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Minnesota River Bottoms - Lyndale Ave to Bloomington Ferry Rd

Easy/Intermediate Easy/Intermediate
 4.1 (19)
  1. Areas
  2. MN
  3. …Minneapolis - St. Paul
  4. Burnsville
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“Mostly flat singletrack. Great for beginners and those looking for mileage and speed. ”

matt pekuri
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Map Key

7.1

Miles

11.4

KM
Singletrack

722' 220 m

High

692' 211 m

Low

45' 14 m

Up

57' 17 m

Down

0%

Avg Grade (0°)

4%

Max Grade (2°)

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Allowed

Description

There are two trailheads for this trail: one at the end of Lyndale Ave. and one at Bloomington Ferry Rd.

From the Lyndale parking lot, head West from the boat launch and follow the gravel road about a quarter of a mile. You'll eventually see a singletrack trail on the left. Take that and it will snake between the river bank and the road, leading you to the main trail.

From the Bloomington Ferry Rd. parking lot, head East from the paved trail at the trail map sign. The trail begins as a downhill, gravel path and quickly narrows to singletrack.

The Minnesota River Bottoms trail mostly parallels the river, except for occasional splits. Most splits are ride arounds for features and most connect back up to the main trail. All of the trails are two way, so be cognizant and respectful of other cyclists, as well as other trail users, such as hikers, runners, and bird watchers.

While mostly flat, the pedaling on the trail isn't necessarily easy, due to the sandy conditions. A special feature of the trail is its dynamic character. The Minnesota River periodically floods, and when the water recedes, the trail takes on a new shape. Technical features such as skinnies and log overs come and go based on the river activity. Much of the trail flows over old sand bars which get fresh sand and silt with each flood. So the trail is ever changing.

The land on which the trail is located is actually managed by several organizations:
National Park Service -Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/…

National Wildlife Refuge System, within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
fws.gov/refuge/minnesota_va…

MN DNR - Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area
dnr.state.mn.us/state_par..…

City of Bloominton
bloomingtonmn.gov/

Contacts

Local Club: Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists (MORC)

Land Manager: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Shared By:

matt pekuri
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.1 from 19 votes

#1

in Burnsville

#1100

Overall
  4.1 from 19 votes
5 Star
47%
4 Star
16%
3 Star
32%
2 Star
5%
1 Star
0%
Trail Rankings

#1

in Burnsville

#20

in Minnesota

#1,100

Overall
172 Views Last Month
46,853 Since Sep 5, 2014
Easy/Intermediate Easy/Intermediate
36%
29%
29%
0%
7%
0%
Add a Photo

Photos

9 Mile Creek log crossing.
Oct 26, 2015 near Savage, MN
Tree bridge over Nine Mile Creek. It's rideable if you dare.
Sep 5, 2014 near Savage, MN
Trail has frequent views of the Minnesota River.
Oct 1, 2014 near Savage, MN
Most of the rollers are natural sand bar deposits from flood waters.
Oct 1, 2014 near Savage, MN
Barge coming through on Minnesota River
Oct 1, 2014 near Savage, MN
Another view of the tree bridge.
Oct 1, 2014 near Savage, MN

4 Comments

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Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Aug 12, 2023
Cullen Alt
Aug 2, 2023
Eric L
4mi
Oct 10, 2022
Cate M
Apr 19, 2022
Eric Edling
Little muddy, raft is out, dogs off leash…. — 0h 36m
Nov 20, 2021
John Fuhrman
Sep 29, 2021
Lou Hibbard
Great fun, pick your own adventure, c 7.1mi
Apr 29, 2021
Pierce Rowley
Went from 35W to 169 and back. Main trail and side-trails all clear. Excellent conditions as the spring foliage is just starting to come in. 14mi
Feb 20, 2021
Ahmad Nawaz
14mi — 2h 20m

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