Looking for a couple of lakes to circle, but not the Mpls Chain of Lakes? Try the Demontreville/Lake Jane loop off the Gateway Trail, near the intersection of I694 and Hwy 36. The loop is approximately 7 miles around. More distance can be added by making a triangle with the Gateway Trail and South Av/40th St. Check your mobile Twin Cities Bike Map for details.

Love the Mississippi River, but not the crowds? Try this bike ride in Anoka. Mississippi West Regional Park is a little gem of prairie, woods and river bottoms. My ride started at Levee Rd, off Benton Rd, just after crossing the Hwy 169 bridge in Anoka. Note the parking- enough for four cars. Alternate parking in the park. Total distance about a dozen miles, including exploring residential streets off the NW corner of the park.

Even with Stay at Home directives, the governor and health officials encourage us to get outside to bike and hike. The key to stopping the spread of Covid 19 is to do these activities at a safe social distance. Our most popular city parks have become too congested for safe social distancing, so branch out. Try a less well known trail or ride the many bicycle friendly streets of the metro.
The attached screenshot shows my ride for today. I was researching the impact of LRT construction on the routes around Hopkins. The ride was short, less than 12 miles, but note that I wasn’t close to any busy trails. I met cyclists along the way, but we easily stayed over 10 feet from each other.