NOTE: Each rider please register individually.
TOUR START: This tour starts and ends at Pedego Twin Cities Mendota Heights, 1355 Mendota Heights Road, Ste 180, Mendota Heights, MN 55120.
THE TOUR
Ride with us from our Pedego Mendota Heights store to downtown St Paul along both the Minnesota and the Mississippi River!!!
We will leave Pedego and go right down to the Big Rivers Trail along the Minnesota River. Traveling east we will pass above Mendota and arrive at the confluence of the Minnesota and the Mississippi Rivers - a great spot to stop and enjoy nature.
We will then continue, past the Lilydale Pool and Yacht Club, and through the Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, where you feel a million miles away from the city.
After exiting the Recreation Area, we will find ourselves across from downtown St Paul. We will turn east on Plato and then turn north on Wabasha. We will cross the Wabasha Bridge (separated bike trail), slip down 2nd St (which feels like a viaduct!) and cross to Shepard Road. We will stop at the river side park for pictures!
Following the river on the north side, we will reach 35E, again crossing the river on a separated bike trail. We will then wend up and across a 35E ramp (USE the button for more time!), down to the Yacht Club and make our way back to Pedego MH on the Big Rivers Regional Trail.
Note for anyone who wants to stop for refreshments or a late snack, Lucky's 13 (free popcorn!) and Axel's in Mendota have great outdoor spaces and the VFW across the street has a good vibe.
Find the Ride with GPS route here.
Mississippi River Trail (MRT)
Throughout the 72-mile long Twin Cities Metro Area, the MRT is routed on both sides of the river - you can pick a side or ride both. The bikeway is located within the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA), an urban national park. Although much of the route is presently on-road, several off-road regional trails suitable for a wide variety of bicyclists are featured within this segment (local and regional planning is presently underway for several new off-road river-oriented trails with the eventual outcome being a continuous 144-mile off-road Metropolitan river loop).
Finally to the south, bicyclists can remain on roads below the Mississippi River Bluffs or ride the Apple Blossom Scenic Byway. The byway allows bicyclists a view of the Mississippi uplands, spectacular views of the river and adjoining bottom lands. It also offers access to Great River Bluffs State Park.