Call it a sign of the times. With the greater interest in non-motorized forms of recreation throughout the country, it should perhaps be no surprise that mountain biking is gaining in popularity in northeastern Minnesota. And few places in the country can provide the kind of opportunities for great trail riding that exist here. While there is no shortage of places to ride right now, the number of available trails continues to grow. Joe Baltich, vice-chairman of the Federation of Ely Area Trails, said the sport is catching on in the Ely area, as well as other places in the region. "Over the next four to five years, we should see a nice system here," he said. Baltich said there are currently a variety of different trails open to bike riders within a short distance from Ely. Mountain biking action can also be found in the Cook area. Ron Bushbaum, who operates LaCroix Outfitters, offers guided mountain bike day trips into the back country north of Cook, utilizing old logging roads. Bushbaum said the interest in mountain biking continues to grow in the area, especially with baby boomers who are looking for alternatives to the more traditional pursuits, like fishing. Bushbaum said mountain biking offers people a great way to travel into more remote country, where their chances of viewing northwoods wildlife, such as wolves, moose and beaver, improve. Bikes also provide a good means of transport to some of those lucrative blueberry and raspberry picking spots. If you're looking to go on your own, the Ely area offers several more established trails, including the Trezona Trail, which extends around Miners Lake, immediately adjacent to the west side of Ely. "The first part of that trail is flat," according to Baltich. "And the north side is more hilly - a screamer - and it's scenic. You can see the lake from there." Baltich said there are several logging roads near Ely that can be ridden, and the Hidden Valley ski area, just northeast of town, off the Fernberg Road, is gaining in popularity among riders. Further up the Fernberg Road are the North Kawishiwi access road, the Fernberg fire tower road and the Snowbank Lake access road, which Baltich compared to a roller coaster. Going in the other direction from the north end of Ely, Baltich said, are a number of gravel roads between Echo and Grassy Lakes that don't have a lot of motor vehicle traffic, offering mountain bikers even more places to ride. The Spruce Road south of Ely, past the Kawishiwi Bridge, is another good place to ride, Baltich said. He also said maps of the area, showing the location of many other trails suitable for riding, are available from the U.S. Forest Service office on 4th Avenue in Ely or on Hwy. 53 in Cook. "We're (Federation of Ely Area Trails) taking a look at doing more in mid-September," Baltich said. "We'd like to link up the different trails, to make a bigger loop." Baltich, who works at Northwind Outdoor Recreation Inc in Ely, said his business has mountain bikes available for rent, for people interested in the sport who don't have bikes of their own. "We get a lot of three-day and full-week rentals," Baltich said.