Tag Archives: Anoka County

The music in Shoreview will have you dancing on your pedals to natures beat

by Andrew Ellis

The trails here in Shoreview can be your playground for you and your bike – there’s nowhere you can’t go. This Twin Cities Gateway community here offers friendly road routes, trails, and sidewalks so you can take another bike journey wherever you wish. The city also offers some off-road paved trails to get closer to nature and all the beauty the community has to offer. You may even find some smaller paths worth exploring. It’s your adventure and it all starts as soon as you leave your hotel in the Twin Cities Gateway, and don’t forget Slice of Shoreview Days, July 22-24.

A perfect vacation headquarters, the Twin Cities Gateway is a cooperative of nine communities including Shoreview and just a few bike-friendly miles north of Minneapolis. Here you can enjoy:

Concerts in the Shoreview Commons

Shoreview’s Concerts in the Commons is the perfect way to get a pedal dancing rhythm for your #NextBikeAdventure.

This summer offers free entertainment outdoors at the Shoreview Community Center concerts. Each Wednesday, starting in June, the Center features an outside concert with a different band, each week starting at 7 pm. It’s free, so steer your bike over and get ready to tap your feet.

Rice Creek North Regional Trail

Get close to nature on all the paved trails winding through Shoreview.

With more than 50 miles of paved trail (see map) there’s plenty of riding for several visits. Although it is hard to see some trail markings, these trails offer many opportunities to take wildlife pictures and discover the area’s diverse landscape while catching scents of wildflowers. As you ride you will also see and hear plenty of birds of different kinds chirping away. Every once and a while the trail crosses over the creek and you may want to consider some fishing.

Other Activities

If you want to take a short bike ride over to nearby Spring Lake Park, you can also enjoy the Shoreview Sweetroll Skate Park. The SweetRoll is a tier-one skating facility on the north side of the Community Center. The park here includes a wedge, a spine, a fun box, a quarter pipe, grind rails, and a mini ramp.

Water park

If you’re looking for a fun way to cool off, you can bike over to the Shoreview Community Center for their tropical-themed water park in the Twin Cities Gateway. This three-story water slide-equipped park features a one-of-a-kind jukebox with over 100 songs ready to play along with a light show that sliders can enjoy as they twist and turn down to the bottom. At the main pool, you can also play volleyball and there is even an adults-only whirlpool and patio area.

Disk Golf

Disc golf opportunities are always a highlight in the many parks of the Twin Cities Gateway.

For those wanting a round of disc golf all you have to do is ride over to Hansen Park in New Brighton. With 12 holes, this disc golf course is complemented by stands mature trees amongst open spaces to skillfully connect with the baskets. It’s a great way to take a break from biking while still enjoying the amenities of Shoreview.

And don’t forget Slice of Shoreview Days

Consider biking to the Slice of Shoreview for a weekend of fun.

If you’re exploring the area in July, from the 22^nd to the 24^th, then you will be in time for the annual Slice of Shoreview Days. This celebration. is packed with fun for the whole family. There is live music, local arts, chalk drawing, a petting zoo, pony rides, a carnival, fireworks, and more.

Visiting Shoreview with your bike can be a memorable weekend you won’t soon forget.

Bike Pic Sept. 12, ice cream smiles Sunday around the world!

This Bike Pic Ice Cream Smiles Sunday, its another perfect weather day to be out riding and enjoying a memorable ride, stopping along the way for a sweet treat!

Get into the zone when continuing your time outdoors and your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the great ideas and bike destinations in the latest Iowa or Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends in one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking Destinations. An now, check out more stories at Let’s Do MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Now rolling through our 16th year as a bike tourism media, enjoy! As we pedal forward, our goal is to encourage more people to bike and have fun while highlighting all the unforgettable places for you to ride. As we continue to showcase more places to have fun, we hope the photos we shoot are worth a grin. Enjoy the information and stories we have posted as you scroll through.

Do you have a fun bicycle-related photo of yourself or someone you may know we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to [email protected]. Include a brief caption (for each) of who is in the photo (if you know) and where the pic was shot? Photo(s) should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide or larger to be considered. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continue to encourage more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your #NextBikeAdventure. Also, check out the MN Bike Guide, now mobile-friendly as we enter into our 13th year of producing this handy information booklet full of maps.

Remember, bookmark HaveFunBiking.com on your cell phone and find your next adventure at your fingertips! Please share our pics with your friends, and don’t forget to smile. We may be around the corner with one of our cameras ready to document your next cameo appearance while you are riding and having fun. You could be in one of our next Pic of the Day.

Have a great day with a safe, memorable 2021!

Through the seasons nature calls riding along the trails in Coon Rapids

Named after the creek that meanders through the area and flows into the Mississippi River, just below the dam, Coon Rapids offers a great mix of wildlife viewing spots here. Two of my favorite trail systems, especially in the spring and fall, are the Coon Creek Reginal Trail and the Mississippi River Trail below the dam. Both trail systems, when the foliage is minimal, offer some spectacular birding and wildlife viewing. In the winter months, the trails are great for fat bike riding, cross-country skiing, or snowshoeing to view birds of prey and other wildlife along the waterways. Look for signs of the abundant wildlife that live in or visit the areas described below (mink, beaver, hawks, osprey, deer, turtles, and river otters, to name a few).

Riding the trails and roads of Coon Rapids

Fun on the MRT, viewing nature, east of the Coon Rapids Dam

Herewith a great mix of paved trails and bike corridors with wide shoulders, You can navigate the city on your bike pretty easily. Just use this handy Coon Rapids bike map and take a tour of the area. It’s easy to connect from your hotel to Bunker Hills Regional Park or the Coon Rapids Dam through the Coon Creek Trail.

The Sand and Coon Creek Trails

A north/south paved nature corridor and waterway offer many viewing spots along the way. The Sand Creek/Coon Creek Trail System stretches over 15-miles from Bunker Hills Regional Park down to the Coon Rapids Dam. In Bunker Hills, you’ll find another trail system winding through beautiful prairie areas with patches of Oak Savanna forests.

You will find miles of paved trails running through parks and along major roads here.

You will find miles of paved trails running through the Bunker Hills Regional Park.

The lower portion of the Coon Creek Trail takes you through Erlandson Nature Center and Robinson Park before reaching the Coon Rapids Dam and the Mississippi River Trail.

The Mississippi River Trail (MRT southern loop)

The Coon Rapids Dam Visitors Center is a picturesque place to stop and wonder around.

The Coon Rapids Dam Visitors Center is a picturesque place to stop and gather more information.

Below the Coon Rapids Dam and Park Area is another favorite of mine. Using the paved trail (MRT), you are surrounded by a mix of nature. Forests running into both prairie and wetland environments, only minutes away from the main road. The trail here is very well marked with MRT signage, so getting lost won’t be an issue. At the south end of the park, along the trail between the Dam and the riverfront neighborhoods, is a favorite haunt.

Where to eat, stay and play when visiting Coon Rapids

After exploring the trails, the next adventure is finding the perfect dining option in the Twin Cities Gateway.

The options are endless when spending time visiting Coon Rapids and the other eight neighboring Twin Cities Gateway communities in the north suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Similar to the early 1800s, when Coon Rapids was a stopping point on the Oxen Trail from the Red River Valley to St. Paul, hospitality is still key, along with its wildlife corridors, though the trails have changed. Check out their website here, and enjoy!

Coon Rapids parks, trails, and 4th of July celebrations

by Andrew Ellis, HaveFunBiking.com

You’ve got your bike and you’re all set. Now, what do you do and where to ride? Luckily, Coon Rapids in the north metro of the Twin Cities Gateway has plenty for you to do and see. Not only does the area offer many bike-friendly roads and miles of paved trails to explore it also does a bang-up job celebrating the 4th of July.

Riding the Trails of Coon Rapids

You can navigate the city on your bike pretty easily. There’s a great mix of paved trails and bike accessible roads that will get you just about anywhere you need to go. Just use this handy downloadable Coon Rapids bike map and take a tour of the area. It’s easy to connect by trail from places like Bunker Hills Regional Park or the Coon Rapids Dam.

Its easy to get around on the bike friendly roads in the Coon Rapids Area.

It’s easy to get around on your bike on the roads in the Coon Rapids Area, with wide shoulders and friendly motorists.

You can even expand your time exploring the area by boarding the North Star Commuter Rail Line with your bike at the Park & Ride Station. Then, ride the train up to Anoka or down to Fridley and bike back on the Mississippi River Trail (MRT).

Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park

The Coon Rapids Dam Visitors Center is a picturesque place to stop and wander around.

The Coon Rapids Dam and Park Area might be the easiest part of the MRT to start on. It’s home to a section of the Mississippi River Trail that is fairly flat and takes you through a picturesque residential area along the river. The trail here is very well marked throughout your ride so getting lost won’t be an issue. At the south end of the park, the ride gets a lot more exciting with some twists, turns, and small rolling hills. Even with a semi-challenging climb, there is always a fun descend that follows.

The Coon Rapids section of the trail also surrounds you with a mix of natures forests running into a mix of prairie and wetland areas that are just minutes away from the main road. Here you can even ride your bike or walk across the beloved dam with breathtaking views of Old Man River.

Bunker Hills Regional Park

You will find miles of paved trails running through the parks here and along major roads to get around.

You can get to Bunker Hills from Coon Rapids Dam using a mix of roads and trails. Once you get onto the trails, you’ll find that many of them connect to other trail options, so explore! In Bunker Hill, you’ll find an exciting trail system that twists and turns, taking you through some beautiful natural prairies area with patches of Oak Savanna forests. Bunker Hill also boasts a fun water park if you need to cool off.

Concerts in the Park

Concerts in the park in Coon Rapids provide live music each Thursday night, throughout the summer.

After a long day of exploring the trails, there is nothing better than an evening of outdoor music. Enjoy an evening of free entertainment provided by local bands in the area. This summer concert series is scheduled every Thursday night at 7 p.m. Performances are at the pavilion at Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park.

Mini Golf

The Lilli Putt Miniature Golf Course.

At some point, you’ll need a break from riding. Why not play a friendly round of mini golf? Each hole at Lilli Putt Miniature Golf is different and will make putting here fun with every stroke. There are also go-karts and a bumper boat ride available here.

Coon Rapids 4^th of July Celebration

One shot of some of the spectacular fireworks at the Coon Rapids 4 of July Celebration.

The 4^th of July is a celebration for everyone and Coon Rapids knows how to celebrate the holiday properly. There are many events scheduled throughout the weekend. You can enjoy the carnival, eat great food, tap your feet to live music and watch the annual parade. Don’t forget to cap it all off with one of the best fireworks shows in the area.

Fishing Spots in the Twin Cities Gateway – By Bike

They say the best part of fishing is when your line is in the water. This is especially true if the lake or stream is close enough that you can ride your bike and fish more often. Here in the Twin Cities Gateway we found several opportunities to wet a line and catch some fish in Minnesota. So get your family and friends together, plan a route, and enjoy nature while fishing the shorelines in the these north Twin City Metro locations.

Fishing at the Coon Rapids Dam

At the Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park you will find one of the most popular fishing spots in the Anoka County Area. Here, as the mighty Mississippi River flows over the dam, anglers can test their fishing tackle and luck. Fish to catch includes: Bass, Crappies, Carp, and more. With the recent high waters, a report says anglers are catching Crappies using jigs and minnows. The shoreline hot spot is above the dam, in the back waters, near the bike trail.

The Coon Rapids Dam is a fishing hot spot in the Twin Cities Gateway.

A boat ramp is located behind the Visitor Center and there is no launching fee. However, there is a fee to enter the park unless you enter the park on your bike or walk. The Visitors Center also has some bait items available.

Fishing on Ham Lake

A shoreline fishing hot spot in the Twin Cities Gateway.

One of the many shoreline fishing hot spots in the Twin Cities Gateway.

Largemouth Bass brings most anglers to Ham Lake, even though the abundant population of small Northern Pike present in this lake can be frustrating. You will also find that the Bluegill (Sunfish) here are abundant and are usually biting, whereas the Crappies are hit or miss.

This lake is located east of Highway 65 and north of 153rd Street N.E. in the City of Ham Lake, Minnesota. If you don’t have a boat, you can head over to the city park where there is a fishing pier adjacent to the boat ramp that can be promising.

Two Fishing Options on the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes

Fishing on George Watch Lake

On the Chain, just south of the city of Lino Lakes, is George Watch Lake which has Walleye, Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Bullheads, and Catfish. And, if Northern Pike are your game fish of choice, reports have it that there are plenty of them and that they are of good size.

Using a canoe or kayak is another option for fishing the hot spots in the Twin Cities Gateway.

Using a canoe or kayak is another option for fishing the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes in the Twin Cities Gateway.

In the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park Reserve, operated by Anoka County, there is no boat access. However, canoe rentals are available at Wargo Nature Center. Anglers are allowed to fish from shore, but it may take a hike to reach some great sites. Fishing is also permitted from the shoreline along County Road 14. Another option, with the paved trails in the park, is to use a bike to get to other parts of the lake’s shoreline.

Fishing Peltier Lake

Across the road from Wargo Nature Center is another hot fishing spot on Peltier Lake. Here Northern Pike and Panfish are the primary target of most anglers fishing here. Walleye are present and Channel Catfish yearlings provide additional opportunities for anglers. Plus, Muskies are starting to migrating in from other lakes on the Rice Creek Chain.

This lake has good shore fishing facilities. The County has a fishing pier in the southwest corner of the lake near the boat access. Anglers often fish from the shoreline of County Road 14 near the connection with Centerville Lake. The most popular shore fishing spot may be on both sides of the dam, both upstream and in the pool downstream.

Have fun and keep your line wet!