Minneapolis

[Trek950]

I just found out that I have to go to Minneapolis, but will have 6 days free between obligations.  I thought I might as well squeeze in a camping trip rather than fly home.  is anybody here knowledgable of cycling in this part of the world and has any suggestions for a route/loop of 250 to 350 miles? 

Thanks.

[windrath]

Trek950 -

I spent almost 30 years in Minnesota (10 in Minneapolis, 20 in Red Wing).  I think I can help you if you can provide more details such as:  when you are going to be there, what kind of camping are you thinking (self-contained, motels, etc.), how many days to cover 250-350 miles, etc..

One of the very best rides you could do would be to follow the Mississippi River south on the Minnesota side to Winona and then come back up the Wisconsin side.  The roads have wide shoulders and there are places to camp along the way.  It would be about 60 miles a day for 4 days.  The views of the river and the bluffs is pretty nice - scenery, bald eagles, Cannon Valley Trail (20 miles of paved bike path), etc..  You can also go north along the St. Croix or southwest along the Minnesota River.  The Mississippi is the best though.

Give me more details and I can fill in more blanks (pwindrath@stny.rr.com).

I look forward to helping you.

Paul

[TwoWheeledExplorer]

I'm here, now and I am a Minnesota State Park Ranger. What kind of ride are you looking for and when? We have great state rail-trails here; the ACA Northern Tier Route passes through the state with two possiblities (or you could do them both as a loop!). Windrath forgot to mention the North Shore (of Lake Superior).

I'd be glad to help you out!
Hans

[Turk]

I've lived in St. Paul for 35 years and I have a few suggestions:

1. There are easily 250-300 miles of excellent bicycling you could do within the Twin Cities metro area.
2. You could take Amtrack from St. Paul to North Dakota and bike back from there on the Northern Tier.
3. You could bike to Milwaukee, LaCrosse, or Columbus (near Madison) and take Amtrack back from there.
4. Twin Cities to Duluth and back would be about 300 miles. I believe you can do most if not all on bicycle path.
5. Wisconsin is great for bicycling because there are a lot of small towns and facilities along the way. I did LaCrosse to Milwaukee years ago and it was very nice.
6. There are a lot of converted rail beds (http://www.railstotrails.org/index.html) all over the place, particularly in the Sparta-Elroy area of Wisconsin but also throughout Minnesota. I believe there are reasonable Amtrack connections to these areas.
7. I've bicycled across the northern part of the state (state highway 1) and found it quite enjoyable. Little traffic but not as many small towns, hotels, restaurants, etc.
8. There are a lot of nice trails in the Milwaukee and Madison areas.
9. You might get lucky and be here when they have RAGGBRAI, an organized ride across Iowa with thousands of participants. I believe there is also a smaller version of this in Minnesota.

[Turk]

You might get some ideas from this link:

http://www.biketcbc.org/

The League of American Wheelmen is also active here.