By mutty62 in June, 2010
I have had the good fortune of riding on this trail for the past 20 years. In its many incarnations, one thing has remained constant, it is the ultimate quick urban getaway. You will follow a meandering creek from Minnehaha falls, one of the inspirations for the "Song of Hiawatha". The path is not for fast riders, on a training ride, as people of all skills and ages ride on it. On nice weekends you will run into families and lots of small children. There is ongoing construction under 35W but there are well posted detour routes. The first 2.5 miles go through city parks and old gentrified neighborhoods, then you will run into some construction. Past 35 W you go through some open green space then crossing a busy street, a nice surprise awaits you! You go into a ravine, where you will see giant cottonwoods, elm and maple trees all forming a cool canopy! for about .75 miles you will forget you are in a major metropolitan area! Coming out of the ravine area, you cross a few more streets where the trail connects with Lake Harriet, part of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes! The whole trail is about 5.5 miles long and is considered part of the Minneapolis Grand Rounds.
2010
By Desmond Grier in June, 2002
"This trail has just been redone in 2002 (two two-block portions are still being worked on, but can be bypassed) and the reconstruction was well-planned from the start of the trail in Fort Snelling, curving through the busy Minnehaha Park, and crossing over the new bridge to the creek trail into the Minneapolis Lake District. Few, if any, cities can boast of such an extensive multiple use trail. The ride is smooth, twisting at times, varied, and usually busy with bike and rollerblade traffic. If you haven't spent some time with the trail view of the lake district, you've missed one of the country's prettiest city landscapes."