Free Rides

Five notable cyclists pick their favorite Twin Cities bike routes.

Nature Valley Bicycle Festival

Image credit: Michael Boehnlein

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By: METRO Staff

The Midtown Greenway

Charles Youel, co-founder and curator of the bike-themed poster show ARTCRANK, says this utilitarian trail has something for everyone: “If our national transportation policy demanded that every automobile thoroughfare be as versatile as the Greenway, the entire continental U.S. would be reachable by one of three interstate highways.”

Ride Notes

➞Start at the Calhoun Village entry, just north of Lake St., and ride east toward the Mississippi.

➞What the Greenway lacks in turns it makes up for in character. You’ll roll past beautiful Lake Calhoun (and its equally beautiful runners and bladers), Bryant Lake Bowlers and afternoon grocery getters.

➞Eventually, you pass under 35W and you’ll come across the Midtown Exchange, which leads to the Martin Olav Sabo Bridge. This breathtaking span carries you up and over Hiawatha Ave., and its apex offers one of the finest nighttime views of downtown Minneapolis.

➞When you reach the east side of the Mississippi, take a left and head to the West Bank and then to downtown Minneapolis, where you can cross another great bridge—the Stone Arch Bridge—into Northeast Minneapolis. Or, take a right and you’ll find yourself on the West River Road, which offers one of the most scenic rides in town in either direction—all without interrupting traffic on major surface streets.

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Lilydale Loop

Hurl Everson, founder and head raconteur of the recently shuttered Cars-R-Coffins Coffee Bar (CRC lives on as an apparel line and general symbol of local punk bike culture), prefers a scenic, multi-city ride along the Mississippi with enough pitch to work a sweat: “Lilydale gives you some nice views of the river with a few steep climbs sprinkled in,” says Everson. “Returning along the tree-lined boulevard of Summit Avenue is a nice finish, too.”

Ride Notes

➞Start anywhere on West River Rd. and ride south to Minnehaha Park. Pick up the Fort Snelling Trail, which winds south and eventually connects to the Mendota Bridge.

➞Cross the Mendota Bridge and continue left down the hill into the city of Mendota.

➞Pick up the Big Rivers Trail as you head up and out of Mendota on Highway 13. This River-hugging trail goes under 35E and drops you down parallel to Lilydale Rd., a mostly flat section that leads you to the famed Ohio St. climb. A right turn on Plato Blvd. leads to a right turn onto Ohio. The hill starts off innocuously enough then ramps up to a pretty steep pitch.

➞A right turn onto Cherokee gives you great views of the river and downtown St. Paul, leading you to the High Bridge. It’s a fast rip down the High Bridge, which becomes Smith Ave. Take Smith to the stoplight at Grand Ave.

➞Turn left at the light and prepare yourself for the Ramsey Wall climb (Grand to Ramsey St. to Summit Ave.). Once you hit Summit it’s smooth sailing down the wide boulevard (with bike lanes most of the way) all the way back to the river at East River Road, where you can head north or south depending on your destination. Everson usually heads north, winding through the U of M campus and into downtown via the Stone Arch Bridge. Or, you can cross at the Marshall/Lake St. Bridge and connect to the Midtown Greenway just north of Lake and West River Road.

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Farmers Market/Wirth Beach Loop

Kelly MacWilliams, local rider and professional photographer, prefers this trail with local fare that provides an escape from urban angst: “Although you are just a mile or two outside the city, once inside Theodore Wirth Park you feel a complete sense of nature and totally forget that you’re so close to such a large metropolitan area.”

Ride Notes

➞Start the ride in Bryn Mawr and head down Glenwood Avenue to the Minneapolis Farmers Market, where, depending on the day, you can fuel up on coffee and some fresh local fare before hopping back on the bike in search of some greenery at Theodore Wirth—the largest regional park in Minneapolis.

➞From the Farmers Market it’s a straight shot southbound on Glenwood Avenue past International Market Square and its swank modern furniture and accessory retailers. Once you crest “the hill” on Glenwood (not really a hill, but the road does incline), the houses and neighborhood quickly fall away and are replaced by the lush green of the park.

➞Keep pedaling on Glenwood Avenue past the Theo Wirth Beach house and hang a right on Theodore Wirth Parkway. From here, you are off city streets and on a dedicated Ground Rounds pedestrian/bike path.

➞Head north just past the first stoplight, which crosses Highway 55. Once across the street, you hit the beginning of the Theo Mountain Bike loop: It’s time to duck into the trees and enjoy the single track trail.

➞Wirth has two one-way loops that link together to form about a four-plus mile intermediate-level trail.

➞After the loop there are lots of swimming options nearby (the newly renovated Wirth Beach House or Cedar Lake), so when it warms up plan ahead and bring a swimsuit.

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Gateway from the Northeast Metro

Dorian Grilley, executive director of the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota, shares his commuter route. “Since the early 1990s, I have used the Gateway State Trail and the Bruce Vento Regional Trail thousands of times to commute into downtown St. Paul. I enjoy it so much that on the way home I often keep going on the Gateway well past the turnoff to my home in Mahtomedi.”

Ride Notes

➞Begin on the segment of the Gateway between Jamaca Avenue in the City of Grant to Hadley Avenue in Oakdale. This nearly 4 miles of scenic woods and wetlands—without a single road crossing—acts as an awesome start or end to your ride.

➞From there, the trail leads through North St. Paul and benefits from recent improvements including a new bridge over Century Avenue as well as bridges over McKnight, White Bear, Wheelock and I-35E.

➞Travel under Arcade and Larpenteur before ending with a grand bridge over the railroad just before its terminus at Cuyuga Street in St. Paul.

➞From there, wind your way to Jackson Street and take that into downtown. The Vento and Gateway intersect just northeast of Frost and English, and give you a second option to and from downtown. The Vento takes you along Lake Phalen and Phalen Boulevard through Swede Hollow Park and under 7th Street and I-94. You can exit onto 7th Street or continue on to the 4th Street terminus and take 4th and 5th Streets into downtown.

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Fort Snelling and White Sands

Jennifer Oberpriller, co-owner of One on One bikes and coffee café in Minneapolis, brings a family touch to the Lilydale Loop: “On special occasions, we love to stop at Sea Salt for fish tacos, Surly beer and Sebastian Joe’s ice cream. We love this trail because it’s right out our back door. It’s not congested and our kids love to stop and explore the river bluffs along the way.”

Ride Notes

➞Jennifer, her husband Gene and their three kids start on West River Road and the Ford Bridge, ride south through Minnehaha Falls, past the Longfellow House, the historic Minnehaha Depot and the famous “Moon Potty” outhouse.

➞Stop at Camp Coldwater springs, located just left of the trail south of Minnehaha Park, and dip your toes in; you have to go through the tall metal gate that leads to the old federal government site.

➞Continue south to Fort Snelling. The trail runs alongside Highway 55/Crosstown 62 and kicks you out near the old Fort entrance. Stop on the bluff overlook and you can usually see a few wild turkeys running around. This is also a good place to have a picnic at one of the picnic tables that line the bluff.

➞From there, follow the trail that loops around and goes down the steep hill into Fort Snelling State Park. Hang a hard left at the bottom of the hill. You will pass under the Highway 5 bridge. The Oberpriller kids love to stop here and play in the fine white sand under the bridge. Continue climbing up and out of the river gorge and back into the park.