Route Updates: The construction of the I-94 Lakeland/Hudson river crossing necessitates two updates to last year's route. A minor one on day 1 when we use the Stillwater Hwy. 36 bridge crossing and re-unite with the original route shortly before Somerset. For the second day, we decided to go back to the original route from 2022 which has a lot less climbing than the last few years.
Day one starts from the Country Inn & Suites in Woodbury and heads over into Wisconsin using the Stillwater Hwy. 36 bridge. The updated route re-unites with the original route shortly before Somerset. From there, you'll weave your way up to St. Croix Falls. One of our favorite sections is the River Road next to the St. Croix River up to Grantsburg. Then comes a longer stretch (about 50 miles) with no services between Grantsburg and Hinckley, so best to stock up with extra supplies in Grantsburg before you head out. There are still some nice secluded parts on this section (before Hwy 77 that will bring you back to Minnesota and to Hinckley). From Hinckley, you will head south along Highway 61. Once in North Branch, you will keep rolling on the Sunset Trail (maybe around sunset?) next to Hwy. 61. After Hugo, you will be weaving your way back to the hotel (mile 223) on some side streets.
On day two we will head south towards Prescott. From there, we'll ride south on scenic Hwy. 35, passing through Diamond Bluff and Hager City where we'll cross the Mississippi into Red Wing. After a Kwik Trip stop, you will enter the Cannon Valley Trail to Cannon Falls. The Cannon Valley Trail is a paved bike trail that requires a Daily Wheel Pass for $7. You can purchase this pass at the trailhead in Red Wing, or you can purchase it in advance on their website: Daily Wheel Pass - Cannon Valley Trail. If you purchase in advance, your email receipt will serve as your Daily Wheel Pass – please be prepared to show it to Trail Attendants.
After a Casey's stop in Cannon Falls, you'll head over to Northfield and from there head back north back into the Twin Cities areas. We've thrown in a few more bike trails on your final stretches.
Riders are responsible for booking their own room at the hotel. The Country Inn & Suites has a pool and hot tub too, so consider staying Sunday night for a little R&R after the ride. There is a more budget friendly option a quarter mile north (north of I-94), the LivInn Hotel, right next to a Denny's which claims to have 24/7 service. This might actually come in handy for the Saturday overnight stop. I'll be checking this hotel out as a potential substitute for the Country Inn & Suites.
We split the route into two files, so hopefully it will be easier for GPS units to handle.
| Name | |
|---|---|
| james r shannon | |
| Norman Ehrentreich | |
| Michael Mullery | |
| Tom Garry | |
| Jonas Nygard | |
| William Watts | |
| Doug McLerran |