Tag Archives: Minnesota Bike Guide

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!

Bike Pic April 11, ice cream smiles Sunday on day-11 of 30 Days Of Biking

Ice Cream Smiles Sunday is kicking off April with some bright colors! How are you doing on this bike pic day of 30 Days of Biking? Let us know by using #nextbikeadventure.

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 Today’s Ice Cream Smiles Sunday 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 taken. 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!

Bike Pic April 10, of 30 Days of Biking with social distancing in mind

This bike pic Saturday, with social distance riding in mind, it’s number 10 of 30-days of biking. Here at HaveFunBiking.com, we hope you have a memorable day, and you get a chance to ride your bike, even if there is a slight chance of rain.

Thanks for viewing Today’s 30 Days of Biking Pic

Have a great day, with a safe, memorable 2021!

Bike Pic April 6, day-6 of 30 Days of Biking, are you keeping up?

We’re on to day-3 of 30 Days of Biking! We hope you’ve been keeping up with your commitment and pledge if you made one! Biking every day can be a challenge as you see in the picture here. But, even if it’s only for a quick ride you still fulfilled your commitment! Let us know by using #nextbikeadventure.

Thanks for viewing Today’s Day 6 of 30 Days of Biking Pic

Have a great day, with a safe, memorable 2021!

Bike Pic April 1, 30 Days Of Biking starts today, where are you riding?

We’ve finally made it into April and the weather forecast is warming. Plus the annual 30 Days of Biking initiative begins today!

Thanks for viewing today’s 30 Days of Biking

Have a great day, with a safe, memorable 2021!

Bike Pic March 19, yeah it’s Friday with warm days of summer ahead!

This Bike Pic Friday, with spring officially here tomorrow, we captured this biker check riding the Minnesota section of the Mississippi River Trail (MRT). Now with summer officially here plan your #NextBikeAdventure.

Thanks for Viewing Our ‘Bike Pic’

Have a great day, with a safe, memorable 2021!

Have a great day!

Bike Pic March 4, Take A Trip Back To The Big Wheel, Penny-Farthing

This Thursday we want to take a trip back in time to learn about the high-wheeler, the first machine called a bicycle. So in the bike pic featured today you can see one of the first designs called the Penny-farthing bicycle. Back then if were able to get on one, you actually had to mount it like a horse. The large wheel in the front had its advantages, especially with potholes or rocks, because it could roll right over themt.

Thanks for viewing today’s bike pic

We are now rolling into our 16th year as a bike tourism media. 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 picture was taken. 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.

Have a great day, with a safe, memorable 2021!

Bike Pic Jan 01, Happy New Year’s with fun memories

Happy New Year, we hope 2021 is the best year yet! With this Bike Pic, start the year off right with a resolution to do more biking! The photo above was captured at a cycle cross meet in Aquila Park, in St Louis Park, MN.

Thanks for viewing Today’s Best Year Yet Bike Pic Wishes

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 picture was taken. 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.

Have a great day and a memorable 2021!

Upper Midwest destinations with peak colors and times to ride

With the summer season officially ending on September 21st, fall is a great time to extend your bike riding adventures in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. As the leaves change colors along the miles of paved and mountain bike trails, cyclists will find a kaleidoscope of peak colors at every turn. Especially with the abundant rainfall, we have had this year. Colors along the trails and roadways are predicted to be spectacular. If the weather remains mostly sunny during the day with cooler temps at night, conditions favor stunning vistas while exploring the upper Midwest.

Fall color riding on a bike-friendly road and trails.

So, over the next month, it will be no surprise to find peak backdrops while riding. Especially using both the Iowa and Minnesota Bike/Hike Guides in conjunction with the following state color reports.

Guides and reports for easy peak colors for exploration this fall

Each year the fall color peak normally arrives in the northern one-third of the state in mid-September to early October. This year, as in the past few, the peak cycle, regionally, is running a week or so later than normal – so enjoy!

To get a more accurate gauge to the change in colors in areas you plan to explore with your bike see: Iowa’s fall color report; Minnesota’s fall color report; and for the Wisconsinsin fall color report. All three online reports are updated weekly each Thursday during the fall season.

Mountain biking fun with the leaves turning into their spectacular fall colors.

Destinations and trails to enjoy during Minnesota and Wisconsin’s peak riding season

We will start with the Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide, as the color peak a bit earlier. Here, if you haven’t already, you will find over 24-Minnesota bike-friendly destination, plus information and a map of Polk County, WI. to match with the above reports.

Destinations and trails to enjoy during Iowa and Wisconsin’s peak riding season

In the Iowa Bike Guide, you will find over 18-Iowa bike-friendly destinations.

Staying safe in peak color riding season

Keep your helmets on! Even on off-road trails, bicyclists need to wear helmets. You are much more likely to fall on your head by locking wheels with another bike, or other hazards, then riding on a road in traffic.
Don’t forget to stop at stop signs on the trail, even if it’s just a driveway or gravel road.
And through this COVID-19 crisis wear a mask when riding in groups and use the following social distancing tips.

Enjoy nature and the many scenic peak color days ahead!

Bike Pic Aug 22, having fun shredding the trails before the big race

Here in this bike pic, we caught this young biker dude having some fun shredding dirt on the Jail Trail, near St Cloud, MN.

View all the fun ideas and bike destinations in the latest Iowa Bike Guide or the Minnesota Bike/Hike edition. Then plan your next outing with family and friends at one of the HaveFunBiking Destinations.

Thanks for Viewing Our ‘Mountain Bike Skills’ bike pic

We are now rolling into our 15th year as a bike tourism media. As we pedal forward our goal is to continue to encourage more people to bike and have fun while we highlight 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 that 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 picture was taken. 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 8th year of producing this hand 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 Pics of the Day.

Have a great day!