Near Tower, St. Louis County, on February 2, 1996. The all-time high is 115 degrees
Clubs and the ground they keep open
Minnesota has an unusual arrangement worth knowing about: the Mille Lacs ORV Park is provided by the county and maintained by the Minnesota 4 Wheel Drive Association, which is a volunteer club keeping a public trail system running. Minnesota’s own rules refer throughout to state and grant-in-aid trails, and a nonresident pass is required on both, which is a reminder of how much of this network clubs put in.
That matters because access here is conditional. The DNR prohibits travel off roads and trails on state land and prohibits use that causes erosion, rutting or damage to trees. Clubs are how most people learn which routes are open this month and how to drive them without costing everyone the ground.
A club turns a vehicle into a calendar. Day runs, weekend trips, training days, garage nights, and a list of people who will come and get you.
Most clubs offer
01Organized runs and trips at different levels
02Training days for new members
03Trail maintenance and clean-ups
04A voice in local land-use planning
05Help, tools and advice
How to find the right one
Go on a run as a guest before you pay dues.
01Decide between a club built around one make and one open to anything.
02Ask about the pace and style: family camping, technical trails, long-distance travel.
03Ask what the dues pay for.
04Watch how they treat the newest driver on a run.
Why clubs matter
Routes stay open because someone shows up. Clubs that adopt trails, clear them after winter and take part in land-use planning are a large part of why there is still somewhere to drive.
Questions people ask
Do I need a certain vehicle?
Some clubs are built around one make. Many are open to anything with four-wheel drive and a willingness to learn.
How do I list my club?
Use the List your business form and choose Clubs. Tell us where you meet and how people can join a run.
How high is Minnesota?
From Grand Marais at 612 feet to Eagle Mountain at 2,301.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
VirginiaOn US 53 in the middle of the Iron Range. The DNR directs drivers to the Iron Range OHV State Recreation Area from Gilbert, east of here on Highway 135.1,439 ft
ElyKawishiwi Ranger District office on Highway 1, which the Forest Service calls the Voyageurs Highway. County 116 out of town is the Echo Trail, for which no agency publishes a length or a season.1,432 ft
BemidjiWhere US 2 meets US 71 at the top of the Mississippi headwaters country. The nearest full-service town to the western Chippewa and the Beltrami Island country north of it.1,367 ft
Cass LakeChippewa National Forest supervisor’s office, on US 2 between the big lakes. The Ladyslipper Scenic Byway runs north from US 2 to Blackduck.1,337 ft
FinlandInland on Highway 1 above Silver Bay, in the Finland State Forest, which carries more than one motor vehicle classification. The state’s record single-storm snowfall fell near here.1,330 ft
WalkerChippewa district office on Leech Lake, at the eastern end of the Lake Country Scenic Byway and the start of the run south toward the Woodtick Trail.1,317 ft
OrrOn US 53 between Virginia and International Falls. The Park Service lists Orr and Pelican Lake among the access points for Voyageurs.1,304 ft
Grand RapidsSouth end of the Edge of the Wilderness National Scenic Byway, 47 miles up Highway 38 to Bigfork, and the eastern gateway to the Chippewa National Forest.1,289 ft
Crane LakeOne of the five access areas the Park Service names for Voyageurs, at the end of the road east of US 53.1,127 ft
International FallsBorder crossing on Rainy Lake, and the address of Voyageurs National Park headquarters on Highway 11. The winter ice road begins at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center.1,120 ft
Silver BayLake Superior end of the Superior National Forest Scenic Byway, Forest Highway 11, which runs inland to Aurora.764 ft
DuluthWhere I-35 meets Lake Superior and Highway 61 starts north. The Superior National Forest supervisor’s office is here, and so is the last full range of services before the Arrowhead.701 ft
Two HarborsOn Highway 61 between Duluth and Silver Bay, the first town of any size on the North Shore Scenic Drive.673 ft
Grand PortageNorth end of Highway 61 at the Canadian border, beside Grand Portage National Monument. The state’s deepest recorded snow and its snowiest season both happened near here.633 ft
TofteTofte Ranger District office, on Highway 61 below the Sawtooth range. The district’s Sawbill, Temperance River and Crescent campgrounds lie inland from here.628 ft
Grand MaraisGunflint Ranger District office and the south end of the Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway. Last real resupply before 57 miles of byway to the end of the road.612 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Eagle MountainThe highest point in Minnesota, inside the Boundary Waters wilderness. No road reaches it, and our own 3DEP query at the USGS name point reads 2,288 feet2,301 ft
Moose MountainSawtooth range above Lake Superior in Cook County. Our own measurement of the 3DEP surface at the USGS name point; no agency publishes a figure1,689 ft
Carlton PeakAbove Tofte, the most prominent rise on this stretch of the North Shore. Our own 3DEP measurement at the USGS name point1,509 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
