Hey guys I'm going to take a trip up north next week and wanted to know which trails I should hit. I'm going up there with a girl she hasn't ridden very much she'll be riding my Xplorer 400. So super hard trails may not be the best. Be nice to have some hard stuff along with something even a newbie can ride on. I've heard Iron rang is good. That's the one I was planning on going up to ride at unless there’s somewhere else you guys think that's better.
Thanks

 

Define "up north?" That's a big area up there, ya know.

I've ridden the iron range site in Gilbert and wasn't impressed. You share the main trails with bikes and trucks and the ATV trails are always shared with bikes. The trails are bi-directional so you can never be sure someone isn't coming at you around the next corner. The basic trails are too basic and the intermediate trails are too hard for a novice. While I found the intermediate trails mildly challenging, my wife wasn't up to them.

Red Dot, along the north shore by Silver Bay is a good trail for a newbie. It's also fun to ride on sport machines as you can take it pretty quick for the most part. It will NOT present any real challenges for a utility rider.

Up around Akeley, MN there are some good riding spots. Foothills State Forest has the "Spider Lake Recreation Area" which has some nice trails. Most of these trails are easy enough for the new rider with a few muddy spots that might thrill a utility rider. Look out for washouts on hills, though, there was at least one hill with a 2 foot rut down the middle that made riding difficult. Just north of Akeley is Paul Bunyan state forest with more riding, mostly old logging roads.

Red Top (not to be confused with Red Dot mentioned above) is near Isle, MN and has a good mix of easy and technical trails. The trails there are very well marked and the tight ones are one way so you don't have to worry about approaching riders. Park in Isle and take the Soo Line South trail heading north east to reach Red Top. On the way, ride the "Foxy" trail. It's a perfect beginner's trail. Once in Red Top try the "Ten Bruin", "Adventure", and "East Side" trails (in order of difficulty) or just slosh around in the "sink hole".

I know there are a lot more trails up there, but none that I am familiar with.

 

Thanks Pechmial I'll be sure to check some of these out you've been a great help.
Thanks again.