The Shingobee Connection Trail is a paved trail in northern Minnesota. It connects two of Minnesota’s long rail-trails, the Paul Bunyan Trail and the Heartland State Trail. It also provides a spur from the North Country National Scenic Trail into Walker. The trail opened in 2014 and travels through the small town of Walker and the Chippewa National Forest. “Shingobee” is an Ojibwe word for “evergreen.” The trail goes through red and white pine forest, as well as spruce, hemlock, fir, cypress and cedar. It stays close to the shore of beautiful Leech Lake for a few miles.
The trail is 6.9 miles long with around 380 feet of elevation gain. There is a large parking area in the town of Walker near the northern terminus and a smaller parking area on Christmas Point Road near the southern end. The fastest one-way (northbound) time on Strava seems to be around a 7:05/mile pace.
https://www.traillink.com/trail/shingobee-connection-trail/
https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_trails/paulbunyan_heartland.pdf
