Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in North Mankato, whether you're looking for an easy short cross country skiing trail or a long cross country skiing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a cross country skiing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The Blazing Star State Trail is located in Albert Lea, near Minnesota’s southern border. The town is known as “The Land Between the Lakes,” and the trail begins on the northern shore of one of the...
The Minnesota River Bluffs LRT Regional Trail runs southwest from the Minneapolis suburb of Hopkins to Carver Bluffs Parkway and Carver Creek Circle. The trail is over 19 miles in length and occupies...
As of spring 2016, bridge access to the Minnesota Valley State Trail was still closed at Memorial Park in Shako-pee until further notice. Check the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website...
Circling around the 652-acre lake on the eastern edge of Waseca, the Clear Lake Bike Trail System provides a fun recreational experience and a unique way to explore this pristine body of water. A very...
Closure notice: Beginning Tuesday, May 26, a 6 mile portion of the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail will be closed for reconstruction. The portion of trail affected by this closure is from 5th St. NW...
Largely constructed on a former rail corridor running north/south out of the city of Waseca, the Loon Lake Trail is a short but sweet trail that provides residents with off-road access to important...
Sections of the Dakota Rail Regional Trail, which extends westward from the Minneapolis suburbs situated along Lake Minnetonka, have been opening since June 2009. The trail occupies the former Dakota...
Named after a Seneca Indian chief who lived in the area until the 1830s, the Red Jacket Trail runs along an old Milwaukee Road (formerly the Minnesota Railroad and the Central Railroad) right-of-way...
Circling around the 652-acre lake on the eastern edge of Waseca, the Clear Lake Bike Trail System provides a fun recreational experience and a unique way to explore this pristine body of water. A very...
Largely constructed on a former rail corridor running north/south out of the city of Waseca, the Loon Lake Trail is a short but sweet trail that provides residents with off-road access to important...
As of spring 2016, bridge access to the Minnesota Valley State Trail was still closed at Memorial Park in Shako-pee until further notice. Check the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website...
Sections of the Dakota Rail Regional Trail, which extends westward from the Minneapolis suburbs situated along Lake Minnetonka, have been opening since June 2009. The trail occupies the former Dakota...
Named after a Seneca Indian chief who lived in the area until the 1830s, the Red Jacket Trail runs along an old Milwaukee Road (formerly the Minnesota Railroad and the Central Railroad) right-of-way...
The Minnesota River Bluffs LRT Regional Trail runs southwest from the Minneapolis suburb of Hopkins to Carver Bluffs Parkway and Carver Creek Circle. The trail is over 19 miles in length and occupies...
Closure notice: Beginning Tuesday, May 26, a 6 mile portion of the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail will be closed for reconstruction. The portion of trail affected by this closure is from 5th St. NW...
The Blazing Star State Trail is located in Albert Lea, near Minnesota’s southern border. The town is known as “The Land Between the Lakes,” and the trail begins on the northern shore of one of the...
Sections of the Dakota Rail Regional Trail, which extends westward from the Minneapolis suburbs situated along Lake Minnetonka, have been opening since June 2009. The trail occupies the former Dakota...
As of spring 2016, bridge access to the Minnesota Valley State Trail was still closed at Memorial Park in Shako-pee until further notice. Check the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website...
Closure notice: Beginning Tuesday, May 26, a 6 mile portion of the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail will be closed for reconstruction. The portion of trail affected by this closure is from 5th St. NW...
The Blazing Star State Trail is located in Albert Lea, near Minnesota’s southern border. The town is known as “The Land Between the Lakes,” and the trail begins on the northern shore of one of the...
Circling around the 652-acre lake on the eastern edge of Waseca, the Clear Lake Bike Trail System provides a fun recreational experience and a unique way to explore this pristine body of water. A very...
Named after a Seneca Indian chief who lived in the area until the 1830s, the Red Jacket Trail runs along an old Milwaukee Road (formerly the Minnesota Railroad and the Central Railroad) right-of-way...
Largely constructed on a former rail corridor running north/south out of the city of Waseca, the Loon Lake Trail is a short but sweet trail that provides residents with off-road access to important...
The Minnesota River Bluffs LRT Regional Trail runs southwest from the Minneapolis suburb of Hopkins to Carver Bluffs Parkway and Carver Creek Circle. The trail is over 19 miles in length and occupies...
I rode the full length of the trail and it is all pretty nice. A lot of it is shaded, but there are some sunny areas also. Beautiful scenery including woods, wetlands, farms and small towns. I didn't stop places this time, but I saw nice looking restaurants and ice cream shops for future stops. The first 8 miles from Wayzata has more intersections, some you will likely need to stop/wait at. There's one near the 8 mile marker where the trail turns onto a narrow sidewalk before crossing a busy road. That one was pretty annoying, but the others were only slightly inconvenient. After that, though, the intersections became less frequent and less busy. The western part of the trail (starting in Lester Prairie) was very smooth pavement and there were not many other people. Overall it was a great ride!
I rode this trail as it branched off of the Cannon Valley Trail going into Cannon Falls. The first segment looks like an ancient city trail that is very narrow with rough pavement. After a mile or so it sends you into a little park on dirt, down a hill then back up on gravel. I bypass this by going through the parking lot and then the road where the new segment starts which has smooth pavement and a few hills with an underpass under Hwy 52 and a view of the Cannon River.
This leads to a nice park/campground--Lake Byllesby. It has recently been re-modeled. There are a few old sites along the lake that have shade & grass. The rest of the new sites (over 60 of them) have no shade or grass, just an asphalt pad, some gravel, electricity and a grill or fire pit. It has very nice bathroom facilities. The swimming beach was closed when I was here in late July, although you can swim on the Goodhue side of the park.
As far as the rest of the trail goes there are some huge gaps once you're done with Northfield and Cannon Falls. Some day when it's all connected it will be worth the extra effort.
I rode from Faribault to Sakatah state park. (About 14 miles). The trail was in good shape and it was nicely shaded with good views of lakes, steams, and farmland. The first 9 miles runs parallel to a highway so you are hearing a lot of road noise. If you’re okay with that, no problem. I was looking for a quiet ride so it did not appeal to me.
Found "Trail Closed" sign at Trail Head on west side of Waterville with a fence across the trail to prevent access. Call to DNR verified trail closure until trail is repaired and resurface. Estimated reopening Sept. 2020.
Lovely paved trail in good condition. Mix of sun and shade. Nice wooded areas as you pass thru Sakatah State Park - (note: If you stop, beware of the mosquitoes).
July 2020 -Enjoyed the nicely paved trail in good condition. Nice scenery. A mix of canopies of trees and shade and sunny areas through farm fields. Lovely views of Lake Waconia. Approximately 24 miles round trip. Camped at nearby Baylor Regional Park . Possible to bike the 6 miles to New Germany to access the trail on wide shoulders of County Road 33.
We hit about 30 yards or so just east of Chaska where the path was under water so probably not a great trail after heavy rains or springtime. Would also not be comfortable alone as a female as it’s very secluded and swampy around the trail. The ride was pretty easy and I would try it again with my husband going further past Chaska. Easy parking and nice start at Huber Park.
I was hesitant to ride today because of all the wind but this trail is so wooded it was perfect. It’s in decent shape but is beginning to show its age with quite a few cracks. The views were great following a river for quite a few miles and a few nice bridges to cross. I would recommend this nice trail for a lovely outing in Mankato.
I have driven this trail several times and it has always been very clean and well kept. The trail is mostly flat and offers great scenery with neat places to stop at in the little towns you travel through between Fairbault and Mankato.
We parked at Minneopa and did half the trail for a total of 6.3 miles round trip. You start by going uphill out of Minneopa which was really pretty, do a few smaller hills then there’s a killer hill shortly before Mt Kato. I did have to walk but my 20-year-old son conquered it. The prettiest part is in Minneopa and the rest parallels a road. The trail is in great shape though without any cracks.
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