Explore the best rated trails in Northfield, MN, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the 40th Street Bike Path and Elton Hills Run Trail . With more than 137 trails covering 894 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
This was once an amazing, peaceful, scenic trail but it’s been taken over by kids on motorized bikes. I used be use the trail daily but the traffic is so bad, it’s no longer a trail but a highway for “motorcycles”.
TV Rode this trail from Hopkins to Carver and back, a total of 40.2 miles. While the trail is mostly smooth, it is a mixed bag of Surfaces ranging from brand new asphalt to gravel/dirt. Some of it is perfect, some of it is neglected, cracked and bumpy asphalt with weeds growing up through it. Based upon the name I expected the trail to be more scenic than it was with the first half of the trail running along the light rail line and through industrial and residential areas. The second half wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t very dramatic. If you do decide to ride this trail, I’d recommend using GPS on your cell phone as the signage is lacking and it’s easy to make a wrong turn onto an adjacent trail
Elm Creek has always been a fun place for us to ride and it’s close to where we are. The trails are maintained nicely a lot of variance in wooded to prairie, rides by the water, there are small hills and curves. We don’t see deer a lot but they are out there. We’ve seen them a few times if we want to put on 20 miles that’s just about a loop around. There are many off ramps that will put you into Champlin and Anoka neighborhood trails as well. On the north end there’s a BMX track that seems pretty lengthy. We did a piece of it with our E bikes but it’s not really designed for that and especially not for 70-year-old people on E bikes, but it was an adventure if you add in the playground and the swimming area and the frisbee golf you can easily spend a day out there
We’re back! This is one of our faves … smooth and level trail thru the woods, beautiful neighborhoods and stunning lake views! We’ll be back again.
Nice trail with pretty views and flat riding for the most part.
Great trail! Connects to other well-paved regional and local trails. Need more exploring to do.
Yesterday we rode this very bumpy trail. Part of the Cedar Lake trail is closed and hopefully there’s some resurfacing going on in the area. Still busy on a Sunday afternoon but in need of new paving!
I need to ride this trail every time I cycle to almost anywhere in Rochester. I consider that a great privilege. It is such a beautiful trail that all my rides are joyful rides. Despite it being in an urban setting, wildlife can be frequently spotted. I've seen White-tail Deer, Giant Snapping Turtles, Bald Eagles, Great Blue Herons, Wood Ducks. I've heard and seen many songbirds, and Chorus Frogs can be heard here in the spring. The Southern section is heavily wooded along the creek, the Northern Section travels along the creek through Bear Creek and Slatterly Parks. There are multiple underpasses so you do not have to cross traffic at all.
This is an essential connector trail from the Douglas State Trail to the Rochester Minnesota city trail system. It runs on the same Chicago Great Western Railway route as the rest of the Douglas State Trail with the exception of its two bridges, the Arianna Celeste MacNamara Memorial Bridge over US 14 and the CP Railroad, and the David Rossman Memorial Bridge over Valleyhigh Drive, and the short segment that is an access easement through the former IBM property. Little Thistle Brewery is connected to this trail. Please use extra caution when crossing 19th Street, there have been serious bike/car collisions there.
Started at north end, Pine Point Park and did 11 miles south to turn around. Couple of knucklehead kids, playing around between paved and equestrian trail, so was irritated by them, but the 3M (Monday midday mower) was worse. One worker with an oversized tractor to drag his mower around and litter the trail with multiple chewed up shredded branches for several miles was not fun. Washington County should be able to do a better job than that.
We ride the trail a few times a year. It's gotten so bumpy in places that it's not a comfortable ride anymore. Redwing to Welch bad. Cannon to Welch almost as bad. Could be one of the nicest trails in the state if the surface was overlayed.
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