Things to do in Brainerd, MN

Brainerd's biggest draws are outdoors. The Paul Bunyan State Trail starts at Crow Wing State Park and runs 115 paved miles north to Lake Bemidji State Park. Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area, near Crosby and Ironton, has over 50 miles of mountain bike singletrack. Crow Wing State Park, 9 miles south of town on U.S. Highway 371 and then a mile west, has 18 miles of hiking trail at the meeting of the Mississippi and Crow Wing rivers. A state park vehicle permit costs $7 a day or $35 a year. Summer adds Paul Bunyan Land, and winter brings groomed ski and fat bike trails. Brainerd International Raceway posts its own event schedule.

This guide is for planning a few days in the Brainerd Lakes area: what each place is, what it costs, when it is open, and what changes by season. Facts come from the Minnesota DNR, which runs the state trail, park and recreation area, and from each attraction's own website, as of November 2026.

Brainerd attractions compared

Paul Bunyan State Trail

The DNR describes the Paul Bunyan State Trail as 115 miles long, "not including a couple of short on-road connections through the cities of Baxter and Bemidji." It runs from Crow Wing State Park to Lake Bemidji State Park, and the DNR calls it "the longest of Minnesota's state trails and the longest continuously paved rail-trail in the country."

• Uses: hiking, biking, in-line skating and snowmobiling in winter. The DNR says electric wheelchairs are allowed.
• Terrain: mostly level on a former Burlington Northern rail grade, except a nine-mile segment through the Chippewa National Forest with rolling hills and grades up to 8 percent.
• Southern trailhead in Baxter: from Highway 210 and the Highway 371 bypass, go north one block to Excelsior Road, then east three-quarters of a mile to Conservation Drive.
• Other parking: the DNR lists lots in Nisswa, Pequot Lakes, Backus, Hackensack and other towns along the route.

Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area

Cuyuna Country is a former iron mining district near Crosby and Ironton that became a state recreation area in 1993. The DNR says the abandoned mines left "mining pits 100- to 525-feet deep," which are now filled with water. The area has 25 miles of natural shoreline, six natural lakes and 15 deep lakes that were once mine pits.

Mountain biking: "over 50 miles of singletrack trail spread across 800 acres," per the DNR, which says the park "was designed around mountain biking." Download the geoPDF maps before you go; the DNR notes that difficulty ratings have changed on some trails.

As of November 2026:

• All mountain bike trails are closed November 6 to 22 for the annual deer hunting closure, and the yurts are closed November 6 to 29.
• Portsmouth Campground closed for the season October 31.
• In winter, 40 miles of packed trail are groomed for fat biking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

Other things to know: the paved Cuyuna Lakes State Trail runs eight miles through the area. The DNR does not rent bikes, kayaks or canoes here; it says private vendors in Crosby and Ironton do. A vehicle permit is required, sold online or at the office at 307 Third Street in Ironton. The DNR recommends blaze orange for everyone during open hunting seasons, which typically run mid-September through February.

Crow Wing State Park

Crow Wing State Park sits at the confluence of the Mississippi and Crow Wing rivers. From Brainerd, the DNR says to go 9 miles south on U.S. Highway 371, then west on County Road 27 for one mile to the park office. The park was established in 1959 after a 1957 archaeological dig uncovered foundations of the old Crow Wing town site. A frontier town grew up here to serve travelers and traders and died when the railroad crossed the river at Brainerd instead.

What to do, per the DNR:

• Walk the historic Old Crow Wing town site, with a 300-foot accessible boardwalk.
• Climb the stairs from the boat landing to Chippewa Lookout for views over the Mississippi.
• Hike part of the 18 miles of trail, or ride the park's 6.5 miles of paved trail, the southern end of the Paul Bunyan State Trail.
• Paddle the Crow Wing and Mississippi rivers. The DNR calls them calm waters suited to "novice canoeists."

Season notes, as of November 2026: the campground (59 drive-in sites, 12 electric) closed for the season on November 2, and water in the campground is off. The picnic shelter, which has a wood-burning stove, rents for $45 a day. In winter the Paul Bunyan State Trail through the park is open to snowmobiles, and you can snowshoe anywhere in the park. The DNR also warns of periodic loud training noise from Camp Ripley, just west of the park.

Permit: $7 one-day permit or $35 year-round (DNR permits).

Northland Arboretum and Paul Bunyan Land

Northland Arboretum (Baxter)

Northland Arboretum is a nonprofit nature preserve with "over 400 acres of land and 12 miles of hiking trails." It lists birding, hiking, skiing and snowshoeing, and says its ski trails are "groomed for dual use (skiing and skating)" by the Brainerd Nordic Ski Club. Its habitats include a jack pine forest it calls "one of only five in Minnesota." The visitor center is open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and weekends 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the grounds are open to members and paying guests sunrise to 10 p.m. Nonmember gate fee: $10 adults 15 and older; $5 for ages 2 to 14, seniors 65+ and veterans. Its bike park is closed for the winter.

Paul Bunyan Land (summer only)

Paul Bunyan Land is an amusement park with a 26-foot talking animated Paul Bunyan; the park says Paul and his friends have been "greeting youngsters by name since 1954", plus rides, petting barns and a Pioneer Village of more than 45 buildings. Summer hours run from the Saturday of Memorial weekend to Labor Day. Admission as posted on its site as of November 2026 (the page does not say which season the prices are for, so confirm before a 2027 visit): $27.95 for ages 3 to 64, $21.95 for 65 and older, free for 2 and under, with unlimited rides. In fall the park runs Hidden Hollows, which it calls its annual haunted event.

Brainerd by season

For lake-by-lake information (depths, fish, public accesses), use the DNR's LakeFinder, which covers the lakes around Brainerd.

Before you go

1. Buy a state park vehicle permit if you'll visit Crow Wing State Park or Cuyuna; the $35 year-round permit covers both.
2. Check the DNR alerts for Cuyuna and Crow Wing; Cuyuna's bike trails close each November for deer season.
3. Download Cuyuna's geoPDF maps before you lose signal, and rent bikes in Crosby or Ironton.
4. Wear blaze orange on trails during hunting seasons.
5. For Paul Bunyan Land or a raceway event, confirm dates and prices on their own sites.

Related guides: Lakes Country guides · Things to do in Minnesota · Crow Wing State Park · Brainerd restaurants · Lake Bemidji State Park · Mille Lacs Kathio State Park

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Sources

• Minnesota DNR, Paul Bunyan State Trail: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_trails/paul_bunyan/index.html
• Minnesota DNR, Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area (park record via the DNR data feed, id sra00302): https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state-parks/park.html?id=sra00302
• Minnesota DNR, Crow Wing State Park: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state-parks/park.html?id=spk00139
• Minnesota DNR, Vehicle permits: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state-parks/permit.html
• Minnesota DNR, LakeFinder: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/index.html
• Northland Arboretum, Home page (hours, admission, trails): https://northlandarb.org/
• Paul Bunyan Land, Home and Admission pages: https://paulbunyanland.com/ and https://paulbunyanland.com/admission/
• Brainerd International Raceway, Home page: https://www.birmn.com/