The Douglas Trail passes through verdant farm country north of Rochester. The trail is smooth & flat yet the scenery is varied with some open sunny stretches, as well as deeply shaded sections. The meandering Zumbro River runs nearby. On the Rochester end you can ride an extra mile or so near the IBM campus and then get onto city trails. There are several bridges which allow you to cross busy roads without waiting or danger. The city of Douglas has an easy to find starting point.

Pine Island is a quaint, small town with interesting, historic architecture. You'll also find cafe's and a good convenience store--Kwik Trip. The starting point has had a bridge wash-out, so you have to detour on city streets for a block or two. There's a place that borrows bikes for free--"Borrow-A-Bike" on weekends. For variety, you could take county road 3 (wide shoulder) from Pine Island south to make a loop with the trail. The only drawback with this trail is that it's so short before you know it you're done.

I wasn't expecting such a nice smooth ride virtually all the way from Pine Island to Rochester, what a treat even though we peddled in the rain from Douglas to Pine Island. If you hate hills this is your ride, the elevation couldn't have varied more than a few feet. The scenery is wonderful. Tree canopy keeps you cool. Hope this eventually connects to other SE MN trails.

The north end of the Douglas State Trail has now been resurfaced. The roughest part of the trail is now the two miles immediately north of Douglas - the section that was last resurfaced about ten years ago (approximately milepost 4.5-6.5).

The north end of the Douglas State Trail has now been resurfaced. The roughest part of the trail is now the two miles immediately north of Douglas - the section that was last resurfaced about ten years ago (approximately milepost 4.5-6.5).

"This is the trail that passes my neighborhood. The southern 6.5 miles are relatively smooth having been resurfaced in the last few years. The north end, however is quite rough for cycling and nearly impossible for inline skating."

"This is a short, flat, mostly straight trail that will appeal mostly to fans of fields. We prefer forested, wet, curving trails with more changes in terrain."