Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

About the Paul Bunyan State Forest of Minnesota:

105,000 acres, covering 164 sq. miles, making up part of northern Minnesota’s north woods. Created in 1935, it started small in the early 1900s primarily for the millions of board feet of timber. The logging days lasted 20 years, with its peak creat-ing 8-10 major logging camps and 4-5,000 men on the payroll. The central hub of all the lumber processing was on Eleventh Crow-Wing Lake and the City of Akeley.

Motor vehicle usage in Minnesota State Forests are classified:

Paul Bunyan State Forest is classified as “Limited” for motor vehicle usage, meaning:

Highway licensed vehicles MAY OPERATE on signed forest roads.>
Off-highway vehicles, [OHV’s] defined as ATV’s, [ATVs or UTVs] off highway motorcycles [OHMs], and off-road Vehi-cles [ORVs] MAY OPERATE on signed roads and on trails that are designated and signed for their specific use. No off- trail travel is allowed, except noted in hunting regulations.
Reminders of such are posted at many of the forest en-trances.
Please enjoy! …be tolerant and be respectful to all.

DEFINITIONS:

The term Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV), includes All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV’s & UTV’s), Off-Highway Motorcycles (OHM’s) and Off-Road Vehicles (ORV’s).

For complete details of Off-Highway Vehicle regulations please reference: www.mndnr.gov/ohv

This site is the MASTER to all things OHV in MN.

Finding OHV trails: A-Z list of trails, Maps, Trail/Road closures & GPS Garmin data.
Safety & Regulations: ATV Safety Education, Trail Ambassador Program, Youth Rider Information, Rules & Regulations, fees, and Non-resident Trail Pass information.

All the Paul Bunyan State Forest Trails are rated for both Class 1 & Class 2 Registration:

Class 1 ATV:

has a total width of 50 inches or less from outside of tire rims.

Class 2 ATV:

has total width of greater than 50 inches but not more than 65 inches from outside of tire rims.

No vehicles over 65 inches and no ORVs on the trails.
The Paul Bunyan State Forest has no (ORV) off-road vehicle trails.

All vehicles on the forest roads, minimum maintenance roads, ATV, OHM trails must be registered or licensed and/or permitted. No off-trail useage is allowed.

OHVs must be registered to operate in Minnesota.

(There are exemptions: See OHV regulations)

Non-Resident OHV Trail Passes are required for ATV, OHM and ORV’s.

A trail pass is required for non-residents operating an ATV or OHM, or OHV that is not licensed in MN, on State or Grant-Aid trails.

Non-Resident ATV Trail Passes can be purchased for $31.00 at these local ELS agents:

Akeley Cenex
T&M Express (Akeley, Nevis & Park Rapids)
Woodland Store – Lake George
Northwood Grocery & Cafe – Nevis
Emmaville Inn – CR 4

LaPorte Grocery
Holiday Station Stores
Benedict Outpost – Benedict
Smokey Hills Outdoor
Online or by phone 24 hrs/day www.mndnr.gov or 888-665-4236

OHV trails in Minnesota are open from May 1st-October 31st annually, unless posted otherwise.

Temporary closure information…things change fast so please check all appropriate location or call: 888-646-6367 for the latest information.

General operations of ATVs that are commonly missed!

YOUTH: Anyone under the age of 16 must have permission from their parent or guardian to operate an ATV.
Anyone under the age of 18 must wear a DOT approved helmet while operating or a passenger when riding on public lands, trails, frozen waters and when crossing road right-of-way.
As an operator 18 years or age or older, you may carry one passenger on a Class 1 ATV. For a Class 2 ATV you may carry a passenger, or up to the number of passengers for which the ATV was designed.
As an operator 12-17 years of age, you may carry one passenger on a Class 1 ATV only if the passenger is your parent or legal guardian.
If your ATV is equipped with a headlight and tail light, they must be ON at all times.
EQUIPMENT: Brakes and throttles must be in complete operating condition as designed by the manufacturer. Mufflers must have a federally approved spark arrestor. MAY NOT exceed 99 decibels at a distance or 20 inches, MAY NOT be altered to increase motor noise.