By car is the most common way. Bemidji is 3.5 hours northwest of Minneapolis on US-2 — a straightforward drive through increasingly rural terrain. There is no fast route; US-2 is a two-lane highway for much of the journey.
Amtrak's Empire Builder stops at Bemidji on its daily run between Chicago and Seattle. The station is right downtown, within walking distance of the lakeshore. The train arrives and departs once daily in each direction, which limits flexibility but makes for a pleasant alternative to driving — the route through northern Minnesota passes through good scenery.
Bemidji Regional Airport has small propeller flights from Minneapolis, operated by SkyWest or similar regional carriers. The flights take about an hour, but the tickets are expensive relative to the drive time saved, and schedules are limited. It makes sense if you are time-constrained or if someone else is paying.