Steve Johnson - Best Easy Bike Rides Minneapolis and Saint Paul

Northland-bred scribe and self-propelled recreation junkie Steve Johnson grew up roaming the northern lakes and forest regions of Minnesota and Wisconsin and brings four generations of proud family heritage to this exciting book. An avid hiker and cyclist, Steve can usually be found on a hiking trail in the woods somewhere, or with his bike and a wide-open road. With a spare hour or five, he is outdoors and in tune with natures finest.

Author of nearly twenty books and a regular contributor to Backpacker and other regional magazines across the country, some of Steves other work includes two editions of Best Bike Rides MinneapolisSt. Paul , Loop Hikes Colorado , Bicycling Wisconsin , Mountain Biking Minnesota , and spinoff sporting events projects. Dont miss his new childrens book, Jack & Lauren in the Big Bog .

Steve lives and writes in far north Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota.

Best Easy Bike Rides Minneapolis and Saint Paul

Help Us Keep This Guide Up to Date

Every effort has been made by the author and editors to make this guide as accurate and useful as possible. However, many things can change after a guide is publishedtrails are rerouted, regulations change, techniques evolve, facilities come under new management, etc.

We appreciate hearing from you concerning your experiences with this guide and how you feel it could be improved and kept up to date. While we may not be able to respond to all comments and suggestions, well take them to heart and well also make certain to share them with the author. Please send your comments and suggestions to the following address

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Thanks for your input, and happy cycling!

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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Information available

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019043558
ISBN 978-1-4930-5194-6 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-4930-5195-3 (e-book)

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The author and The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

A good life is when you smile often, dream big, laugh a lot, and realize how blessed you are for what you have.

Anonymous

A keen observation, and my bet is it was uttered by someone on a bike. I was about 10, smiling and about to realize a dream, when Dad helped me build a little BMX/cruiser Frankenstein bike, cobbled together with cast-off (or pilfered) parts from by brothers bike, rusty nuts and washers, and anything else within reach. Rolling down our cracked and faded driveway for the first time on my new rig, with a black paint job that looked just like the grizzled pavement, I couldnt muster an elegant quote like Anonymous did, but my hoots and hollers of delight felt just as poignant.

Like most squirrely, outdoor-loving kids, I saw summer, and every other season, from the seat of my bike, noodling along the gravel roads and deer trails and field paths around my country neighborhood and small hometown. Those two wheels were an outlet for pent-up energy and a vehicle for adventure. Could we make it all the way to town for a candy bar? How far down the hill can we skid the rear tire?

With longer legs and a 10-speed in the summer before high school, Dad lashed a beat-up tent and ragged sleeping bags to our bikes, and we rode in cutoffs and T-shirts way over our fitness levels on a two-day odyssey to our Wisconsin cabin. Years later in Southern California, my buddy Doug, winning races without ever training, sparked a competitive streak, and I dabbled in racing for a while. A progression of just riding around to touring to hitting the afterburners has me back where I started, savoring the journey and getting out there.

One thing I do have in common with Anonymous is being blessed with what I have, and after the important stuffroof over my head, great kids, food on the tableI live in a killer place to ride a bike. The Twin Cities are overlaid with a spaghetti tangle of cycling routes, following velvet-smooth pathways along intimate creeks, vibrant city neighborhoods, wide boulevards, and quiet country roads. You can spin a leisurely loop overlooking the Mississippi River, with a patio lunch stop, or hammer 80 hilly, quad-crushing miles. All the action is supported by a hyper-dedicated and enthusiastic core of pedal power fans running the gamut from tykes on trikes to hipster and spit-polished bike shops, pro racers, high-profile government brass and grassroots coalitions, and easygoing cruisers. Heading to the office by bike has become so popular, every Minneapolis office building is required to have bicycle storage, and every city bus and train is equipped to carry bikes. Winters of late have not stemmed the tide, either. There has always been a diehard faction of riders who never tire of layering up wide as the Michelin Man to keep pedaling, but the draw now is stronger than ever. The mild (embarrassing, really, for natives) winters surely have stoked this fire, but there is an almost palpable feel out there that people are amped to be on their bikes all year, even when the city is frozen. Join the fun and ride with like-minded friends in a local bike club. The metro area is packed with great clubs, from recreational to full-on racing. Check out groups like the Twin Cities Bicycling Club, the largest in town, with a year-round calendar of spectacular rides all over the place for all abilities. Its always more fun to log some miles with a buddy.

Where to ride might be as easy as rolling out the back door for some, but even hometown residents dont know every mile in every neighborhood, and a new twist on old favorites is good for the soul. This book features seventeen rides in and around the Twin Cities, selected to present an array of choices for the many moods and desires and skill levels of area riders. Ive ridden here all my life and chose routes I deemed worthy of our states two-wheeled fanatics, including many of my personal go-to rides. Im continually amazed at the quality and variety of miles available to us here, and how it just keeps getting better. There are bike lanes appearing on more roadways, new bike paths being constructed or old ones repaved, and there always seems to be a new mountain bike trail built or extended or beefed up. Best thing is, there are more people riding than Ive ever seen. The other day I saw a family of six merrily riding along a path; they crossed the road in front of me, strung across the entire intersection like a gaggle of ducklings following their parents. Dad in front with the dog, mom pulling a toddler in a bike trailer, and two adorable girls behind on bikes with streamers on their handlebars. Hope, and an unforgettable day with the kids, springs eternal from the seat of a bike.