Plan a Visit on the Mississippi River Trail - Bicycling

Plan a visit on U.S. Bicycle Route 45

Bike and canoe the Mississippi River

The Mississippi River Trail offers opportunities for visitors to bicycle short loops of an hour or less, as well as trips along the full length of the Mississippi River. Bicyclists, birders, canoeists, historians, naturalists, seekers of beautiful scenery, and others visit the Mississippi River in search of its diverse resources, intrigues, and stories. While bicycling is great in and of itself, you might consider expanding your horizons on your next bicycle trip to see what else is attracting others to the river.

It’s not only possible, but also convenient to float some of the Mississippi in a canoe or kayak between bike trail segments. After all, the Minnesota Legislature has designated the entire length of the Mississippi River within Minnesota as a “Water Trail”. That means that canoe/kayak outfitters are distributed along the entire length of the river — some even have the ability to ferry your bicycle ahead to meet it downriver.

Don't overlook the Mississippi River within the Twin Cities. The river is the reason for the national park: The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area stretches 72 miles from Dayton to Hastings. This stretch of river includes waterfalls, historic sites, tall river bluffs, barges, four locks and dams, 18 cities, and 19 bald eagle nests! Many people think of the popular lakes that dot the Twin Cities, but paddling is also a wonderful way to see the origins of the Twin Cities. The Mississippi River Companion can guide your exploration of this national park. Use the Companion to locate water trails, boat landings, marinas, local and regional bicycle and pedestrian trails, major landmarks, historical sites, parks, and natural areas along the Mississippi River.

MRT travelers may note inconsistencies between the Mississippi River Companion and the current MRT route. Therefore, follow the bicycle route as illustrated on the maps within this MnDOT website (future revisions to the Companion will reconcile all route differences).

Getting there

Northstar Commuter Rail (train service between Big Lake and Minneapolis)
- Bicycle connections to Northstar
Metro Transit (bus and train service in the Twin Cities)
- Bicycle racks on buses and trains
Amtrak: Amtrak’s Empire Builder route connects to Minnesota at St. Paul’s Union Depot as well as the USBR 45/MRT cities of St. Cloud, Red Wing, and Winona as well as near La Crescent (Amtrak stop is in La Crosse, Wisconsin, which is across the Mississippi River via Hwy 14).
Jefferson Lines – bus service serving 13 states, including Minnesota
Mississippi River Canoe Outfitters/Shuttle Service
Paul Bunyan Trail Shuttle Service
Itasca Sports Rental: Located within Itasca State Park. Will assemble bikes shipped to them and ship bikes home. Periodically offers informal shuttle transportation from Bemidji, by arrangement only.

Things to do and see

Things to Do: Explore Minnesota Tourism
Minnesota State Parks: Bicycles enter state parks for free (camping fees apply)
Minnesota State Trails
Minnesota State Forests
Chippewa National Forest
St. Anthony Falls Heritage District
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
Mississippi River Water Trail
Minnesota Scenic Byways

Travel and tourism

Adventure Cycling: Premier bicycle travel organization in North America
Great River Road Minnesota: Ideas to enhance your Mississippi River exploration
Bicycling Guide to the Mississippi River Trail

Along the route

Accessibility

The majority of the Mississippi River Trail is located on low use roadways and upon road shoulders. However, significant off-road trail segments exist. Outstate, it is possible to travel approximately 100 miles between Cass Lake and Brainerd utilizing the Heartland State Trail and the Paul Bunyan State Trail that are managed by the Department of Natural Resources. These trails, constructed largely upon abandoned railroad grades, are relatively flat and constructed with accessibility considerations important to a wide variety of the users. Even though we know that many trail segments within the Twin Cities are accessible, a comprehensive segment by segment assessment is presently unavailable.

Communities along the route

Visitor information from some of the largest communities along the MRT (in downstream order): - KWAME TO CHECK LINKS

Bemidji
Cass Lake
Walker/Leech Lake Area
Nisswa
Grand Rapids
Palisade
Aitkin
Cuyuna Lakes Area
Brainerd
Little Falls
St. Cloud
Elk River
Minneapolis
St. Paul (State Capitol)
Hastings
Red Wing
Lake City
Wabasha/Kellogg
Winona
La Crescent

Emergency phone numbers - REWORD

The standard emergency number in all areas is 911. Cellular phone coverage is generally available, but might be spotty in some locations within the Mississippi Headwaters and Mississippi Northwoods destination areas. As with many trips, it's a good idea to let someone know of your plans and route ahead of time.