Rapids is the seat of Itasca County, Minnesota. It is so called due to the rapids on the Mississippi River preventing in the 19th century the ascent of steamboats further. Today, these rapids have disappeared, as they are now under the Blandin Paper Mill dam lake built in the 20th century.

The Judy Garland Museum is at the end of this day's itinerary. The childhood home of the American actress known, among other things, for her role in 1939's The Wizard of Oz is still there. It is now a place of memory. The house dates from before 1922, and the environment has changed since then. The city of Grand Rapids having expanded. We learn a lot about this wonderful person who died in 1969, who was also a singer.

This is the western terminus of the Mesabi Trail that eventually. will run all the way from Grand Rapids to Ely.

Like much of Minnesota, the Suomi Hills were the site of extensive logging. This region was logged for pine between 1905 and 1910, and today the forest has transitioned to deciduous maple, oak, and basswood that makes the region beautiful to visit in the fall. Beaver, loons, and many other birds make the Suomi Hills a great place to experience wildlife.