[1] The trail goes through the many small towns along it, such as Marble, Keewatin, Hibbing, Mountain Iron, Virginia, and Gilbert.
Since 2005, the Mesabi Trail has hosted a long bike ride every year in mid-August.
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.
Most of the signs notice certain areas as important to the Mesabi Range's early mining economy.