The Greenway is more of a bike freeway than a recreational trail, but what a magnificent bike highway it is! Located in an old railroad trench, the trail lets you zip across the city from border to border without ever having to stop for traffic. The asphalt trail is wide, smooth and well-lit with a separate lane for pedestrian traffic. So far, it has been impeccably maintained and kept very clean. On the western end, the trail connects seamlessly with the Southwest LRT trails that take you through Hopkins and all the way to Lake Minnetonka or the Minnesota River. The eastern end connects to the path bordering the light rail line, which provides an off-road trail all the way to the West Bank and over the freeway into downtown. Or you can continue east to the Mississippi River, which has its own set of trails. Tip: you can ride across the showy but completely unnecessary "flyover" bridge at Hiawatha, but it's actually faster and easier to just cross at the light.

The only downside is the limited access. The portion of the trail that is down in the trench can only be reached via ramps that are located 1/2 mile apart. Some of the access points are tricky to locate and they don't all connect to good bike routes (specifically, the Nicollet ramp, which is best avoided). On the other hand, the trench traverses some sections of town that I would rather not ride through, and I feel much safer down there than on the surface streets. Speaking of safety, this trail is very heavily used, even at night. You're never alone down there, and I've never seen dubious looking characters lurking under the bridges (something I worried about a little bit when the trail first opened). The lights are on all night and there are also emergency phones every half-mile or so.

Best place to stop for lunch: the Midtown Global Market in the old Sears Building.

Best new addition to the trail: Freewheel Bikes has opened a small storefront right on the trail by the Midtown Market that offers a juice bar, public toilets, bike lockers, and even showers! Plus bike paraphernalia, of course.

This is a great trail running through the heart of the Uptown area of Minneapolis. It starts in Hopkins to the west and extends east all the way to the Mississippi River (about 12 miles). At the Mississippi, it connects with the trail along the west side of the Mississippi for even more great biking.

"Best thing about this trail is that you can access side trails to many swimming beaches on Minneapolis' beautiful lakes. And they are enlightened enough there to say ""swim at your own risk"" when there are no lifeguards present"