With the ever-increasing popularity of fatbikes, Winter trail access in Minnesota is growing. The Minnesota DNR issued a
News Release last week adding 58 new miles open to fatbiking in Minnesota State Parks and on State Trails. These are not the only new places to ride in Minnesota this Winter, more are popping up around the state.
Twin Cities Area
Cleary Lake Regional Park in Prior Lake grooms trails for cross-country skiing and according to
Explore Minnesota it also has a "fat tire" trail with bike rentals available during the winter. Call Cleary Lake Regional Park (763-694-7777) for more information.
As part of the announcement from the Minnesota DNR last week,
Fort Snelling State Park has added 6 new miles of packed multi-use trails. The
Luce Line State Trail is groomed for multi-use including fatbiking from Vicksburg Lane to Stubbs Bay Road. The
Gateway State Trail is plowed from Cuyuga Street to Jamaca Avenue opening up 11.9 miles of trails to all winter biking.
Southern MN
CROCT (Cannon River Offroad Cycling and Trails) opened their first mtb trail at
Sechler Park in Northfield on November 15th. The 1.2 mile two-way singletrack runs through the wooded floodplain along the Cannon River and is open to Winter biking. For the latest trail conditions follow
@CROCTconditions on Twitter.
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| Sechler Park River Bottoms Trail |
The Mankato Area Mountain Bikers (MAMB) have finished the two loops of mountain bike trails at the
Kiwanis Recreation Area and they are open for Winter fatbiking. The short loop is a 1 mile beginner-rated trail and the long loop is a 4 mile intermediate-rated trail. For updated trail conditions at the Kiwanis MTB Trail, visit the
MAMB Facebook page.
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| Kiwanis Mountain Bike Trail |
The
Winona Area Mountain Bikers (WAMB) will be grooming the trails at the top of Cherry Hill and portions of Holzinger Lodge this Winter. According to a post on the
MORC Trail Conditions Forum for Holzinger Lodge,
"WAMB has come to an agreement with the City of Winona to groom portions of the trail that are accessible by snow machine. This will include the Low Rollers and the Wildwood Loop at the top. Cistern, Horse Trail and Quarry will not be groomed due to the rough terrain." For updates on these two trails, visit the
WAMB Facebook page.
Central & Northern MN
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| Soo Line West |
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| Soo Line East |
The
Morrison County Board of Commissioners recently reviewed its rules for recreational trails including the use of fatbikes. The Recreational Trail Rules and Regulations Ordinance that will affect the
Soo Line East and
Soo Line West trails would allow snowmobiling, fat-tire bicycling and cross country skiing from December 1st through March 31st as long as there is snow cover of three or more inches on the trail. This will provide 36 miles of trail for fatbiking.
The ordinance also states
“the trail is closed and may not be used for any purpose (hiking, biking, skiing, ATVing or snowmobiling) from Nov. 1 through Nov. 30 of each year.” For more information or questions regarding the use of these trails should contact the Morrison County Public Works Department at 320-632-0121.
COGGS (Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores) will be grooming six miles of newly completed trails at
Mission Creek and “purposeful snowshoeing” the trails at Brewers Park in Duluth to pack the trails for fatbike riding. Brewer Park consists of
Brewer Park (beginner),
Homebrew,
Lollygagger and
Kissing Booth and links up with Piedmont across Haines Road. For trail conditions at Mission Creek visit
and Piedmont/Brewer Park visit . 
in Callaway
announced last week it will have their snowshoe trail and the three miles of
Twin Lakes Singletrack packed and open for fatbiking. Forest roads in the area will also be another option for fatbike riding. For more information or questions contact Maplelag Resort by calling them at 218-375-4466 or sending an email to
maplelag@tvutel.com.
