Walker is a great little town to stay in. There are three hotels, two of them right on the trail and the third within a quarter mile. There's a campground right on the trail just north of town. There are great opportunities for day rides out of Walker. You could also do a nice loop by riding the Heartland Trail west from Walker to Park Rapids. Then riding roads north to Itasca State Park, spend a day in the park, then ride roads to Bemidji. Spend a day or two in the Bemidji area before returning to Walker via the Paul Bunyan trail.