The Mesabi Trail is a 132-mile paved bicycle trail running from Grand Rapids, Minnesota to Ely, Minnesota. As of 2016, the trail is still under construction with approximately 25 miles of trail incomplete. The trail goes through the many small towns along it, such as Marble, Keewatin, Hibbing, Mountain Iron, Virginia, and Gilbert. Much of the trail runs along abandoned railroad grade.

The Great River Mesabi Trail Ride.

Since 2005, the Mesabi Trail has hosted a long bike ride every year in mid-August. Each stop (usually at a town or at intervals between towns) has fruit, water, granola, and other snacks. In Buhl, there is ice cream. The refreshments are free, as is the food at the ending destination, but there is a fee to ride in this event. To accommodate riders of different abilities, the ride includes multiple official starting points; while the full route may be 50 to 70 miles, intermediate starting places along the route may be as close as 8 or 10 miles from the end.