This is a brand new route touring three of the great rivers of Minnesota (the St. Croix, the Mississippi and the Minnesota rivers). On Day 1 we'll start from the Country Inn & Suites in Woodbury by heading straight over to Wisconsin and up the beautiful and scenic St. Croix river valley. Most of the few hills of the day will be during this Wisconsin section, but overall this is a pretty flat route. We'll go through Hudson, Somerset, St. Croix Falls, Grantsburg, and Danbury before heading over to Minnesota with a stop in Hinckley before heading south along Highway 61. Controls are a variety of c-stores/gas stations per usual, but there are plenty of local restaurants, bars and coffee shops to stop at if you have a more discerning pallet. Day 1 will end back at the hotel in Woodbury.
Day 2 we will head south along the mighty Mississippi, traveling through Hastings and Red Wing. In Red Wing we will pick up the Cannon Valley Trail (you will need to purchase a trail pass at the trail head for $5 or online ahead of time (https://cannonvalleytrail.com/wheel-passes/)). We pass through Cannon Falls and head to Northfield for the next control. From there the route heads north through Burnsville to the Minnesota river valley, picks up the Black Dog Trail, crosses the Old (and new) Cedar bridge, the 494 bridge (which is always an adventure) and cruises through Lilydale before looping back to the hotel in Woodbury. Day 2 has about as much climbing as day 1, but is shorter milage.
We have a few rooms blocked at the hotel for Saturday night but riders are responsible for booking their own room. There is a pool and hot tub too, so consider staying Sunday night for a little R&R after the ride.
Note: The GPS for this ride is in two sections, Day 1 and Day 2. Day 1 is in the GPS link section, here is Day 2: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37223558
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Rob Welsh | |
| Chris Carlson | |
| Jonas Nygard | |
| Scott Kies | |
| Keith Larson |