Tag Archives: National Park Service

Bike Pic July 18, Mississippi River Trail, with round-the-river loops

This bike pic Tuesday, a fun experience is biking along Ol’ Man River, on the Mississippi River Trail (MRT), through Minneapolis Northwest (Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park. This segment of the trail, a part of a National Park, offers the perfect round-the-river bike loops with a 13 and 26-mile option, using the Coon Rapids Dam as a crossing. A great choice for nature lovers and families alike, showcasing some of the best the river offers.

So, 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, and check out more stories at Let’s Do MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Now rolling through our 19th year as a bike tourism media, enjoy! As we pedal forward, we aim to encourage more people to bike and have fun while highlighting all the unforgettable places you can 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]. Please Include a brief caption for the image, who shot it, and where. Photo(s) sent to us should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide to be considered. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continue encouraging 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 our 14th year of producing this handy information booklet full of maps.

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. With one of our cameras ready to document your next cameo appearance while you are riding and having fun, we may be around the corner. You could be in one of our next Pic of the Day.

Have a great day with a safe and memorable summer!

Bike Pic July 06, rolling down the Mississippi River Trail together

In this bike pic Thursday, a tandem bike couple enjoys riding down the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) through the Minneapolis Northwest Area. The MRT, running through the Twin Cities, is part of the National Park System.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Have a great day with a safe and memorable summer!

Join the fun, discover a park by bicycle this Saturday, September 29

This Saturday, thousands of people will have fun exploring parks and public lands by bicycle as part of the third annual ‘Bike Your Park Day‘. Nearly 5,000 participants have already registered over 500 rides in 47 U.S. states, including Iowa and Minnesota. See events scheduled or plan your own ride to a park. Most green spaces offer free admission when you drive your bike vs. a car when visiting.

Many parks, (local, state and national) offer mountain bike trails.

Fun for all

“Bike Your Park Day is a great way to encourage visitors to explore their national parks and public lands by bicycle,” said Krista Sherwood with the National Park Service’s Conservation & Outdoor Recreation Programs. “Bicycling as active transportation and healthy recreation is a fun way to experience the setting in a more natural way while also promoting public health, resource protection, and other economic and social benefits while also reducing vehicle congestion and contributing to the quality of life for surrounding communities.”

The city park, around Lake Winona is an option in Southern Minnesota.

Planning a Bike to Park Day visit can be fun

People who want to participate in Bike Your Park Day can design their own ride — any distance, any style of bicycling, and any type of green space or public land that is open to bicycles. Participants register their ride for free at BikeYourParkDay.org, and an interactive map displays all of the rides taking place.

Bike Your Park Day’s interactive map includes many rides that are open for others to join. People can contact the ride organizer via the interactive website. Those who have questions about Bike Your Park Day can contact one of the Bike Your Park Day volunteer advisors based in 36 U.S. states and six countries. They can answer questions about bicycle safety, bike-friendly routes, and nearby parks and public lands.

Introduce a child to biking in a park. They will thank you in the years to come.

Plan your own ride

Tools are available for those wishing to share or promote their ride, including the Bike Your Park Day logo, sample social media posts and images, a template press release/newsletter article, and a downloadable fill-in-the-blanks poster. The Bike Your Park Day hashtag is #bikeyourpark.

In the past two years, the event has seen more than 20,000 people participate, from all 50 states and over a dozen countries.

Generous sponsors of Bike Your Park Day include Ridgeland, Mississippi, Amtrak, and Black Coffee Roasting Co.

A Mississippi River Trail bike loop in one of our National Parks

An experience you are sure to want share is biking along Ol’ Man River. Ol’ Man River is a National Park treasure you will discover while visiting the Twin Cities Gateway. If you are new to the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) system, this segment of the trail offers the perfect round-the-river bike loop with a 13 and 26-mile option. This is a great choice for nature lovers and families alike showcasing some of the best the river has to offer.

MRT Loop a part of the Mississippi River Recreation Area

In the middle of a bustling Minnesota urban setting is the scenic MRT. MRT is a part of the 72-mile Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, managed by the National Park Service (NSP). The trail starts in the historic downtown area of Anoka (a Gateway City at the point where the Rum and Mississippi Rivers meet). Here, cyclists can consider a number of unique eating establishments, before or after their ride.

Touring this MRT Loop offers a chance to pedal through several parks, a national wildlife refuge, and along city streets. These streets are filled with stunning homes with beautiful landscapes. Beginning in historic downtown Anoka, the suggested route takes the East MRT Trail along the quiet city streets there. You will pass through the historic Christian Hill and McCauley’s Pond neighborhoods. Soon riders are cruising along a trail that parallels the local boulevard in the Gateway City of Coon Rapids. Then, along Mississippi Boulevard, a low traffic street that takes you to the Coon Rapids Dam, your first river crossing option.

Bike riding the Mississippi River Trail, in Twin Cities Gateway community of Coon Rapid, MN.

Coon Rapids Dam makes the perfect place for a picnic

Here, seven miles into the ride, you will find the perfect place to bring a picnic lunch or cross over the river, for the 14-mile loop. The dam, built in the early 1900’s, today offers some of the best bird watching in the Twin Cities Metro Area. The 446-acre park boasts an extensive trail system. This is great for bicyclists, roller-bladders, and hikers alike.

For those riding the 26-mile loop, continue along the MRT‘s East bank trail. You will be riding from one river community neighborhood to the next. Soon you are in the Gateway City of Fridley. This is the halfway point of your ride where you will head North after crossing the I-694/Mississippi River Bridge crossing. Now, on the West bank, the MRT takes you back up to the Coon Rapids Dam. Then, the trail continues up to Champlin, where the Loop crosses Hwy 169/Bridge into Anoka.

For more information on the MRT and the Twin Cities Gateway, click here.