Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area sprawls across 6,850 acres of Crow Wing County in central Minnesota, where abandoned iron ore mines have been transformed into one of the state’s most surprising outdoor destinations. The old mine pits filled with groundwater over decades, creating a chain of strikingly clear, deep lakes with visibility reaching 30 feet or more — unusual for Minnesota waters and perfect for scuba diving and snorkeling among submerged mining relics.

Mountain biking put Cuyuna on the map. The recreation area features over 30 miles of purpose-built singletrack rated by the International Mountain Bicycling Association as a Silver-Level Ride Center — one of only a handful in the entire country. Trails wind through red-dirt corridors, past rust-colored rock walls, and along ridgelines overlooking turquoise mine lakes. Routes range from flowy beginner loops to technical black-diamond descents.

Beyond biking, visitors come for fat-tire riding in winter, kayaking and paddleboarding on the mine lakes, fishing for stocked trout, and hiking trails that thread through recovering forests where ore trains once ran. The surrounding town of Crosby has leaned into the recreation economy with bike shops, breweries, and outfitters within easy reach of the trailheads.

Summer and early fall offer the best conditions for biking and water activities, while winter draws fat-bikers and snowshoers to groomed trails. Spring can be muddy — check trail conditions before heading out. Cuyuna rewards visitors who come expecting a former mining landscape reborn into something genuinely unique.

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