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Two vehicles camped on a rocky point above a big lake, seen from the air, the first fall color in the trees.

The Overland Directory

Tires in Minnesota

Tire and wheel shops that understand load ratings, airing down and what a loaded overland vehicle asks of its tires.

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Tires in Minnesota

5 listings

  1. Kenny's Tire And Auto Repair Bemidji, MN Service station and repair shop on Bemidji Avenue selling tires and doing wheel alignments, brakes, batteries, engine repair, oil changes and air conditioning work.
  2. Bear's Port Town Tire Duluth, MN Tire and auto repair shop on Carlton Street in Duluth selling tires, fitting lift kits and doing steering and suspension, brake, alignment and differential work.
  3. Iron Range Tire Service Inc. Hibbing, MN Tire and auto repair shop on West 41st Street in Hibbing selling passenger, light truck and commercial tires and doing alignments, suspension and front end work, brakes and diagnostics.
  4. Automotive Concepts New Hope, MN Vehicle upfitting shop in New Hope that fits suspension lifts, wheels and tires, truck toppers, tonneau covers, bed liners and step bars, along with remote start and window tint.
  5. Heartland Four Wheel Saint Cloud, MN Repair shop and tire dealer in Saint Cloud selling tires and aftermarket wheels, fitting lift and levelling kits and off road accessories and doing brakes, transmissions and diagnostics.

Minnesota by the numbers

Acres of federal land 1
3.51M
6.8 percent of Minnesota’s 51.2 million acres. The Forest Service holds 2,832,995 of them
Eagle Mountain, the highest point in Minnesota 2
2,301 ft
Cook County. The lowest point is Lake Superior at 601 feet, a Corps of Engineers figure
Acres in the Superior National Forest 5
3M
The forest’s own figure, and the largest national forest east of the Mississippi. It rests on the proclamation boundary, not owned acres
Acres in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness 10
1,098,000
Nearly 150 miles along the international boundary, with over 1,200 miles of canoe routes
Acres managed by the Chippewa National Forest 17
660,000+
Inside a forest boundary of about 1.6 million acres. The rest is state, county, tribal and private
Acres the Minnesota DNR manages 26
4.2M
60 state forests, school trust acres and other forested land
Federal campgrounds a vehicle can reach 4
47
38 Forest Service, 7 Army Corps of Engineers and 2 National Park Service. 42 take reservations
Minnesota’s all-time low temperature 38
-60°F
Near Tower, St. Louis County, on February 2, 1996. The all-time high is 115 degrees

Tires and Minnesota’s prohibition on studs

Minnesota law makes this easy to get wrong. Statute 169.72 prohibits any block, stud, flange, cleat or spike projecting beyond the tread of a tire on a vehicle moved on a highway. Chains are the exception, allowed in reasonable proportions when required for safety because of snow or ice. A vehicle registered in a state that allows studs may run them while occasionally here, with limits on stud size and coverage, and more than 30 days in any six months is not occasional.

So the winter answer in Minnesota is a proper winter or all-weather tire rather than a studded one. The rest of the year, choose for gravel and mud rather than rock, and carry the means to fix a sidewall a long way from a shop.

The full guide to overlanding Minnesota

What a good tire shop does

Tires are the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground, and on a loaded rig they work close to their limits. A good tire shop starts with load rating and size, then tread. It will also tell you when the tire you want will rub, need different wheels or throw off your gearing.

Expect help with

  1. 01Choosing a tire by load, terrain and season
  2. 02Wheels with the right offset and load rating
  3. 03Mounting, balancing and tire pressure sensors
  4. 04A matching full-size spare
  5. 05Alignment, rotation and repairs

How to choose tires for overland travel

Tread pattern is the last decision, not the first.

  1. 01Match the load rating to your real axle weights, not to the badge on the fender.
  2. 02All-terrain tires suit most overland travel. Mud-terrains are louder, heavier and wear faster, and earn it only in real mud and rock.
  3. 03Buy five. A matching full-size spare that you rotate in is worth the money when the nearest tire shop is a day away.
  4. 04Check the wheels too. Wheels have load ratings, and the wrong offset stresses bearings and rubs.
  5. 05Ask whether the shop can move or reprogram your tire pressure sensors.

What to have ready before you ask for a quote

A tire quote is quick when the shop knows what the tire has to carry.

  1. 01Vehicle, current tire size and wheel size
  2. 02Lift height, if any
  3. 03Loaded weight, or a list of what is on the vehicle
  4. 04Where you drive most: pavement, gravel, rock, sand, snow
  5. 05A budget range for five tires

Questions people ask

What does load range mean?

It describes how much weight a tire can carry at a given pressure. Heavier builds, vans and truck campers usually need a higher load range than the vehicle came with. The tire's sidewall and the placard in the door jamb are the places to start, and a tire shop can work through the numbers with you.

How big can I go?

Every platform has a size that fits at stock height, a size that fits with a modest lift, and a size that needs trimming and gears. Tell the shop your lift and wheels and ask what fits without rubbing at full steering lock and full compression.

Should I air down?

On washboard, sand and rock, lower pressure gives a better ride and more traction and is easier on the vehicle. It also means you need a way to air back up before pavement. How low depends on your tire, your weight and your speed, so ask your tire shop and start conservatively.

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.

Towns

  1. Virginia On 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
  2. Ely Kawishiwi 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
  3. Bemidji Where 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
  4. Cass Lake Chippewa 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
  5. Finland Inland 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
  6. Walker Chippewa 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
  7. Orr On US 53 between Virginia and International Falls. The Park Service lists Orr and Pelican Lake among the access points for Voyageurs. 1,304 ft
  8. Grand Rapids South 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
  9. Crane Lake One of the five access areas the Park Service names for Voyageurs, at the end of the road east of US 53. 1,127 ft
  10. International Falls Border 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
  11. Silver Bay Lake Superior end of the Superior National Forest Scenic Byway, Forest Highway 11, which runs inland to Aurora. 764 ft
  12. Duluth Where 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
  13. Two Harbors On Highway 61 between Duluth and Silver Bay, the first town of any size on the North Shore Scenic Drive. 673 ft
  14. Grand Portage North 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
  15. Tofte Tofte 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
  16. Grand Marais Gunflint 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

  1. Eagle Mountain The 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 feet 2,301 ft
  2. Moose Mountain Sawtooth range above Lake Superior in Cook County. Our own measurement of the 3DEP surface at the USGS name point; no agency publishes a figure 1,689 ft
  3. Carlton Peak Above Tofte, the most prominent rise on this stretch of the North Shore. Our own 3DEP measurement at the USGS name point 1,509 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.

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Sources for this page

38
  1. Congressional Research Service. Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data (R42346), Tables 1 and 2, data as of September 30, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey. Elevations and Distances in the United States, online edition, Highest and Lowest Elevations table. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  3. U.S. Geological Survey. Geographic Names Information System and 3D Elevation Program point query. Elevation of the 3DEP surface at the GNIS coordinates of the named place, rounded to the nearest foot. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  4. Recreation.gov. Recreation Information Database (RIDB) full export, filtered to campgrounds a vehicle can reach. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  5. USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest. Superior National Forest home page. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  6. USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest. About the Area. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  7. USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest. Camping and Cabins. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  8. USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest. Off-Highway Vehicles (OHV). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  9. USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest. Seasonal Closure Information for Superior NF Campgrounds. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  10. USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest. Wilderness: Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  11. USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  12. USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Permits. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  13. USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest. North Shore Scenic Drive. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  14. USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest. Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  15. USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest. Superior National Forest Scenic Byway (Forest Highway 11). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  16. USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest. Laurentian Fall Color Tour, with the forest’s road naming and numbering guidance. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  17. USDA Forest Service, Chippewa National Forest. About the Area. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  18. USDA Forest Service, Chippewa National Forest. Camping and Cabins. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  19. USDA Forest Service, Chippewa National Forest. Scenic Drives: paved, backcountry and unpaved. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  20. USDA Forest Service, Chippewa National Forest. FAQs, including the OHV road travel access policy and the high and low standard road classes. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  21. USDA Forest Service, Chippewa National Forest. Occupancy and Use Restrictions for Developed Fee Campgrounds, Food Storage Order. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  22. National Park Service, Voyageurs National Park. Voyageurs National Park home page. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  23. National Park Service, Voyageurs National Park. Directions. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  24. National Park Service, Voyageurs National Park. Camping at Voyageurs National Park. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  25. National Park Service, Voyageurs National Park. Winter Activities, including the Rainy Lake and Kabetogama Lake ice roads. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  26. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Forest management. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  27. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Camping in Minnesota state forests. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  28. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. State park vehicle permits. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  29. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. 2026-2027 Off-Highway Vehicle Regulations: registration, trail passes, fees, and state forest classifications under Minnesota Rule 6100.1950. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  30. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Types of off-highway vehicles (OHV definitions). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  31. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Iron Range Off-Highway Vehicle State Recreation Area, East Unit. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  32. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Iron Range Off-Highway Vehicle State Recreation Area, West Unit. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  33. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Mille Lacs ORV Park. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  34. Minnesota Department of Transportation. Seasonal Load Limits: start and end dates for winter load increases and spring load restrictions. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  35. Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes. 2025 Minnesota Statutes 169.72, Tire Surface; Metal Studs. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  36. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Fire danger and burning restrictions. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  37. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Ice thickness guidelines. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  38. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, State Climatology Office. Minnesota Climate Extremes. Retrieved September 19, 2026.

Reviewed September 19, 2026. Conditions, closures and rules change; check with the managing agency before you travel.

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