The Luce Line State Trail follows a former railroad grade and accommodates biking, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, snowmobiling and cross-county skiing. From Plymouth the trail now continues east on a paved route toward Minneapolis, ending at the
Cedar Lake Trail just west of Interstate 394 and near Bryn Mawr Meadows park. This section of the Luce Line was once called Bassett's Creek Trail but as of 2012 has been included in the Luce Line State Trail system.
The Luce Line State Trail leads from urban Minneapolis west through Minnesota's rural landscape, traveling through suburbs, wooded stretches, across wetlands, near lakes, through tall-grass prairie remnants and into the countryside over varying surfaces.
Between Plymouth and Winsted the trail has a limestone surface with a parallel treadway for equestrians. Between Winsted and Hutchinson the trail is gravel; between Hutchinson and Cedar Mills it is crushed granite; between Cedar Mills and Cosmos it is mowed grass. Snowmobiles are allowed on the trail west of Stubb's Bay Road. Certain areas are not maintained regularly and can be a challenge following severe weather when the surface becomes muddy or otherwise impassable.
Wildlife encountered along the way include deer, foxes, minks, owls, pheasants and many species of duck and geese.
The Luce Line State Trail occupies the former rail bed of the Electric Short Line Railroad, started in 1908. The tracks continued to be expanded into the late 1920s, when the rail became known as the Minnesota Western. Passenger service stopped in 1947, and in 1956 the Minneapolis and Saint Louis Railway took over. The corridor was abandoned by 1970 and the Luce Line Trail was born.
Parking is available at the following locations:
*Plymouth, off of 10th Avenue and Vicksburg Lane
*Long Lake, off Stubbs Bay Road
*Lyndale, off County Road 92
*Off of Carver County Road 127, south of County Road 20
*In the towns of Watertown, Winsted, Hutchinson and Cosmos
*Schaper Park off Schapper Road (Golden Valley)
*Bryn Mawr Meadows park off Morgan Avenue S (just west of Minneapolis)
Good trail lots of nice views of lakes and farms while you are close to the cities. The trail is very flat and easy riding until Winsted. Now, google maps show the trail completed all the way past Hutchinson MN but the trail disappears just past Winsted... ...
Google maps bicycle option shows the Luce Line going east to within about a 1/2 mile of the trail along Lake Wirth in Minneapolis. The Hennepin County bike map shows that this gap to be completed by 2009.