Avoid Traffic Congestion and Parking Fees by Biking to the MN State Fair

Avoid the traffic congestion hassle and the high cost of parking at the Great Minnesota Get Together by riding your bike to the fair.  The Minnesota State Fair has free secure and monitored bike parking at three locations.  The bike corrals are located at the Como-Snelling Gate (#6),  Hoyt-Snelling Gate (#2) and Commonwealth-West Dan Patch (#15).  They remain open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight.  Click here to download a printable color map of the Minnesota State Fair.

Image Credit:  Ochen K. from Bike Racks - Minnesota State Fair on Vimeo

For State Fair goers that may have a longer commute, they can park and lock their bikes at one of several Park & Ride lots and take the bus for free to and from the fair.  These Park & Ride locations include:

• Roseville Area High School East of Hamline on Co. Rd. B2.
• MN Dept. of Education East of Target, north of Co. Rd. B. (Pascal St. & Commerce St.).
• U of M Minneapolis Campus (NOT AVAILABLE THURSDAY, AUG. 29)  Various surface lots near stadium along 5th and 6th Streets SE as well as 25th Avenue SE open at 8 a.m. daily. 4th St. Ramp opens 4 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. weekends & Labor Day. 
• Bandana Square North side of Energy Park Dr., east of Snelling Ave.

Park Free, Ride Free bus rides are available from 8 a.m. to midnight and buses leave approximately every 20 minutes.  For a map of the Park Free, Ride Free locations, click here.

For Nice Ride MN subscribers, there are two Nice Ride Stations located near the MN State Fair. The U of M St. Paul Campus Station is located on Commonwealth Ave. near the Commonwealth-West Dan Patch gate and the U of M St. Paul Student Center Station is on Buford Ave. about a half mile walk from the Commonwealth-West Dan Patch gate.  Use the Spotcycle app for station locations and bike/dock availability.

There are several resources available to plan out your bike route to the fair.   BikeEverywhere has a Bike to the State Fair map that shows on-road, bike path next to road and bicycle corridor trail routes leading to the fair.  Bike Walk Move has a downloadable Bicycling & Walking Como Avenue map that shows off-street bike paths and recommended on-street bike routes leading to the State Fairgrounds.  Cyclopath is a great tool for route planning and is available for the seven county metro area.  Simply enter the beginning and ending addresses and it will find a bike route that matches the way you ride and there is a Cyclopath app can be used with Android smartphones.

Don't get stuck in traffic or pay the $12 State Fair parking fee.  By biking to the fair or using the Park Free, Ride Free bus service you can save yourself some money, enjoy the ride and arrive close to an entrance gate.

PLEASE NOTE that neither the fair bike corrals nor the Park & Ride lots provide for secure storage of bike helmets.