Fall is my favorite time of the year to get out in the woods and when
it involves a bike that's even better. With cooler weather fast
approaching, now is the time to plan where you would like to ride to see
the fall colors in their full glory. Minnesota is filled with a lot of
great trails to see the changing of the leaves and listed below are a
few of my favorites. For you mountain bikers, I will include some of my
favorite MTB trails I enjoy heading to in the fall.
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| Image Credit: MN DNR |
The Minnesota DNR has on its website a
Fall Color Report page to update you on current conditions around the state. The site also contains a
Fall Color Mobile page
you can access anytime while you are out and about from your
smartphone. Use these reports to head to the areas with the best fall
colors for your next ride.
In central Minnesota is the
Lake Wobegon Regional Trail. The majority of this trail (Avon to Sauke Centre) was built on a former railroad grade making it a 54 mile, mostly flat ride. I like to start at the trailhead in St. Joseph and travel to Freeport and back for about a 42 mile round trip ride. There is a lot of fall color to see along the trail as you pass through the woods & fields and by the lakes & ponds of the scenic "Lake Wobegon" countryside.
Wobegon Park in Avon is a great place to stop for a lunch break along the trail.
Another Twin Cities metro area favorite of mine is the
Dakota Rail Trail. Built on the former Dakota Rail Corridor, this 13 mile paved trail stretches from Wayzata to St. Bonifacius passing through the cities of Orono, Minnetonka Beach, Spring Park, Mound and Minnetrista. You will experience the changing scenery of the city and countryside as you ride along Lake Minnetonka. When in St. Bonifacius, stop at
Mackenthun's Meats for some lunch and maybe even pick up some of their many flavors of tasty bratwurst to grill when you get home.
One of my favorite mountain biking areas in the Twin Cities metro is Bloomington's
Minnesota River Bottoms. I usually ride the trails from the Russell A. Sorenson Landing on Lyndale Avenue under the 35W bridge to the Bloomington Ferry Unit parking lot about 7 miles to the west and make the return trip. The ride through the quiet and lonely river bottoms of the Minnesota River provide some great fall scenery complete with run-ins with the local wildlife. For more information about these trails, read my post
Mountain Biking the Minnesota River Bottoms West Segment.
Memorial Park in Red Wing, MN is home to some of the best mountain biking in southern Minnesota. The
Memorial Park Mountain Biking Trails contain great views from atop Memorial Bluff that overlook the city of Red Wing and the Mississippi River Valley. Riding the miles of trails here, you will spend a lot of time on singletrack that meanders through ravines, thick woods and prairies that are full of color in the fall. Beginner to advanced mountain bikers will definitely enjoy taking several laps on these great trails, I know I do. For more information, read my post
Red Wing's Memorial Park Mountain Bike Trails.
In part 4 of this segment, I will conclude this series of posts with some more trails to put on your "to do" list for the fall riding season.
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