BEST Things to Do Near Crosby-Ironton, Minnesota [2022 Guide]

10/21/2022

** Updated : October, 2022 **
Use the map to see a visual of all our recommendations - click the arrow next to our photo to have a pop up list! This post may also contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you purchase a product via these links, with no extra cost to you

Getting There

The Crosby-Ironton area is located near the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area, about a 2.5 hour drive north of the Twin Cities, and is made up of two cities - Crosby and Ironton. Built around Serpent Lake, this area was notoriously known for being the first town to ship iron ore to eastern steel mills in the early 1900's. Even now, you can see remnants of this history is the iron red dirt and multiple mine lakes in the area!

Places to Stay

There are a handful of places to stay in the area, but our top recommendation would hands down be a stay at Cuyuna Cove. Located right outside of Crosby, it feels very remote and has a sauna onsite! Not to mention included snowshoes during the winter, and mountain bikes and HOK skis available for rent!

Check out our full review of Cuyuna Cove here!

We've also stayed at this Airbnb ("The Tennis Court House") in Ironton a few years ago and loved it! We had the entire house and the central location was great! Some other options in the area are :

Crosby Lofts - located right above Rafferty's in downtown Crosby
True North Basecamps - located right outside Crosby, and directly connected to the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Trails
Red Rider Resort - also connected to the Cuyuna Recreation Area, they feature treehouse like cabins on stilts!

View On Airbnb Tennis Court House - Bike Trails, Adventure!!

Places to Eat

We felt fortunate that we stayed at Cuyuna Cove, because in their guide they recommend a ton of local favorites that we tried during our visit. Our favorites were :

Rafferty's Pizza - we typically visit Rafferty's everytime we visit Nisswa, so it was perfect that they had a location in Crosby too! Our favorites were the margarita pizza & summer salad!
Red Raven - We've stopped here multiple times on both trips we've taken to this area of Minnesota. They have great smoothies and quite possibly the best rueben panini we've ever had.
The Hudson - We're going to be 100% honest, we got the bacon & cheddar wrap with tots and the avocado toast, but they weren't really our favorites. However, their drinks were great, and we even went back just to get seconds of their Scotcheroo and Chai-der!
Cuyuna Brewing - We stopped here one night before dinner and they had great drinks! I tried their "beer-mosa" and it was great for people who don't really like the taste of beer. They also have games!
Iron Range - This downtown Crosby eatery has a ton of options, and was defintley the busiest places in town. We had the ranger rings, mixed salad, and grilled cheese fondue.
North Country Cafe - We stopped here for breakfast one morning and would 100% recommend for the best breakfast in town. We loved their caramel roll (which came highly recommended) and the north country skillet with bacon.
Victual - Ok, not technically a restaurant or place to eat BUT they have some amazing lactose free ice cream and their entire store is dedicated to helping you create the perfect charcuterie board! We got everything we needed then made our first one ever back at the cabin!

Other options in the area include :

Mixed Company - A Kava House - a local coffee house
Hard Water Lounge - head here for fun cocktails!
MacDaddy's Donut Garage - Who doesn't love donuts? I was genuinely shocked Tyler didn't make us stop.
Trailside Tavern - A "friendly neighborhood tavern."
Burritos California - Located in the same building as Cuyuna Brewing, this place was always busy.

Things to Do

Truth be told, we never realized there was SO MUCH to do in this area! We truly loved getting out there and exploring all the options, and our favorites were :

Exploring the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area - drive or hike to the Miner's Mountain Overlook for some incredible views of the lakes area!
Milford Mine Historical Park is the location of one Minnesota's worst mining disasters, this area has been dedicated to the 41 men did not make it to the surface when the mine collapsed.
Hiking to the areas Mine Lakes a.k.a. some of the clearest lakes you'll ever see! Some of our favorites are Pennington Mine Lake, Huntington Mine Lake, and Yawkey Mine Lake.

Other options in the area include :

Kayaking with Glass Bottom Boat Rentals from Cuyuna Outfitters - a fun way to get out on the water and see the water clarity!
Mountain Biking - this is probably the most popular thing to do in the area, and the entire Cuyuna Country Recreation Area has 50+ miles of mountain bike trails! If you don't have your own bikes you can rent them at Cykel or Red Raven.
Scuba Diving! This one we actually never knew about until we visited the area - learn more on the Minnesota School of Diving website here.