Located just about at the geographical center of North America, The Iron Range OHV Recreation Area is a an excellent off-road facility, and the site of our favorite club event, annual club picnic. We always have a great turnout, the trails are always challenging, and everyone goes home with great stories to tell.

Noting the lack of national Rover events in the middle of the continent and the always-present desire of kindred spirit Rover nuts to enjoy trekking great distances for the sake of pushing their trucks to the limit, we decided to expand the event and extend an international invite! If the Solihull Rally and M.A.R. are just too far for you this year, or you are looking for new, unique ground to tread upon, here is your chance to make new friends and memories that will last a lifetime.

While not as famous as the Rubicon or Moab, the Iron Range OHV park truly offers world class wheeling. It was visited by Ultimate Adventure in 2004. If it can roll, bend, break, or snap, it’ll meet its match in this park. There are rocks, hill climbs, mud, play areas, trees and plenty of red, sticky, Iron Range dirt. However, for those less interested in "trail modifications," the park offers a range of tame options as well, right down to “greenlaning” on some very scenic trails that any stock Rover can traverse with no damage.

For those who have wanted to wheel their Rovers a little harder and push the envelope, but haven't had the guts, we have excellent and knowledgeable trail leaders who can spot as you put yourself and your awesome truck to the test.



Friday, August 8:

• Arrive at Sherwood Forest campground, set up camp meet and greet and check in. We generally go out as a group for dinner at one of the local restaurants, but if you choose, you can cook at your site. Yes, we're a big group and we pretty much take ‘em over! But they love us, and are more than accommodating with good food and drink.
  
  For those that arrive early on Friday, there will be club members going out to check the trails. You're more than welcome to join them. This is a great time to get your OHV sound check and registration taken care of.

Saturday, August 9:

• 9AM Wheeling call! BE AT THE PARK (1/4 mile away from camp) and have your sound check/registration DONE by the DNR! We’ll do a group photo in the parking lot, help you deal with any tech inspection issues that might arise and then split into groups based on abilities and interests.
  
  BE ADVISED: Unless your vehicle is currently registered in Minnesota OR in another state, you will be required to pay a $38.50 fee to get the official OHV sticker from the DNR.

• There will be two main groups: Those that don't care about denting their trucks, and those that do! We will have multiple trail leaders and routes for each group, along with people with medical backgrounds (Physicians, Nurses, Wilderness First Responders, etc.).
  
  
• Noonish (exact time to be determined): Lunch will be (hopefully) at one of the overlooks at the park. Bring your own snacks, sandwiches, etc. Bring that homemade venison jerky to share with new friends! It’s a social event with great views of the Iron Range.
  
  
• Dusk: Dinner is our huge annual potluck! If you’re good at grilling something, bring it! We'll have grills. If you do salads, great! Even if all you know how to do is Grandma’s marshmallow green Jell-O salad, that’s just fine too! The Club (which supplies burgers) puts out enough food for a train wreck of folks. So, if you just like to munch, that’s fine as well.
  
  
• Nightfall: As the final roundup of the great weekend, we host a huge bonfire and raffle! There are door prizes, drinks and stories - all the makings of a great nightcap. Around the fire you’ll witness the awarding of the Broken Axle Award – a traveling club trophy awarded by club elders to the MNLR member who did the most spectacular damage to his/her vehicle.

Sunday, August 10:

• Usually a day of repent, Sunday always witnesses a few who are tempted to wheel one last time. We've been known to organize small groups, as well, who travel down to Duluth and eat at one of the restaurants at Canal Park where we'll be able to watch a 1,000 foot ore boat pass by! Eventually we’ll say our sad goodbyes and start planning for next year.

For those few that want to stretch the fun of the trek out to an entire week of Rovering, we'll be leading a "Circle Tour" around Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. The tour is geared toward the Series driver, which is to say we go as fast as the slowest truck, and very much encourage the participation of majestic Series vehicles (there are rumors that we may require Series windscreens to be in a reclining position, and Series drivers to don driving goggles and jaunty scarves - more info to come).

The slant toward Series vehicles is not an exlusion of the latest Range Rovers, LR3's, Freelanders and LR2's. All vehicles are welcome, but we encourage Series owners to tune up and make the trip! We also encourage their owners to carry plenty of spares, which will be the subject of many discussion to come...

We will be keeping the Circle Tour very British in theme as we travel through the Canadian commonwealth, and Tea Time with a good assortment of pastries is always a must. We’ll be taking it slow, and be camping the entire way. The Circle Tour route is set up and maintained by the US and Canadian governments, and consists mainly of remarkably beautiful areas with stunning views and paved roads. However, we'll be stepping it up a bit in Nipigon, Ontario, as we spend some time wheeling and backcountry camping. The water falls alone are worth the trip - it is a truly stunning area.



Sunday, August 3:

• Early: You're encouraged to join the Circle Tour leaders at Hell's Kitchen in Duluth. (Not as scary as it sounds – it’s an awesome place to get a gourmet breakfast!) Also, the State of Minnesota is celebrating 150 years of statehood, and there will be Three Very Tall, historical sailing ships in the harbor August 1 - 3. You'd think we planned it...
  
  
• 9:00 AM: Meet at the parking lot in front of the lift bridge at Canal Park. After a getting to know you session and a quick trip to the Duluth Pack store for any indispensable last minute gear, we’ll head out counter-clockwise around Lake Superior.

Monday, August 4:

• Breakfast will be provided, and will be a very English style along the lines of Bubble and Squeak. Once we've gotten our fill, we’ll continue to make our way around the southern side of Lake Superior. We'll drive, camp, tour, eat and sleep.

Tuesday, August 5:

• Cross Border to Canada. Bring Your Passport!
  
  Bringing children or animals, or have other questions about regulations, etc? Please visit below:
  
  • US Customs
  • Canadian Customs
  
  
• Nightfall: Camp at Neys Provincial Park or Lake Superior Provincial Park.

Wednesday, August 6:

• There will be an early morning opportunity to hike to beautiful waterfalls, but the goal will be to continue the drive, making Nipigon Falls by night. This is an easy, beautiful drive, and our arrival should provide plenty of time to make camp before nightfall.
  
  The spot we have selected is a great base camp for jumping off into the woods for 4x4 play, hiking and swimming. Keep in mind this is a primitive site: it does not have showers or toilets! Town isn’t that far away, but this is Canada and you’d never know it!

Thursday, August 7:

• Day: Camel Trophy style wheeling on primitive tundra trails. If you’re not interested in taking your pristine SII truck, hop in the 110 with Gustaf, or any other truck with a spare seat, as we’ll have some interesting stuff laid out. Last year we made several clearings and built a bridge to get through to some interesting trails.
  
  
• Evening: Big Iron Chef Cook-Off, with Take No Prisoners, Winners and Losers, and finally the crowning of our first Mishupishu Master Chef! Naturally, the Molson will flow. (Didja think otherwise, eh?)

Friday, August 8:

• Morning: We will break camp and converge on Duluth to close the circle. Congratulations will be in order! For some, this will be the end of great week. But for others with a thirst for more adventure, it’s on to the weekend event at Gilbert, where the tales of our travel around the lake will get bigger and more far-fetched with each passing of a new pint!
  
  Evening: We'll caravan to Sherwood Forest Campground, and event leaders will help direct everyone to camp sites, hotels, etc, as needed. The crowd just arriving for the weekend event will be fresh, we will be weak. They can stoke the fires this night... we'll smoke cigars and enjoy our cocktails. And sleep...
  
  

To pick up at this point, use the Weekend Itinerary at the top of the page as your guide, starting with camping reservations at: Sherwood Forest Campground


In preparation for the Circle Tour, Series drivers will typically have rebuilt their entire truck! Now, that might sound far-fetched, but there isn’t that much to a Series, is there? At any rate, we’ll have some general spare parts in our kits, and a truck trailer hauled behind the 110 in case anyone is stranded. This is not a Pass Go, Receive $200, however, and you should have your truck in good repair, know its weak spots, and bring spares accordingly.

Please note that the above schedule is very rough. We will have to expedition our way in to the exciting roadside attractions and mechanical surprises that can throw a wrench in to our well-laid plans. There is so much history in the areas we'll pass through, it will be impossible to explore it all. What we guarantee is having a fantastic trip cruising, bonding, gazing, and possibly checking out such great sites as:

• The largest ski jump in the world near Bessemer, Michigan
• The remarkable sandstone architecture of Marquette, Michigan
• The scenic lakeshore with numerous waterfalls and agate-strewn beaches between Munising and Grand Marais, Michigan
• The steamship tour at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
• Stare out at the exact spot where the Edmund Fitzgerald sank at Pancake Bay, Ontario
• The birthplace of Winnie The Pooh – White Lake, Ontario
• Eagle Canyon - The “Mini Grand Canyon” - featuring Canada’s longest suspension bridge
• The 700+ ft. cliffs of Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
• Kakabeka Falls – the 2nd largest falls in Ontario (can anyone name the largest?)
• The famous Split-Rock Lighthouse
• Of course, throughout the trip we will be seeking the truth about the lost legend of Mishupishu!
• The Agawa Rock Indian Pictographs – centuries old, done by Ojibwa Indians seen in what is now the Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario

Will we do all of these? No way! Will we do some of them? Perhaps... The point is that it’s an exciting part of the world with a lot to see and do. At the pace we'll be travelling, we’ll have plenty of time to divert from plan as the group desires.