Resources To Help You Plan Your Minnesota Summer Biking Trips

Root River State Trail

Now that the weather is beginning to warm up and summer is fast approaching, you may be thinking about planning your Minnesota biking trip(s).  With so many biking destinations around our great state, you may want to get more information to help you decide where to go and where to stay.  There are so many resources available at your fingertips that planning your trip has become easier than ever.  Cities and regions around Minnesota are competing for your travel dollars this summer and they have made it easy to find more information about their destinations to attract you.

Willard Munger State Trail

A great place to start is the Explore Minnesota website.  There is a lot of information here to help you plan the kind of rides you would like to take.  It contains an array of brochures that you can download, view online or have mailed to you.  Quite a few free regional brochures are listed for all areas of the state that can also be selected for mailing.  Go to the Explore Minnesota Travel Guides page to access these brochures.  There are also planning tools beyond just the website, Explore Minnesota Tourism staffs a travel information center with travel counselors that will help you with customized information (by phone, mail or e-mail) for planning your trip.

Red Jacket Trail

One brochure you may find particularly useful is the 2013/2014 Explore Minnesota Biking Guide.  It contains maps of bike trails, trail information by region (Southern, Central, Northeast, Northwest and Twin Cities area), on-road touring and information about Minnesota's best mountain biking destinations.  The Trail Listings segment informs you about the trails, area businesses and scheduled monthly bike rides complete with website links to bring you more details.  Another useful source of Minnesota cycling information is the Pedal Minnesota website that is filled with upcoming events, places to ride, trail information and trip planning resources.

Lake Wobegon Regional Trail

If you have a destination in mind for your trip, try heading to the tourism or visitor's bureau website for that area or city.  Sites like Visitduluth.com, Minneapolis.org, Cuyunalakes.com and Lanesboro.com are full of information that will help you find lodging, dining, attractions, events and area trails.  Visit my MN Tourism Resources page for a huge listing of online resources throughout the state.

Afton State Park

Minnesota has an abundance of State Parks with scenic trails for biking, mountain biking and hiking.  These State Parks are scattered throughout Minnesota and chances are there is one near you or your vacation destination.  The Minnesota DNR provides a lot of information on it's website about our State Parks and all they have to offer.  Go to the Minnesota State Parks page to find out more.

Summer is right around the corner, so use the wealth of information available on the internet to make planning your next biking trip a breeze.  For easy to find trail maps and trail information for the Twin Cities Area, Southern MN, Central MN, Northern MN and MN MTB Project Trails, don't forget about MN Bike Trail Navigator.  I have already done the research to find the links so you don't have to.