# Best month to bike MN & WI ??



## rondi (May 30, 2009)

I am trying to plan a trip from the NW to MN (Paul Bunyan) & WI (the recent Bicycling mag mentioned a nice area) to bike some of the R2T's and state Trails this summer. I'd like to raise my odds of having good weather, no wind, no rain, low humidity (mid day & afternoon) and no mosquitoes. That's a lot to ask for I know.

I live in the general Spokane, WA area, and if someone asked me this question i'd say Aug, but it can be hot--some days over 100--usually late afternoon, but it's dry, the mosquitoes are gone--the wind can be bad some days.

Can some one who lives in the upper midwest give a ballpark idea?

Thanks for any info,
Ron


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## fmbp (Apr 23, 2003)

I'd go with some time in September. By then, much of the summer humidity will be gone, and you should have some great weather. Fewer bugs, too. Enjoy the ride.


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## MSDos5 (Jun 3, 2010)

After a half hour the heat and humidity doesn't even bother Me.


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## kykr13 (Apr 12, 2008)

fmbp said:


> Fewer bugs, too.


Curious what area in WI they mentioned, but bugs can be pretty annoying in the northern areas of both states in summer. Not much of a problem while you're riding, but you have to stop sometime...  September should be nice - less bugs _and_ less crowds.


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## fmbp (Apr 23, 2003)

kykr13 said:


> Curious what area in WI they mentioned, but bugs can be pretty annoying in the northern areas of both states in summer. Not much of a problem while you're riding, but you have to stop sometime...  September should be nice - less bugs _and_ less crowds.



The article discussed a county (can't recall the name right now) in SW Wisconsin - in between LaCrosse and Madison somewhere.


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## rondi (May 30, 2009)

I'm the OP--Trempealeau County. Bicycling had an article about the TIRE, Tour de Tremplealeau in mid September.

I read that and thought I should see what the area was like. While I ride a road bike, I prefer paved trails. I found lots of paved and packed limestone trails--mostly R2T. I'm told packed limestone is suitable for road bike tires--IF no heavy rains the last few days---True?

The area in WI i would ride would be from Reedsburg up to Elroy to Sparta to La Crosse to Trempealeau, to Marshland on the 4 or 5 R2T's linked together.

In MN i want to ride the Paul Bunyan trail, Lk Wobegon, Central Lakes and ??

On the way to or from--the George Mickelson in SD.

Ron


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## MSDos5 (Jun 3, 2010)

Paved for milk trucks, :thumbsup: I get that magazine. Mickelson trail is kind of a drag in My experience, but I've never rode it with 2.1 width mtb tires on My bike either if You get My drift.


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## Infini (Apr 21, 2003)

It depends on how warm you like it to be. 

I think June / July / August are perfect here (Southern Wisconsin) 

It is nice and warm but there are very few days that it is uncomfortably hot, IMO.


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

i actually got The Wife to do elroy/sparta one june a few years back. it was nice. not as "special" as i had hoped. we were on mtbs and it was easy. the trick is it is a true r2t. that means no big hills, but long gradual ones. the towns were nice, but nothin too great. the one place we read about and liked was called ginas pies are square. and they were. and they were good. last i heard she was looking to sell the place.
the tunnels were cool.

we did meet an older couple that were on road bikes. they were staying at the same hotel as us. when we got back, they were there and we talked about the trail. they had no trouble on their road bikes on the trail. we had all hoped for something...quaint. instead it was just a long trail. 

we went in june. i would try to swing LATE june. but with teh weather changing so much lately, who knows.

dont let that scare you away, though. i will take The Boy to do the trail someday.


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## rondi (May 30, 2009)

Thanks all for the info. I don't want to stop the posts from coming--so please continue to post. 

I don't mind the heat, in fact i would rather ride in the 90's vs the 60-70! It's the humidity & mosquitoes i am more concerned about. We don't have either where we live in N ID.

I'm currently planning mid July---somewhere around that time, maybe right after July 4th.

I've bought a few books about both MN & WI trails and they mention the tunnels. You gotta walk your bike thru them, and they are cool---I've read the fog pours out of the entrances on hot, humid day.

We bike the Route of the Hiawatha, a recent R2T of the month--fwiw, on the ID/MT border--just off I90. It starts with a 1.5 mile tunnel, water dripping etc. But here you can ride thru it. There are rangers at the entrances to make sure you have your helmet & lights. Once thru it--it's all downhill for about 15 miles. 

weltyed--thanks for mentioning ginas pies, http://thesquarepie.com/default.aspx

Thanks, Ron


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

if you are fine with heat, july/august might be fine. skeeters come out as soon as it gets to be about 75. they are usually bad in the evening, and not too much to worry about while biking. but when you stop...
i was on a trail and blew a rear tube. i cant tell you the menace those skeeters were while i attempted to change the tire. i was doing the skeeter dance.



rondi said:


> Thanks all for the info. I don't want to stop the posts from coming--so please continue to post.
> 
> I don't mind the heat, in fact i would rather ride in the 90's vs the 60-70! It's the humidity & mosquitoes i am more concerned about. We don't have either where we live in N ID.
> 
> ...


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## fmbp (Apr 23, 2003)

rondi said:


> I don't mind the heat, in fact i would rather ride in the 90's vs the 60-70! It's the humidity & mosquitoes i am more concerned about.


you're almost guaranteed humidity in July.


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## rondi (May 30, 2009)

Thanks fmbp. I was trying to find some "climate data" for WI & MN and i found this:
http://www.city-data.com/city/Elroy-Wisconsin.html If you scroll down about halfway, there are some graphs which show the average temps, humidity, etc for whatever town/city you input. It shows highest temps in July, least amount of cloudy days, most days with sunshine, just about lowest wind for the months of July/Aug. Is this data just BS? Most areas have the highest humidity pretty early in the morning, and as the day goes on---it gets less until early evening. Rain/showers/clouds change all that---i understand.

I would guess, i'd start riding about 9-10am, maybe stop for lunch, ride till i get to 30 miles or so, turn around and ride back. All my rides will be out and back. Some days i'll ride more, some less. Hopefully i can find an RV Park somewhere close to the middle of the trails. 30+ or - miles from each end would be ideal.

Where we live in N ID, about 40 miles south of Canada, Mid July thru Mid Sept is our nicest time of year. That is when all the friends & relatives want to visit. My wife goes to dog Agility Trials, most of which have very nice rides fairly close by, like in the Seattle area, that I ride while she is running dogs. 

Just my reason for choosing July, vs Sept.

Ron


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## black_box (Jun 7, 2008)

You can try this for weather history:
http://www.wunderground.com/weather...DA1&day=23&year=2010&month=12&graphspan=month

Lots of options for daily/weekly/monthly/yearly data.


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

here is a great site with links to campgrounds along elroy/sparta:
http://www.mikebentley.com/bike/sparta/camping.htm

he has a nice site just about elroy sparta:
http://www.mikebentley.com/bike/sparta/eslinks.htm
http://www.mikebentley.com/bike/sparta/

he has a ton of info at his root site:
http://www.mikebentley.com


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

My wife's family are in Trempleau. It's gorgeous. The roads are stunning. And one of these days, I'm gonna bring a bike and actually ride them. 

Figure september is gonna be OK. But honestly any time between april and november is a total weather crapshoot- could be raining, could be 50 degrees, could be 100. 

Pack for changing conditions. Assume it's gonna rain. 

The only thing I'd watch out for is planning to just stop somewhere for food. there's a decent number of little towns up north but the economy has pretty well decimated most of them. Not a whole lot of options for eating in most small towns, Mostly just some manky sandwiched in the kwik trip cooler. There is a really nice coffee shop in Independence that has great food and copies of Adventure Cyclist on the tables.


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

not to derail your original idea of biking parts of wisconsin, but i have been looking into the grand illinois trail. might be something to consider...










https://dnr.state.il.us/orep/planning/git.htm
https://www.bikelib.org/maps-and-rides/route-guides/grand-illinois-trail/
https://www.customized-applications.com/recycle/bicycle_trips21.htm
https://www.gitride.com/


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## MattG42C (Aug 13, 2010)

Probably more detail then you are looking for, but here is a link on Twin Cities Climate Data with averages and everything.
http://climate.umn.edu/doc/twin_cities/twin_cities.htm

My wife and I drove down to Lanesboro, MN this past summer; where the Root River Trail System comes through. It's definitely a cycling friendly town, lots of bed-n-breakfasts/campgrounds and a few interesting restaurants to check out. 

I've been on a small segment of the Paul Bunyan trail near Brainerd, and it is definitely one of the true r2t's with almost zero grade - though I guess up at the other end of the trail, near Bemidji there are some steep sections that are called out in the official MN-DNR map.


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## GearDaddy (Apr 1, 2004)

fmbp said:


> you're almost guaranteed humidity in July.


NOT!

Some things about MN/WI weather:

a) There is no rainy/dry season. We get a pretty consistent amount of precip each month, but there can be dry spells and wet spells of course.
b) It does get hot in the summer, but generally we don't get more than 10-15 days a year above 90F. Humidity we certainly get. But in July/August we can certainly get nice temps in the 70s with low humidity too. No guarantees.
c) Mosquitoes will get bad if there has been wet and warm weather. Thus, if it is relatively dry in the spring, we may in fact not see many mosquitoes until July. But July/August are probably the worst months for mosquitoes in general. Again, cool and breezy weather will considerably knock down the mosquito annoyance factor too. (Just last year I did a trip to the notoriously bad mosquito country of the Boundry Waters Canoe Area in late July, and we had beautiful weather in the 70s and little mosquito problems).
d) July/August may produce severe weather, which you may not be used to coming from Idaho. But, there's lots of information telling you where and when severe weather may hit. This stuff generally moves through quickly, so it may only spoil a day or part of a day.

Northern Minnesota/Wisconsin are generally cooler in the summer, so the Paul Bunyan Trail would be a good choice in July/August.

Have fun! (and be prepared for anything)


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## nOOky (Mar 20, 2009)

I'd avoid any of the rails to trails, if you're a serious cyclist. Too clogged with people, they become almost MUT-like in the summer. Also the Sparta -Elroy trail is crushed limestone, it's kind of ghey as far as trails go. The tunnels are cool if you've never seen them, but walking your bike on a flat trail in the dark for 3/4 of a mile gets old after one time... The trails around Rushford MN are the same way, unless you go very early in the morning. They are paved though, and there are some great places to get pie etc. along the way.
Probably the best bet is to find a route around southwest WI/southeast MN as the back roads are very lightly traveled.


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## geoffrie (Apr 16, 2010)

I prefer May along with September/Early October. Riding is good in the summer months, but often just a little bit too warm for my taste. May has a great combination of long days and slightly lower temps.


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## flakey (Feb 8, 2003)

*Mickelson trail*

Stay away from the Black Hills for the first 2 weeks of August because of the Sturgis Motor Cycle Rally.

It officially runs 8/8 to 8/14. It will be extremely crowded with "bikers" and the hotel rates will be through the roof.

As I mentioned in a previous ride report a few years back, I decided to drive to that area on short notice and when I was driving out there I noticed lots and lots of motorcycles on the freeway. I pulled over, called home and had them check the dates and sure enough Sturgis was about to start.

Luckily I live in MN and was only a few hundred miles into the trip so I just turned around and headed back home to MSP-STP.


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## rondi (May 30, 2009)

It's getting closer to me leaving, so i gotta get planning. My plans have changed slightly--I'm only gonna bike MN. WI next year. I have over 1000 miles of trails (out & bak) marked so that will keep me pedaling 

I know the weather will do it's own thing--but any opinions for this summer? (fwiw, our hi time in N ID this year has been 75!) I was going to leave home mid-late July and bike the Paul Bunyon & Heartland trails, with a ride around Millie Lacs Lake. Then on to Grand Rapids for the Great River Energy tour on the Mesabi Trail. But now after rereading this---Maybe i should wait a few weeks and start with the Mesabi ride on 8/13--and bike into mid Sept.

any thots for this summer??

Thanks, Ron


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

rondi said:


> It's getting closer to me leaving, so i gotta get planning. My plans have changed slightly--I'm only gonna bike MN. WI next year. I have over 1000 miles of trails (out & bak) marked so that will keep me pedaling
> 
> I know the weather will do it's own thing--but any opinions for this summer? (fwiw, our hi time in N ID this year has been 75!) I was going to leave home mid-late July and bike the Paul Bunyon & Heartland trails, with a ride around Millie Lacs Lake. Then on to Grand Rapids for the Great River Energy tour on the Mesabi Trail. But now after rereading this---Maybe i should wait a few weeks and start with the Mesabi ride on 8/13--and bike into mid Sept.
> 
> ...


Ron,

I think your two selections are fine choices for trail riding. Both long and enjoyable trails. Don't be concerned about the warning regarding trail riding above. The rural state trails are pretty easy to use, even for a fast roadie. If you are on mid-week, very easy to time trail hammer if so inclined. 

Bear in mind that Paul Bunyon is one of the least "scenic" trails in the state. It parallels 371 for the most of the miles so you have high speed traffic noise with you most of the way. It's got a full measure of Minnesota "kitsch" along the way. It would be a fun and nice story to visit all the fiberglass Paul Bunyon's, Blue Babes, Fish, and Giant Balls of twine to show to all your "sophisticated" NW friends over $4.00 coffee.  

Mesabi is a very nice trail. It's not totally a Rail to Trail, so you get some nice terrain changes along the way. Highly recommended to get yourself to the Tower Soudan mine and take the tour. It's a State Park, so you could be effected by the looming State shut down. 

That's a good side note. If you are planning on camping, keep an eye on the Regional News. All the State Parks will close if we "shut down" at the end of the month. If you're in hotels, no worries. 

As long as you are in the neighborhood. I would recommend to just keep going through Ely down Hwy 1 to Beaver Bay. Ride the Gitchi Gami Trail Beaver Bay to Gooseberry Falls and back. Gitchi Gami also has a high speed road next to it the whole way, but more than makes up for it by just looking the other way with stunning views of Lake Superior. Be sure to stop at the lighthouse. 

Other options for nice trails in Minnesota are 1) the Cannon Valley Trail and 2) the Root River Trail. 

If stopping in the Twin Cities to get on and off airplanes, drop me a line. I could route you a trail century right in town. 

If you don't have it, pick up the Minnesota Bicycle Vacation Guide. 
http://bikeverywhere.com/shop/bicycle-vacation-guide/

Scot


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## Mnspokes (Jun 24, 2011)

is cannon valley trail decent to ride?


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

Mnspokes said:


> is cannon valley trail decent to ride?


It's very scenic. It runs next to the Cannon River for almost it's entire run. You have the sound of running water and can often see canoe and tubers enjoying the river. I've chased a number of Wild Turkeys down the trail, but you have to get there on a quiet day and go early. The only portion of the trail that runs adjacent to a road is the short bit right in front of the Welsh ski area. Other than that you are pretty isolated from nearby and crossing roads. It's mostly tree covered. Good rest and food options available in Red Wing and Welsh. Cannon Falls dosn't have much aimed at servicing trail users, but I'm sure you could find stuff, just never tried too hard, so don't know. 

Scot


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## Mnspokes (Jun 24, 2011)

What's the cost ?


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

Mnspokes said:


> What's the cost ?


2011 daily wheel pass is $4 according to their website.


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## rondi (May 30, 2009)

Scot, Thanks much for the info. CVT was not on my list--but it is now . Root River was on my list. After the article in Biking magazine--I ordered some books on WI & MN trails. The you listed was one of them--a very nice book--better than the Rails to Trails books.

The Grand Rounds was sent to me, and I have that listed as well, but no map for it. It seems every map someone posts, like on MapMyRide, or RideWithGPS has different eastern paths. Some of the northern paths/roads are different. That tells me--it doesn't much matter which way to go. It's the western shore of the river, and down south and up the west side with the loops around the lakes which look nice---for a city ride.

The Gitchi Gami Trail is probably is pretty nice. But i have limited time--about a month, and I would guess 10-20 days of that will either be travel days, rainy days, or rest days. So that puts it at 20-25 days to ride about 1000miles=50mi/day. Some rides are 60mi, some are 40. Like the CVT is 20mi 1 way--so a day will cover it. Fortunately--most of the terrain is pretty flat, so that should make it a bit less taxing on the legs--but the butt still must be able to sit---yea i got the Chamios Buttr 

I asked the MN Tourism office (yea I know--more of your tax money) to send me info, they sent a very nice booklet of biking trails, including MTB & paved. It lists most if not paved trails, both local controlled and State Trails.

A map of the trails i want to ride is below.

If any are your favorites--please list them. I know some, like the Gitchi Gami trail are next to major hiways-- and they'll be noisy, but so it goes. Some are not, like the Root River and the CVT. The green dots on the map are RV or MN St Parks--hopefully with vacancies when i want to use them! Most are about half way, or a third of the way from the trail end. Then i can ride out & bak both directions.

Thanks again, Ron


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

Ron,

I've ridden most of the trails you show on your map. Easier to list those I have no experience with, Glacial Lakes, Old Abe, Central Lakes. The rest I've ridden all or most of. 

Tips for specific Trails.

The Western half of Sakatah is more interesting than the Eastern half. Start in Mankato and turn around at the distance you want to ride. 

I've always ridden Lake Wobegon from St. Joseph and taken the turn up to Holdingford because of Doug's comments regarding the trail north of Albany. It's another long one, so you'll need to make some choices about the portions to tackle. I'd recommend the south end over the north. 

CVT is short and scenic for it's entire distance. Park in Red Wing over Cannon Falls. It's a slight climb East to West, so you can tackle that with fresh legs. It's still a rail to trail, so it does make that much difference if it's hard logistically to get to Red Wing. 

Willard Munger is most scenic in and out of Duluth. Be sure to go into Jay Cooke State Park and enjoy the St. Louis River. There's fun history on the South end as well if you enjoy that. The trail is on a route that was used as an escape route in the 19th century for people fleeing a wild fire that consumed Hinkley. Get the back story from the museum before you ride to have the perspective. 

Root River is very scenic and the trail is it's own little cottage industry so there's lots of interesting and fun things to do along the trail. I've enjoyed the Amish tours, Pies R Square, and the B&B's.

Paul Bunyon and Heartland are fine trails. The scenary is not very interesting most of the way. But for the shear number of trails miles you can lay down they are terrific. Many resort and cabin crowd towns along their route, so lots of services for touistsin the region. 

I enjoy Mesabi Trail. I've only ridden the Eastern Half. Much of it is on right of ways used by the mines and not the rail roads. It is not uniformly straight and flat like most Rails to Trails. A good trail. Like I said earlier, hit the Mine tour in Tower. It's on that still orphaned 13 mile section. Great tour. (State run and currently shut down BTW).

It's been years since I rode the Chippewa Trail in WI. At that time it was crushed limestone. That may have changed. If you are open to crushed limestone, I would select the Red Cedar portion over the Chippewa. They connect, so ride them both if you have the capacity. 

The reasons you see differences in the Grand Round route is that there are indeed lots of options along the way to go this way or that way. Just in case you don't know, the Grand Round is on Parkway shared with motor vehicles. I have an option mapped on Bikely with pictures. I think I have a photo ride report on RBR, I'll search for it. 

There's a very pleasant trail loop available in town that I would consider superior to the Grand Round circuit. Much of it shares part of the Grand Round. Let me know if you want me to route it out for you. 

HEADS UP: We are at a budget impass and ALL the state parks are currently closed. Keep your ears open for when they re-open. 

Scot


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## rondi (May 30, 2009)

Scot---wow thanks for all the info--very valuable, and thanks for taking the time to post all this. The Bikely site must be down--it says the page is unavailable--i'll keep trying. I found your review on RBR--very nice. I certainly do not mind riding on a shoulder. I ride our local highways with about 2" outside the fog line at time and i battle with log trucks on weekdays. I have a mirror on my drops and keep an eye out for them. Thanks for the offer to map out a loop for me-I'd hate for you to spend time mapping it out and me not use it. But if you have "the very pleasant trail loop available in town" I would like it--just a log sheet or a .gpx, or a link to it, as in MapMyRide, or GarminConnect or??. If that is one on Bikely--hopefully I'll find it. Since I am very unfamiliar with the area, I will need to have a route in my GPS for me to follow but that's easy to do from a log sheet and Garmin BaseCamp.

chippewa-river-trail.com web site sez it is paved--some just recently.
Red Cedar is still crushed rock, and Old Abe I thought was paved--but now i'm not sure. I have 23mm tires on my RB, so maybe they won't do so good on crushed rock. Perhaps I should bring my Hybrid with 28mm just in case--it might be good to have a spare anyway!

Yes i read a number of places about the shutdown. natives are unhappy being locked out of SP over the holiday. It'll be tuf to get the volunteers back too, once this ends. I read somewhere the trails are open ( I guess you can still buy a wheel pass at a LBS), but any state trail facilities are closed. I also read the RV Park owners are very happy--lots of business now. Maybe at one time the Mesabi Trail was a State Trail--but now it is "The Mesabi Trail is a project of the St. Louis & Lakes Counties Regional Railroad Authority in partnership with the Itasca County Rail Authority" per their website. Not that much matters--it still requires a wheel pass.

Ron


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

Ron,

I put the suggested loop on BikeMap.net here: http://www.bikemap.net/route/1092798

I'll go back and edit in some suggested "points of interest", so check back before you leave. 

Scot


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## andyaa (Mar 5, 2008)

I checked the MN DNR site and they say all the state trails are open and being maintained but there are no rest room facilities. Some of the trials on your map are NOT state trails so they should be OK, like the Cannon Valley trail and Lake Wobegon.
I have also ridden most of these trails. 
Paul Bunyan trail: South from Walker MN is a very nice section of the trail, through the forest. 
Same with the Willard Munger trail. Just south of Duluth is a nice section through the state forest.
Been on the Root River and Cannon Valley trail many times. As said before, these can get kind of busy. The Root River trail south from Lanesboro to Harmony is usually less traveled and more scenic, in my opinion.


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## rondi (May 30, 2009)

Scot, I downloaded the .gpx file. Thanks much. I still need to copy/paste your comments because BikeMap.net did not treat them as Waypoints. I wouldn't want to miss your highlights .

Is there a "trail" or nice ride down the east side of the river? Is E River Pkwy a busy street, as far as biking is concerned? It looks like that might be a nice loop too.

Ron


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

rondi said:


> Is there a "trail" or nice ride down the east side of the river? Is E River Pkwy a busy street, as far as biking is concerned? It looks like that might be a nice loop too.


The River Roads are excellent riding. The trick is to ride upriver on the West (Mpls) side and downriver on the East (St. Paul) side. It is parkways on both sides. That said, both sides get used pretty heavilly as alternative commute routes at drive times. If you stick to the right side of the river there's almost no crosstreets and you can cruise without too much concern for traffic conflicts. (there are also adjacent segregated bike trails, but I would skip them and stick to the road for a faster, experienced roadie)

To incorporate the River Roads into the loop I would recommend that at the end of the Midtown Greenway to turn south on Mississippi River Parkway (the Minneapolis River Road). Go 5 blocks south to Lake Street. Lake Street is a bridge over Miss Rvr Pwy, go under it, then take a right back up the incline to Lake Street. Cross the Mississippi on Lake (becomes Marshall on the St. Paul side). Take the incline on the right back down to East River Road. Bike south (downriver) to Ford Parkway (good signage, so you should spot it, if you see the Ford Truck Plant, you've gone too far). Bike up the northside incline to the Ford Parkway bridge and cross the Mississippi on the trail (sidewalk) on the north side of the bridge. Almost as soon as you leave the bridge superstructure, look for a bike path on your right. Coast down the trail to Mississppi River Parkway. Don't go back upriver just yet. Take a left and follow the trail until you see a large park and picnic shelter on your left. Bike over to the shelter and listen for the Waterfall. Have a nice break looking at the falls. Go back to the trail and follow it upriver and back onto the loop. This should add 8-9 miles I think. 

Still not enough miles? 

About halfway to Ford Pwy on St. Paul's East River Road it T intersects with Summit Ave. Summit Ave is our 19th Century Millionares Row. Summit has on-street bike lanes all the way to the State Capital (and back). Be warned it's still a pretty heavilly trafficed road and the bike lanes are fairly door zoneist, but a nice ride none the less. Enjoy the archetechture of the homes and see if you can see the decades break points as you ride in the home styles. The Govenor's mansion, F Scott Fitzgerald townhouse, James J Hill mansion, the St. Paul Cathedral, and the State Capital are all on Summit. Way back in the 80's I lived at 955 Summit so give it a special wave (we wave here in MN  ) Ride to the Capital, turn around and come back to the River Road and continue onto Ford Pwy. 

Have fun.

Scot


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

Pictures in no particuliar order (aka the order I stumble upon them amongst my collection)

Gitchi Gami Trail









Cedar Lake Trail in St. Louis Park









Cedar Lake Trail in Mpls









Sabo Bridge Midtown Greenway









Mpls 29th Street Midtown Greenway









Mississippi River Parkway at Stone Arch Bridge









Lake Wobegon Trail









Gitchi Gami Trail









Cannon Valley Trail


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## rondi (May 30, 2009)

*I've ridden most of what I wanted to*

Hopefully a few of you posters are still monitoring this thread. I had a great time in MN, & WI--almost 1000 miles of trail riding. hop over to my web site for pix and maps of my rides. I had pretty good weather, a few rainy days but I needed the rest, shopping, touring etc. Scot, your ideas were much appreciated--but sadly I did not wave at your old house--I wanted to go up Summit Ave to the Capital, but decided it was a bit late so I kept going.

I did not ride the Gitchi-Gami--it was just too much out of the way for a short trail, and on the Will Munger trail as I digging muck (from a major construction site) out of my clips, a rider got to the construction zone and he mentioned how the portions of the Gitchi were closed for construction. 

I didn't ride the Sakatah Singing Trails because a few folks I talked to, including a DNR person said portions of the trail were in really bad shape. 

Glacial Lakes was another toward the end of a month of riding I chose not to ride because it too was kinda out of the way. I added the Great River, La Crosse, and a small ride on the Elroy-Sparta to make up for that. I had NO problem riding with 25mm smooth road tires on those WI trails. The only "problem" was all the fine gravel that got kicked up and stuck to my water bottle. Maybe I shouldn't have put it in the freezer the night before to get the water cold  Those crushed limestone trails were in much better shape than quite a few of the MN paved trails.

If anybody finds any errors, misspellings, or ?? on my web site, PLEASE email me using the Mailbox icon link on the Main Index page, in the upper right corner.

Please use the link on the next post. I don't have 10 posts yet, so "it" won't let me post a link!

Ron


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## rondi (May 30, 2009)

*and here is the link to my web site*

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## rdbikenewb (Sep 1, 2011)

Minneapolis has great trail system. It's been a great October so far.


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