In late October (2021) Lee and I rode this trail between St. Paul and South St. Paul (MN). The trail is 4 miles long and connects to several other trails at both ends. On the South St. Paul end it connects to the River to River Trail and the Mississippi River Greenway trail at Kaposia Park. On the St. Paul end it connects to the Lillydale Regional Trail. Those trails are for next summer as we had, at the time, run out of good riding weather for the year.
We started at Harriet Island Park just across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Paul, a city in which I lived and worked for 32 years and for which I have a special place in my heart (a bit maudlin, perhaps). From this park you have a nice view of downtown St. Paul and the river.
You also can get a great view of one of the more beautiful, and my personal favorite, buildings in the Twin Cities, the St. Paul Cathedral. Again, I have a special affinity for the Cathedral as on my job as a St. Paul police officer for the 32 years I drove past it many times a night and it always brings back (mostly) pleasant memories. I love seeing it, either close-up or from a distance, all lighted up at night. It really is a gorgeous sight. But I digress.
From Harriet Island we rode south for a short ways on the Lilydale Regional Park Trail but, as we had come to ride the Piram trail we turned back after seeing that it (the Lily Trail) is a pretty trail but would be much nicer when the leaves are in bloom or, even better, when the colors are out in the fall. We were a bit late for the fall colors but it was still a nice ride. We went several miles on the trail, which runs alongside the river, then took a loop trail, riding beside Pickerel Lake, back to Harriet Island.
From Harriet Island we rode east toward the Lafayette Bridge. This was our least favorite part of the ride as you have to ride alongside busy Plato Boulevard, cross several busy intersections, and have to be careful and watchful for traffic as cars are turning from several different directions and the drivers are in a hurry which means they aren’t watching carefully for other traffic, especially bikes.
Once we got to the Lafayette Frontage Road East we turned south and the trail was away from intersections and traffic and much more comfortable to ride. Lee and I rode to the St. Paul Downtown Holman Field airport but as we had by then already ridden a good distance, were facing a long open part of the trail, and were riding into a stiff headwind, we decided to call it a day and head back to the car. We later found out that the trail between Holman Field and the southern end of the trail at Kaposia Landing is the nicest part of the trail, including boardwalks that give good views of the Mississippi River and its wetlands. Actually, that might be a good thing as it gives us something to look forward to next summer.
We plan to start at Kaposia Landing, ride to Holman Field, then backtrack to the River to River Greenway trail and ride that to the Lilydale Trail. It will be nice to ride the trails when the trees are in full bloom.
That was our last ride, other than local exercise (boring) rides, of the year. We’ll be out again next year and hope to cover some of the outstate trails, including Wisconsin trails, and more of the Twin Cities’ trails of which there are many.