Lake Mille Lacs Scenic Byway

The area surrounding Brainerd, MN, is popularly known as Vacationland, and for good reason. If you want to enjoy a classic up-north getaway—renting a rowboat and catching a few walleyes to grill over an open fire while you watch the sun set over a sparkling blue lake—Vacationland is the place to go.

The spiritual, if not geographic center of Vacationland, is Lake Mille Lacs (“Thousand Lakes” in French). The best way for a motorcyclist to experience this uniquely nostalgic slice of American culture is with a 68-mile lap on the eponymous Lake Mille Lacs Scenic Byway that circumnavigates Minnesota’s second-largest inland lake.

Riding on this route isn’t particularly spectacular, as the byway is a mostly flat, straight-ish two-laner meandering around the 207-square-mile lake. What it lacks in technical thrills, however, it more than makes up for scenery and charm.