Three Rivers Trail

The Three Rivers Trail runs for 33 miles from the tiny community of Rolfe—named for the Englishman who married Pocahontas—to just west of Eagle Grove, the largest city in Wright County. The trail occupies an old Chicago and North Western Railway right-of-way preserved through railbanking in the early 1990s.

So-named because it crosses three rivers along its route (the Boone River and both the West and East Forks of the Des Moines River), the Three Rivers Trail passes through a landscape full of wildlife, including wooded river valley and marshland. The view from the eastern half of the trail changes significantly as it runs uninterrupted through open prairie and farmland. Along the way, trail users cross over 36 original railroad trestles, all of which have been outfitted for recreational use with safety guard rails and wooden decks.

Near the trail's midpoint in the small city of Humboldt, a 6 mile spur takes bikers and walkers north or south. The bonus trail mileage was built on an abandoned Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway line that was donated by local landowners. You can travel a short distance north before you will be forced to turn around, as the trail ends in open farmland. Continue south, and you will pass through the heart of Humboldt, a community known for its charming wide boulevards. The trail is planned to continue to Frank Gotch State Park but currently ends north of there in dense tree cover. Another section of the spur is open from Gotch Park Road and runs west until its endpoint south of 255th Street.

Parking for the Three Rivers Trail can be found in Rolfe in a dedicated lot at the intersection of Railroad Street and Grant Street. East of Rolfe, park at Pilot Creek County Park where the trail meets 330th Avenue or Pilot Creek Road. In Bradgate, access the Three Rivers Trail from the trailhead at the intersection of 170th Street and County Highway C26.

In Rutland, access the trail where it crosses 1st Street S. Park in Humboldt in a dedicated parking lot where the trail and its spur meet 220th Street. Southeast of Humboldt, there is a parking lot off Lone Tree Road. To access the trail from Eagle Grove, take 255th Street northwest to Calhoun Avenue.