Five Twin Cities Trails to Beat the Heat

The dog days of summer can get pretty hot and steamy in Minnesota but that doesn't have to mean an uncomfortable ride.  The Twin Cities area has quite a few trail systems that run through the cool shade of the woods that I frequent during hot days.  Below I will share some of my favorites to ride to beat the heat.

Brown's Creek State Trail

The Brown's Creek State Trail is a 5.9 mile long rail trail that runs from Grant to Stillwater through a canopy of trees that keeps riders cool on a hot day.  Trail users will parallel Brown's Creek for about two miles and the St. Croix River for another mile as they make their way along this scenic trail.  For those looking to get in some extra mileage, the trail connects to the Gateway State Trail, local trail systems and the newly opened 4.7 mile St. Croix River Crossing Loop Trail.  Parking for the Brown's Creek State Trail can be found in Downtown Stillwater, the Brown's Creek Nature Preserve and under the Gateway State Trail bridge in Grant.

Dakota Rail Regional Trail

The Dakota Rail Trail has been a long time favorite of mine for its scenic ride through woods and along lakes and wetlands.  This 14.84 mile paved trail connects Wayzata with Lake Waconia and extends another 12.5 miles (Carver County segment) to the county line just west of New Germany.  A frequent stop along the trail for me is Cathy Mackenthun's Meats & Deli in St. Bonifacius for a quick lunch and to stock up on some of their award winning smoked meats, bratwurst and jerkey.  Parking is available at numerous locations along the trail making it easy to pick the round trip distance you would like to ride.

Mendota Trail

When I want to get in some dirt riding through the cool of the woods, the Minnesota River Bottoms' Mendota Trail in Fort Snelling State Park is my "go-to" spot.  This trail travels 6 miles along the Minnesota River's south bank from underneath the 77 Bridge in Eagan to the Sibley House Historic Site in Mendota. With connectors like the 494 Bridge, Mendota Bridge, Big Rivers Regional Trail and Minnesota River Greenway, different mileage route options for a multi-surface ride are quite numerous.  Parking can be found in Mendota and underneath the 77 Bridge in Eagan.

Gateway State Trail

The 18 mile Gateway State Trail takes cyclists northeast from St. Paul to Pine Point Park just outside of Stillwater.  With plenty of connections including the Bruce Vento Regional Trail and Brown's Creek State Trail and numerous parking locations along the trail, varying routes can be planned for the mileage you would like to do.  The scenery changes from urban to rural as riders pass lakes, woods and wetlands on the way towards Stillwater.  With plenty of trees along the trail this is one ride that will help you stay cool on those hot summer days.

Lake Minnetonka LRT Regional Trail

The Lake Minnetonka LRT Regional Trail has been a longtime favorite of mine for its scenery as well as shade on hot days.  This 15.92 mile aggregate trail stretches between Hopkins and Carver Park Reserve in Victoria as it passes by Lake Minnetonka and through numerous communities along the way.  Make sure to stop in Excelsior for a pint at Excelsior Brewing or Sebastian Joe's Ice Cream at Tommy's Tonka Trolley on the waterfront.  For those that like a little longer ride, take a trip around Lake Minnetonka by traveling through Carver Park Reserve to St. Bonifacius and jumping onto the Dakota Rail Trail on your way to Wayzata and back to Hopkins.  Parking can be found at numerous locations along the trail but I tend to start near the Depot Coffee House in Hopkins at the junction of the Cedar Lake Trail and the Minnesota River Bluffs LRT Regional Trail.

Cyclopath Now Helps Find Bikeable Routes Throughout Greater Minnesota

Cyclopath is a geo-wiki bike route planner that is operated by GroupLens Research at the University of Minnesota.  Until recently, this useful route planning tool was limited to the Seven County Metro Area.  Now Cyclopath has added the MnDOT road network to their map making easier to find routes throughout the state based on your own bikeability ratings for roads and trails.  Using Cyclopath is easy and can be done either on the website or on your Android device with the Cyclopath app.

Cyclopath's map is editable where anyone can add information about roads, bike trails, locations and cycle routes.  Your input will help Cyclopath and MnDot improve the data contained in the map.  For more information on the privacy policy and what is done with the data collected, visit the Cyclopath User Agreement page.

 

Now you can find a bike route anywhere in Minnesota based on your biking preferences.  Do you want to find the fastest route with the shortest distance?  How about traveling a little or a lot further to include highly rated roads?  Would you like to travel a little or a lot further to include trails and bike lanes?  These preferences can be chosen on both the website and the Android app.

Website

Android App

Website

When you are ready to find your route, enter your starting point and desired destination using the website or Android app and select your bikeability preferences.  For demonstration purposes, I chose to search for a route from Cannon Falls to Mankato using a higher bikeability preference.

After the route is found on the website, you can view the overview of the route, route directions, print a cue sheet and download a GPX file to be imported into most GPS devices or for upload to sites like Runtastic, MapMyRide and RideWithGPS.  When logged in, routes can be saved to your library for later use or on the Android app.

In the app, the route will be displayed and (with GPS enabled) it will show your location along the route.  Switch between the route map and route directions by selecting the menu button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.  The app even has an option to record your GPS track.  Saved routes from the website and the app can be accessed and loaded, too.

These are just a few of the features that are possible with Cyclopath.  For more information including video tutorials, FAQ, guidelines for map editing and the User Manual, visit the Cyclopath Geowiki Help page.  To sign up for a free Cyclopath account to contribute and improve map data or save routes to your library, visit the Log in/ Create Account page.  The Cyclopath app is free on Google Play.

GPS-Enabled Maps Now Available on Mobile Devices With PDF Maps App

PDF Maps by Avenza is a mobile app that allows the user to download GPS-enabled maps (geospatial PDF, GeoTIFF and Geo PDF) for navigation and offline use.  Using your mobile device's GPS, PDF Maps will show your location and allow you to record your GPS track.  But these are not the only functions you will find useful, the app has many more that will aid in biking navigation.

Let's explore the many features of this handy navigational tool by starting with the maps available in the Avenza Map Store.  Choose from the many free or paid maps by selecting from Categories, browse maps near your current location by selecting "Find Maps" or narrow your search by selecting vendors and/or map categories.  Import GPS-enabled maps into the app from the Internet with a URL, from your Dropbox account or from the device's SD card.  Many free GeoPDF topographical maps are available for download from the USGS and the US Forest Service.  Once a map is downloaded onto your device, it is available for use even without a data connection.  This comes in handy when in areas where cellular coverage may not be available.  Disable cellular data coverage to extend device battery life and navigate using only GPS.  Register within the app to re-install previous map purchases or to install purchases on multiple devices.

Some of the more popular maps for use in the Twin Cities for cycling include the Twin Cities Bike Map 2014 ($3.99),  Twin Cities Bike Map_2013 (Free), Minneapolis Bicycle Map (Free) and Northfield Area Bike Routes (Free).  All of these can be found on the PDF Maps Map Store.

Once maps are downloaded they will appear ready to load in the Maps tab when the app is opened.  Click on the desired map to load it (make sure GPS is enabled).

As a navigational tool, PDF Maps is awesome.  Always know where you are and find where you need to go whether it be by trail or bike-friendly roads.  Maps can be zoomed in for close-up detail or zoomed out to see where you are in relation to the rest of the map.  This is especially helpful when biking in unfamiliar areas.

PDF Maps is loaded with features that allow a user to customize their maps.  Plot placemarks, find locations by coordinates or points of interest, plot geo-tagged photos, record GPS tracks, measure distances of a desired route and open the current view in Google Maps.

Finding a place on a map is easy, using the Tools menu tap the "Find Places" option and simply enter an address or point of interest.  Places are based on search engine results.  Tap on the result to edit map feature details or discard.

Add your own placemarks by address or coordinates and edit the details to be saved on the map for later use.  Choose icons or colored pins for your placemark and even add photos.

Measure distances by plotting lines along a desired route.

Edit and save line data for following a route while out on a ride.

GPS-track your rides in real time and edit ride details when you are finished.

View your track statistics on a graph that also includes a summary of Distance, Time, Avg. Speed, Top Speed and Elevation.

PDF Maps is a wonderful, user-friendly mapping tool that will get you where you need to go and keep you from getting lost in unfamiliar territory.  You'll always know where you are and you can plot your own points of interest and photos to customize your maps.  Do you want to stop for lunch or a cup of coffee along your ride?  PDF Maps has you covered with the Find Places feature.  Install it today and start discovering new routes, trails and places.  

I've just covered some of the useful features for cycling in this post, if you would like to learn more about other PDF Maps features visit the PDF Maps Features page.  To get answers to questions about PDF maps for Android or iOS, visit the PDF Maps Frequently Asked Questions page.

PDF Maps is free and available for Android and iOS.  Avenza recommends Android 4.0 and higher on a device with at least 1 GB of RAM or Third Generation iPod Touch or better, iPhone 3GS or better, any iPad or iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular.  Devices must be installed with at least iOS 5.0 or newer.

*Note:  All screenshots are from the Android version of the app.

Strava Routes Now Available For iPhone & Android

Now you can easily navigate your created or starred (favorite) Strava Routes on your iPhone or Android device.  The feature was added in the latest update (Version 4.1) of the Strava GPS Cycling and Running App.  Create routes with your PC using the Strava Route Builder and they will sync with the Strava app on your mobile device in the Route List.  Starred routes will also appear in your Route List.

Creating a route is easy.  Log in to your Strava account and select the My Routes tab and click on the Create New Route button.  You are now ready to start planning your new route.

Plot your route manually or implement the Use Popularity toggle.

To check the elevation profile for your route, turn Elevation On in the lower right corner.  You can even move your mouse along the elevation chart to see where the hills are along your route.  When your route is complete, click the Save Route button and fill in the required data. 

When you are ready to ride and would like to use a created or starred route for navigation, go to your Routes list in the app and select Use Route with your GPS enabled.  Once the route is loaded, select the STATS tab and hit the Record button and start your ride.  Select the ROUTE tab to see your location on the selected route and follow the red line.

For more information on creating routes using the Strava Route Builder, see Strava's Get Ready To Plan Your Route page.  To learn more about creating your own route or following someone else's using your smartphone, see the Strava Blog post Discover a New Route, Follow It From Your Phone.

To download the Strava GPS Cycling and Running App for your device, visit the iTunes App Store or Google Play.

*Note:  All app screenshots are from the Android version of the app.