In the US state of Minnesota, I-35 enters from Iowa and heads north toward the twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

South of the metropolitan area, I-35 splits into two branches; I-35E runs through Saint Paul and I-35W through Minneapolis.

Shortly after the first exit, for County Road 5 (CR 5), there is a sweeping S-curve to the northwest and back to the north.

In Albert Lea, it curves to the northeast and meets US 65, which passes beneath the Interstate.

At the northeastern edge of Albert Lea, there is an interchange with I-90, which directs traffic toward La Crosse, Wisconsin, or Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The route straightens out again and intersects CR 1 and MN 19 at diamond interchanges spaced three miles (4.8 km) apart.

A half diamond interchange, with only northbound exit and southbound entrance ramps, immediately precedes the split.

In contrast to the rolling terrain of I-35 south of the Twin Cities area, this region is quite flat.

Motorists who take BL I-35 through Pine City can experience a quintessential all-American main street.

As the highway enters the city limits at Boundary Avenue, the Saint Louis Bay and Lake Superior are in view.

The junction features a pair of left exits from I-35, a stoplight, and lane drops over the I-35 bridge.

After multiple exits, I-35 leaves the downtown area and follows the Lake Superior shoreline for two miles (3.2 km) to its national northern terminus at its junction with MN 61 and 26th Avenue East.

At this junction where I-35 ends, MN 61 begins its route northeast along the North Shore of Lake Superior.

Jefferson Lines provides intercity bus service along the length of I-35 in Minnesota serving over a dozen communities along the route with transfer locations in Albert Lea, the Twin Cities, and Duluth.

Additionally, three lanes have been constructed on I-35 southbound in Duluth at Thompson Hill between Central Avenue and US 2 westbound.

From November 1971 to October 1987, the national northern terminus for I-35 was its interchange with Mesaba Avenue in Duluth.

[citation needed] The I-35 extension to its present-day junction with 26th Avenue East and MN 61 in Duluth was open to traffic in October 1992 after the construction of the Leif Erickson Tunnel.

[6][7] In 2002, all of I-35 in the state of Minnesota, from the Iowa state line to the city of Duluth, was officially designated the Red Bull Highway, after the 34th Infantry (Red Bull) Division,[4] though plans to create signage never came to fruition.