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Went out with my friend Trisha to look for the few off-road bike trails that the Shakopee area has to offer. I guess I'm spoiled, living in munificent Minneapolis. There's just not much of anything, and what is there is poorly marked and sometimes just plain wrong on the maps.
There is a bit of off-road trail along the river bottom from the far west end of Murphy's Landing to Shakopee and maybe Chaska, but the paved trail turns to packed clay and mud after 2.5 miles.
There is supposed to be a fully-paved trail that is either 6 or 9 miles along in something called the Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area, but we couldn't figure out where that is. Unfortunately when you look at a PDF of a park map online, there is very little context for determining the actual location.
There is a bike bridge that is called the "Bloomington Ferry Bridge," although it is definittely NOT the old Bloomington Ferry car-bridge. There'a a very nice, possibly new, 2-mile paved trail associated with it, but it's a trail to nowhere. There's a parking lot at each end, neither one easy to find. The north end of this little trail starts right at the bridge, and it is at the end of Bloomington Ferry Road. This does make sense, although there are no signs anywhere indicating a trail or a bike bridge as you approach it. The bridge is a pretty little thing just wide enough for two bikes and/or pedestrians. On the south side of the bridge is a broad, paved traiil that curves along the south side of the river, runs under the 169 bridge, and teminates in a mysterious little parking lot on the north side of Hwy 101. And there you are, at Highway 101. Not much to do but turn around and go back.
We finally managed to work up to 9 miles of riding, interspersed with a lot of driving and then had a little supper at Cafe Ena, the trendy new bistro that recently opened in my neighborhood (46th and Grand). The food was pretty good, but expensive. I think the food is better at the Grand Cafe, although the service is better at Cafe Ena.
There is a bit of off-road trail along the river bottom from the far west end of Murphy's Landing to Shakopee and maybe Chaska, but the paved trail turns to packed clay and mud after 2.5 miles.
There is supposed to be a fully-paved trail that is either 6 or 9 miles along in something called the Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area, but we couldn't figure out where that is. Unfortunately when you look at a PDF of a park map online, there is very little context for determining the actual location.
There is a bike bridge that is called the "Bloomington Ferry Bridge," although it is definittely NOT the old Bloomington Ferry car-bridge. There'a a very nice, possibly new, 2-mile paved trail associated with it, but it's a trail to nowhere. There's a parking lot at each end, neither one easy to find. The north end of this little trail starts right at the bridge, and it is at the end of Bloomington Ferry Road. This does make sense, although there are no signs anywhere indicating a trail or a bike bridge as you approach it. The bridge is a pretty little thing just wide enough for two bikes and/or pedestrians. On the south side of the bridge is a broad, paved traiil that curves along the south side of the river, runs under the 169 bridge, and teminates in a mysterious little parking lot on the north side of Hwy 101. And there you are, at Highway 101. Not much to do but turn around and go back.
We finally managed to work up to 9 miles of riding, interspersed with a lot of driving and then had a little supper at Cafe Ena, the trendy new bistro that recently opened in my neighborhood (46th and Grand). The food was pretty good, but expensive. I think the food is better at the Grand Cafe, although the service is better at Cafe Ena.
