Just completed the round trip ride from Faribault to Manakato on my old Schwinn hardtail mountain bike, and it was still a very rough ride. Don't know that I would want to try it with a road bike. Great scenery and trail heads (especially at Elysian), but these attributes won't mean a thing if the entire trail is not resurfaced very soon. The next day I rode the Cannon Valley Trail from Cannon Falls to Red Wing. It had a $3.00 user few but would have paid much more than that because of the great condition of the surface. The state of Minnesota should consider user fees to get Sakatah into the condition it deserves.

I've ridden the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail many times and wish it would be re-surfaced. Once you reach the western end on the outskirts of Mankato it's worth riding into town on the North Minnesota River Trail. It runs near the Minnesota River with some hills & curves (be careful for blind corners), then near some industrial areas and on into downtown Mankato.

Recently, they completed a very nice park/trailhead called Riverview Park which has great bathroom facilities, shelters, parking and some wonderful views of the river and city. It's well worth the additional 2.5 miles. There are also city trails and the Red Jacket Trail on the western edge of town which winds uphill towards the tiny town of Rapidan. On the way you cross a very high bridge above the Blue Earth River. Riverview Park would be a great starting point for exploring trails in & around the Mankato area. The only negative is poor signage; I guess they think everybody's a local & knows where the trails go.

Heard a lot of good things about this trail, so I decided to check it out. The scenery is beautiful, and it's nice and flat for the most part, but this trail is in need of new asphalt. My husband and I ride road bikes, and the bumps were quite unsettling in some areas. This trail might be better on a mountain bike or hybrid, something with a little shock absorbing ablility. Otherwise, a great trail with cute little towns to stop in along the way.

I've been on this trail many times throughout the years, even before it was paved. The towns are comfortably spaced with some very nice trailheads (Elysian, Fairbault). In some places it is too close to Hwy 60 so it's noisy. The scenery is really nice near Mankato even though (because?) it's a bit hilly. The big problem with this trail is the poor condition of the asphalt . . . very bumpy in many places which slows the ride. Also, they don't clear debris (tree branches) off very quickly. worth the ride is you don't mind the bumps.

"This trail served as the annual ""changing-of-the-leaves"" autumn ride of our book club for several years. The trail is most scenic at its two ends with some nice lake riding in the east and a beatiful forest climb (or coast) in the west. The central segment is quite agricultural and flat, tempting one to speed. A midsummer ride can get pretty sticky, but late spring or mid-fall is usually quite comfortable and more colorful. Lots of accommodations at both ends make for a good overnighter."