Directions to Wirth?

[Mateo]

We want to ride Wirth today for the first time. Any suggestions on the best way to get there from St Paul, and how to put together a good ride (maybe with Brownie Lake as well??)

Thanks in advance!

[syntaxjunkie]

From St. Paul, Take 94 going West past downtown Minneapolis to the Olson Highway exit. At the top of the exit ramp, take a left onto Olson Highway. Go about 2 miles until you come to the intersection of Olson Hwy and Theodore Wirth Parkway. Take a right at this intersection. You'll see one of the numerous trail entrances on the lefthand side of Wirth Pkwy as you turn the corner. Continue up Wirth for about half a mile, and you'll come to the parking lot for the par 3 golf course. I usually park here. Once you've got your bikes ready, get on the bike path and go back along Wirth pkwy the way you came in. About 500 yards from the parking lot, you'll see a barred gate across what looks like a maintenance road for the golf course. That's exactly what it is, but it also leds to the majority of the trails. You can also go back to the intersection of Wirth & Olson Hwy and enter there, but you'll have to cross back over the railroad tracks and locate one of the feeder trails to get back into the main network.

Sound confusing? It is. Wirth isn't as much of a loop as it is a network of spurs off of the maintenance path. In the wise words of Yogi Berra, if you come to a fork in the road, take it.

Brownie lake is on the other end of Wirth parkway, just across 394. You'll see the trail that skits the lake as you come across the over pass. just follow it and you'll find the entrance to the Brownie trail on the far side of the lake. Please note that Brownie is NOT for beginners and will be challenging to the point of frustration for even experienced riders tackling it for the first time.

That said, have fun.

[Mateo]

Great. Thanks.. I appreciate that...