Minnesota Trail Alternatives on the Northern Tier Route
There are many styles of traveling cyclists, from the credit card tourer to the wild camping enthusiast. These styles are not only about where to stay and how to get calories, but where to ride. That being said, you'd be hard pressed to find a cyclist who prefers urban, high speed traffic day after day over quiet, rural roads with country stores for sustenance and cows for company.But what about rail trails and bike paths? Where do they fit in the equation? These are questions that can come up for us in Routes & Mapping when laying out or updating a route.In our experience, these non-motorized options are not universally the best option for traveling cyclists. Services can be hard to find, surfaces are not always well maintained or even paved, and access can be confusing for someone unfamiliar with the area. Also, they are often frequented by walkers, joggers, and families with strollers and dogs -- all legitimate users, but ones that can be challenging for a loaded tourer to negotiate around.Although we sometimes hesitate to incorporate paved rail trails and bike paths, one comes to mind that has worked for many cyclists.A few years ago, Donn Olson, of Bicycle Bunkhouse fame, pointed us to a set of paved trails that would connect nicely with the Northern Tier Route in Minnesota. At this time, we have not been able to add them officially to the route but have included access information in the Riding Conditions section of the relevant maps.Specifically, on Northern Tier section 5, you can use three trails off of our Little Falls Alternate: Central Lakes, Lake Wobegon and Soo Line Trails. On Northern Tier section 6, you can use Sunrise Prairie and Hardwood Creek Trails off the main route. Donn keeps brochures and maps on hand at the Bicycle Bunkhouse to help guide cyclists who are interested in the option.We love that Donn takes the initiative to help cyclists in this way and that the state and regional authorities saw fit to provide the resource. The video below shows how enthusiastically locals embraced the Sunrise Prairie Trail when it opened in 1998. They had a clear vision of what it could add to their community.
If you've ridden any part of these trails, we'd love to hear about your experience. Neither of these maps are on the schedule for reprint yet so the more information we can gather before they are updated, the better decisions we can make on possible route changes. Chime in via the blog and Facebook comments or email me directly at jhmilyko AT adventurecycling DOT org.Graphic by Routes & Mapping staff
Video from Chisago County website--
GEOPOINTS BULLETIN is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures, and persons from Adventure Cycling's Route Network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure. She also wants to remind you that map corrections and comments are always welcome via the online Map Correction Form.Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/03/minnesota-trail-alternatives-on.html
