The Minneapolis/Saint Paul metro area is absolutely loaded with bike trails. A few are along the roadways, but many are in parks and on regional and state bike trails through beautiful natural areas.

FREE: “Best Bike Trails in the Twin Cities” download

OutsideOnline.com listed Minneapolis/St. Paul as the Best Place to Bike-Commute Year-Round in 2017. This recognition is in part for the vast connection of trails to roadways for commuters, not just recreational bikers.

But that’s saying a lot for an urban area that’s in deep-freeze a few months of the year!

The ones we highlight on Twin Cities Outdoors are those off the main roadways and in parks. There’s a vast networking of inter-connecting Regional Trails. We’ll give you info and links to find out more about those, too.

We also highlight mountain bike trails for those of you interested in a more adventurous ride. And don’t forget fat bikes. For those who want to keep biking off-road all winter, Minnesota is starting to maintain a few fat bike trails.

Let’s take a look bike trails in the Twin Cities:

Anoka County (North)

Anoka County has 10 Regional Trails and several dozen miles of trails in its park system. Many of those trails and parks connect to each other. That means you can bike all day if you want to, depending on the location you choose.

Take a look at Biking Trails in Anoka County…

Carver County (Southwest)

Let’s face it—Carver County is not a biker’s Mecca! None of the Regional Parks have trails for bikes…But there are three Regional Trails here—or at least sections of Regional Trails planned or under construction.

Take a look at Biking Trails in Carver County…

Dakota County (South-Southeast)

Dakota County has several parks and Regional Trails to choose from for your next bike ride. It also boasts some awesome mountain bike trails.

Take a look at Biking Trails in Dakota County…

Hennepin County (West-Central—includes Minneapolis)

Hennepin County has mile up mile of bike trails—both on Regional Trails and in its many parks. This includes urban Minneapolis, nationally-known for being biker-friendly. Great mountain bike trails, too.

Take a look at Biking Trails in Hennepin County…

Ramsey County (East-Central—includes St. Paul)

Ramsey County has 8 parks, most of which provide great biking. The County is also host to three Regional Trails if you’re looking for a longer ride.

Take a look at Biking Trails in Ramsey County…

Scott County (South-Southwest)

Scott County has two regional parks with multi-use trails plus a park reserve. It also hosts part of the Minnesota Valley State Trail, which includes many miles of paved and unpaved trails.

Take a look at Biking Trails in Scott County…

Washington County (East)

Washington County is home to eight Regional Parks, State Parks and reserves. Most of them have at least a few trails for biking. Lake Elmo Regional Park is your spot if you’re a mountain biker. The County also hosts two State Trails that are well worth your time.

Take a look at Biking Trails in Washington County…

---

Other Resources

Private Biking Websites

• Metro Bike Trails Guide is run by Seamus Flynn. He offers a rating system based on  criteria like trail beauty, maintenance, traffic and difficulty. It’s quite detailed, with reviews for specific trails. He doesn’t cover trails in Scott or Carver Counties.
• Have Fun Biking: Lots of info about gear, local events, local shops and destinations…including blog posts covering specific trails.

US Bike Routes in Minnesota

There are two US Bicycle Routes (USBR) in Minnesota, totaling over 1,000 miles! Something worth training for if you’re a biking adventure lover. A portion of each runs through the Twin Cities:

• USBR 41 is the North Star Route: Between the State Capitol in St. Paul to the Canadian border via the North Shore. 315 miles total.
• USBR 45 is the Mississippi River Trail: The Minnesota section is between Itasca State Park and the Mississippi’s headwaters along the river to the Iowa border. (See below)

Mississippi River Companion

This guide lists the biking, hiking, boating and other rec opportunities along the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers in the metro area. The National Park Service offers a free map booklet of the trails at the Mississippi River Visitor Center at the Science Museum in Saint Paul.

A print book is also available that goes into detail about the history, trail suggestions and hints, and the best places to see wildlife. It appears to be unavailable online…if you can believe it! Visit the Visitor Center at the Science Museum to pick up a copy.

Mississippi River Trail (Twin Cities Metro section)

USBR 45, the Mississippi River Trail, is a national bike trail that extends from the river’s headwaters in Itasca all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. Wouldn’t that be an adventure! 75 miles of it runs through the metro area. You can even ride on either side of the the River.

Riding the whole metro route would be a great goal for families, maybe taking one segment over many different weekends. Best for older children used to riding along roadways shared by cars, as much of the Trail is that.

Go to this page for maps of the individual sections in the Twin Cities.

Fat Tire Biking

There are fat bike trails groomed (or at least allowed) for winter use in some of the  counties covered in TCO: Hennepin, Savage, Dakota, Ramsey.

Here are fat bike-specific resources:

• MN Bike Trail Navigator has a post about Twin Cities fat bike trails.
• Explore MN has some fat bike info.
• Minnesota’s DNR has fat bike info.

Mountain Biking

The correct term is singletrack. We’ll interchange that with mountain biking, since that’s what the general populous calls it.

There are several well-maintained mountain bike/singletrack parks in the metro area. We’ll cover many of those on the individual county pages.

Here are other single-track or mountain bike resources:

• SingleTracks.com lists their top Twin Cities mountain bike trails.
• MTBProject.com covers Twin Cities mountain bike trails.
• Check mountain bike trail conditions in the metro area.