This trail wonders through tree tunnels, bridges over train tracks, grassy fields full of wildflowers and spotted several groups of deer. Many places along the route however have bad cracks and yes I worried about my spokes as did the 2014 reviewer. Was surprised to see the 2017 review said it was newly paved. Beautiful ride just watch the road.

I rode from Pine Island to a park in northern Rochester and back, total of 22 miles R/T. 95% of the ride was under tree canopy, so perfect trail for you "shade worshippers" like me (having recently been diagnosed with skin cancer). Condition of trail is not perfect (which trails are?), but certainly very good. A few spots are rough and in need of some maintenance. Very flat and comfortable ride. Weren't a lot of "creatures" along the way, but did see squirrels, gophers, Baltimore Oriole and a lone deer.

Only negative comment I have is that there were several road crossings that slowed me down, but they were gravel roads with minimal vehicle traffic.

Definitely near the top of my "best" list.

My 14 year old daughter and I rode this trail from Mankato to Elysian and back. There are a few places where the trail was out in the open sun, but it was mostly shaded and in good shape. There were a few short patches close to Mankato where they appear to be resurfacing. It would be dirt or rock for about 20 feet or so. No big deal as the rest of the trail was in great shape. There are not a lot of services on this segment of the trail. A port-a-potty in Madison lake. No water until Elysian. It seems the trail was slightly uphill heading east. My daughter struggled a bit on the way to Elysian -- there was also a slight headwind. But the return trip was smooth sailing.

In Elysian there was a wonderful ice cream shop called Scoops right off of the trail. They had plenty of tables outside in the shade, good ice cream and there were other riders there to chat with. Highly recommend this stop!

One thing to note: the trail endpoint in Mankato doesn't have parking and we couldn't find the trail. Instead go to the first parking marker on the Mankato end which is about .5 miles from the actual endpoint.

I went from Fountain to Houston on Monday. Left my car in the lot and pedaled to Houston. Wow, what a beautiful trail! Having been on many trails I rate this in the top for sure! Heading east from Fountain is a breeze as it is almost 9 miles of downhill. More challenging at the end of 42 miles heading east on the return. The hills west of Houston are fun too.
I stayed at the Sawmill Inn in Houston (super comfy!!!!) and return biked Tues am.
Highly recommend this trail!

We parked at the trailhead parking lot on Lime Valley Road in Mankato. If you use the address 193 Lime Valley Road you’ll find the trailhead. We cycled to Madison Lake before turning around. We have hybrid bicycles. Total round trip about 19 miles.

The trail is under a canopy of trees for the most part with the first two miles or so being heavily shaded. This is quite a change for us who spend most of our time in the desert southwest! There has been recent trail work in the first mile. Two or three very, very small sections of the trail were being repaired and waiting to be repaved. We’re talking maybe a couple of 50’ sections now on dirt but very passable. There was one road crossing where the actual road (not the trail) was being resurfaced so you had to walk your bike across the street. Overall, the surface of the trail was pretty good. There were a couple of spots where there were cracks across the entire trail but was manageable. As a previous reviewer mentioned, there are no trail markers on this trail so the bike odometer comes in handy. No amenities on the trail. There were a couple of new housing developments springing up alongside the trail so you find locals walking or jogging in those areas. I would recommend this segment of the trail.

This review is for the three segments of the Root River Trail that we cycled. We began each ride from Sylvan City Park in Lanesboro. The rides were out-and-back on hybrid, non e-bikes. We were quite surprised at how many people now have e-bikes! Overall, highly recommend the trail. For theatre lovers, try to catch a play at the Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro. I was surprised at the quality of the plays produced in such a small town.

Lanesboro to Whalan (+3 miles beyond Whalan): This segment of the trail is very popular since the trail went into the small village of Whalan which is famous for its pie shop (open only on the weekends now). The trail surface was excellent and the trail was flat. The trail is mostly shaded and runs parallel to the river at some points. There are a couple of dirt rural road crossings. Besides the pie shop, there is a recently renovated train depot in Whalan that has snacks, water, soda, etc and WiFi. The biggest complaint I had about this segment and all the segments we rode was the low overhanging tree branches. Good thing we wore helmets and sunglasses to avoid getting brushed or poked in the eye with branches. Total roundtrip about 17 miles.

Lanesboro to Fountain: This segment of the trail surface was also excellent. Except for the starting and ending points of Lanesboro and Fountain, there are no amenities on the trail. About 5 miles before reaching Fountain, the trail begins a mild uphill grade into Fountain making for a great 5 mile downhill on the way back. The trail is mostly shaded. Total roundtrip about 20 miles.

Lanesboro to Preston: The trail surface on this segment of the trail was the worse of the three. The trail was bumpy. There were tree roots on the trail, holes, and ruts. As with the other segments, the trail was mostly shaded and ended at the trailhead parking lot just outside of downtown Preston. Preston has some amenities like a brewery, sandwich shop and grocery store. This section would be very nice if the trail surface was fixed. Total roundtrip about 20 miles.

We started at the trailhead in Calmar near the depot museum. According to a sign in the depot museum window, the museum and bathrooms were closed indefinitely.

The first 3/4 mile of the trail was a little rough. There were wide cracks in the pavement and tree roots. After that, the trail improved. It is a mostly shaded trail which is good to block the wind but there were some open spaces. There are a number of rural dirt roads that you have to cross which weren’t a problem. In a couple of spots, the bike trail runs parallel to a non-paved rural road. If you get a truck or FedEx van zipping by, there is a lot of dust that is kicked up.

Except for two small shelters with a picnic table, there are no amenities along the trail. Ridgeway has a small park with a vault toilet, benches and tables just before you enter the town.

In Calmar, there is on-street parking and a few parking spaces directly across from the depot next to the train tracks. We drive a 25 ft van and we found a gravel public parking lot across from the Calmar Library at 101 Washington Street that worked for us.

Overall, a nice ride.

I rode from Faribault to a few miles past Madison Lake. Great paved trail in pristine condition. There was HIGHWAY/ROAD closure by Elysian on the road parallel to the trail for a couple miles. BUT, the paved trail is in the trees and NOT on the road…so no problem for riding. I did start at 6am to beat the 97f heat. 63mile round trip.

Pavement is good and the view of Loon Lake is nice. Clear Lake trail is better if you're in the area but still had fun here.