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Looking for a hilly ride to put some burn into your legs? Try this route, near the Afton area. It incorporates about 1800 feet of climbing into a 30 mile ride. We started at the pin and went counterclockwise. The last leg was mercifully flat and we had a tailwind.
The Twin Cities Mobile Bike Map has been updated. Changes include the St. Paul Grand Rounds, the new trail connector in S. St. Paul, the first stage of the new paved River Bottoms route and changes in a number of suburban cities. Check the Avenza app on your phone. Updates are free if you’ve already downloaded an earlier version of the map.
Minimal snow and good ice made Minnehaha Creek a popular route for fat bikes this winter. The trail is past its peak for the season. Slush in January froze into rutted footprints and even in today’s near zero temps, the sun is warm enough to melt snow and send it down the storm sewers to the creek, creating salty slush in spots.
You can still salvage some good riding by diverting off the creek onto packed single track along the banks of the creek.
A new multiuse trail is being constructed on
the north side of the Minnesota River from Lyndale
Avenue. Currently it is a 1.6 mile paved trail that ends
abruptly near Mounds Springs Park. Eventually this trail
will stretch east to Fort Snelling State Park and west to
the city of Jordan. The trail is a boon to walkers and
paved trail bicyclists, but mountain bikers will have a
degraded experience. One rider compared it to riding
on a frontage road next to a highway.
The trail connects to the multi-use trail on I-35W and
will eventually create a loop connecting to the Black
Dog paved trail on the south side of the river via the
Cedar Avenue bike bridge.
Following the death of George Floyd on May 25th, the Twin Cities Bike Club acknowledged its own shortcomings in promoting a more welcoming environment for non-white riders. They issued what has become a standard declaration about their intent to do more. It could have ended there, as these statements often do, but board member John Benda decided to do more. He worked with Louis Moore of the Major Taylor Bike Club and fellow members of TCBC to develop a black history tour of the Twin Cities, with a focus on the racial inequities Black people have faced in the Cities. The 35 mile route starts at Minnehaha Falls and stops at the obvious spots, such as 38th and Chicago, where George Floyd was murdered and the Philando Castile Memorial and Peace Garden, but it also takes in the Rondo Commemorative Plaza where the thriving Rondo neighborhood was replaced by I-94, the African American Heritage Museum at Plymouth and Penn, and other, lesser known sites.
You can now cross the Minnesota River using the separated bike lane on I-35W. The bridge connects to the Minnesota River Bottoms where you can either ride on the mountain bike trail or a paved trail being constructed along the river.
The Twin Cities Mobile Bike Map has been updated. The newest version shows the route of the Green Line Extension (LRT line) and road and trail changes related to construction of the line. There are also changes in over a dozen suburbs including trail additions and closures, bike friendly road changes and housekeeping changes such as signage.
This is a significant update and it’s free if you already purchased an earlier version of the map.If you haven’t already purchased the map, use the link below.
The Stillwater Lift Bridge will reopen to pedestrians and bicyclists in June. Final repairs are being done on the bridge now and a trail along the St. Croix River connects downtown Stillwater to the Hwy 36 Bridge. No need to climb the big hill to get out of town! The trail splits into an upper and lower trail next to Hwy 36. Both are good trails, but the lower one is closer to the river and quieter than the upper trail.
The new trail will be part of a June update to the mobile Twin Cities Bike Map.
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.
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.
