Crosby, MN Travel Guide
Crosby, MN is both an outdoor enthusiasts paradise as well as a perfect area to go to get some R&R in Minnesota! You can relax at one of the many lakes that surrounds the city or try mountain biking for the first time!
Where to Stay
Crosby’s a small town so anywhere you decide to stay will be close to everything. When we go, we actually stay about 15 minutes away in Deerwood, MN. I would suggest trying to stay at a place on one of the many lakes versus right in the city since it is such a short drive!
This is the Airbnb we’ve stayed at and love it cause it’s right in between so many activities and and it provides kayaks!
Things to Do in Crosby
#1 – Mountain Bike at Cuyuna
Mountain Bike. Cuyuna Lakes is right next to Crosby and it has some of the best mountain biking you’ll find in Minnesota. Over 70 miles of “Red Gold” trails. The dirt is red so your tires will look a little different after hitting up most mountain bike trails in Minnesota. We rented bikes from Red Raven and biked to the trails from the shop! There is also Cykel, located in Ironton that you might be able to find cheaper rental deals.
#2 – Swim in a mining lake
Swim in one of the mining lakes (weather dependent)! If super deep lakes creep you out, then you might want to stick close to the shore because some of these lakes are as deep as 450 feet! Here’s a bike tour you could do around a bunch of the lakes as well.
#3 check out the view on top of miner’s mountain
Located in Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area, you can drive up to the top of Miner’s Mountain and see some gorgeous views of Cuyuna!
#4 rent kayaks or paddle boards
Rent kayaks or paddle boards to go out on the lakes. If you aren’t staying somewhere that offers kayaks, you can also rent from Cuyuna Outifitters. Or stay at a place that has kayaks like we do!
#5 – Try Cheese at Victual
Victual has some phenomenal cheese so we like to swing by here at the beginning of our trips to grab cheese to snack on. They let you try different kinds like an ice cream shop! Grab some crackers, jam, and/or meat and make a whole charcuterie board if you’re fancy. They also have a liquor store attached to it if you want to do a wine and cheese night!
#6 – Shop on Main street
Crosby’s main street is filled with boutique and antique shops you can check out. I bought a really gorgeous print from Lake & Company. If you’re an antiquer, you’ll find plenty of shops here!
#7 – buy Candy from High Wheel Confectionery
Located in Ironton, right next to Crosby is High Wheel Confectionery. It’s a candy, coffee, ice cream, soda, and more shop. This was such a fun candy store due to the variety. I’ll warn you, the candy is more expensive than buying it from Target, but I would say the experience is worth it! Nothing like filling a bag full of all kinds of different candy.
#8 – Explore Ruttger’s Bay lake Resort
We like to grab coffee from their coffee shop on the grounds and then walk around and sip on it by the lake!
#9 – Hike at mille Lacs Kathio State Park
Mille Lacs Kathio State Park is south of Crosby with quite a few hiking trails. If you aren’t scared of heights, definitely go up in the Observation Tower. It has one of the coolest views in Minnesota. Find trail info here.
Sidenote: I’ve also gone to Father Hennepin & Savanna Portage State Parks and I would skip those if you’re searching for good hikes. Very few options at Father Hennepin and Savanna Portage was mediocre. I can’t speak for how camping is but I don’t have plans to ever go back to either.
more things to Do:
Restaurant/Bar/Coffee Recommendations
Iron Range
American food. Everything we had was great but you HAVE to get the sweet potato waffle fries!
Drunken Noodle
Asian food. I’d recommend the Drunken Noodle or Khao Soi!
Victual
A gourmet cheese shop AND a Full Dairy & Lactose Free ice cream shop! They said they “add a natural enzyme that breaks down the lactose (milk sugar) molecule into two different sugar molecules that everybody’s body can easily digest.”
Cuyuna brewing
Great beer and they had a handful of bar games you could play at the tables!
Red Raven Coffee Shop
Red Raven isn’t just a place to rent bikes, it’s also a coffee shop. I had a delicious latte from here! This is my favorite coffee shop in and around Crosby. I’ve tried others but Red Raven has always been consistently the best!
Auntie M’s Coffee Shop
A little South of Crosby is Ruttger’s Bay Lake Resort which has an awesome coffee shop called Auntie M’s you should try. My latte was a little sweet for my liking so if you don’t like super sweet drinks, ask them to lighten up on the syrup but other than that it was great!
Loco Espress
Very fun coffee shop in Brainerd that offers coffee flights! The coffee shop was great! But Brainerd, the city, has nothing to offer so unless you are really looking for a unique coffee shop, this could be something you skip.
The Beanery
Located 20 minutes East of Crosby in Aitkin, I would only recommend trying this if you are for some reason passing through. They have good coffee but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.
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