Trail Rides - Thistledew ATV Trail

Club members were excited to ride the Thistledew State ATV Trail in the northern part of Itasca County on June 7th, 2015. The Thistledew Trail sits in the middle of the George Washington State Forest. The trail is shared by both horseback riders and ATV enthusiasts from April 1st through November 30th each year. 

While the official description of the trail lists 25 miles of trails, there are loads of established forest roads and logging trails that are available to riders as well. Thistledew has a wide variety of terrain from long flat forested areas to steep sandy hills and harvested areas with long-range views.  Among the many features that riders will see are the numerous lakes along the trail. Campsites are available at Thistledew and Buttonbox Campgrounds. (Note: ATV must be trailered into and out of these campgrounds) 

There are several state-maintained restrooms along the trail but the best ones are in the day-use area at Thistledew Lake. Most of these features are noted on the trail maps available from the DNR Website.

Members spent the better part of 8 hours on this trail with plenty to gaze upon. Lunchtime was the typical catered affair with burgers, polish sausages, hot dogs, chips and all of the trimmings. A big thanks to those folks that always take the time to help with lunch and entertainment. 

Members commented about the pristine condition of this trail, offering a wide range of terrain and scenery. Several members marked the trails with their personal GPS for a future return to Thistledew. 

Thistledew Trailhead and Public Parking Area

The map below shows the location of the Thistledew Trailhead and Public Parking Area. It's located exactly one mile from Highway 1 and features a good loading/offloading area as well as three choices of trail direction. There is also a kiosk with trail maps for rider convenience.