Minnesota River Bottoms

From MORC Wiki

Contents 1 Getting There 2 History 3 The Details 4 Land Manager 5 Overall Impression 6 Trail Maps 7 Pictures & Multimedia

[edit] Getting There

The River Bottom can be accessed easily from many points. The best spots are the west end at the Bloomington Ferry parking lot, at Lyndale's parking lot, and at Indian Mounds Elementary School. To get to the Bloomington Ferry end (west end)... From the North: Take Hwy 169 south, exit at Old Shakopee. Head east on Old Shakopee until Bloomington Ferry Road. Head south on Bloomington Ferry. At the first stop sign, turn right and follow the road south. In about 3 blocks look for the Bloomington Ferry signs pointing to the right. Turn right, head down the hill, and park. The trail starts to the left of the information kiosk. From the east, either take 94, or 494 to 169 and follow the 'North' directions, or come in on Old Shakopee and hang a left (south) on Bloomington Ferry. From the South, take 169 north until Old Shakopee, follow the 'North' directions from there.

To get to the Lyndale parking lot, get on 35W and head towards the Minnesota River. At the 106th street exit, get off 35W and head east. Lyndale is the first stop sign, hang a right. At the bottom of the hill you will run into the parking lot. The trail heads out in both directions from the south end of the lot.

To get to the Indian Mound entrance from pretty much anywhere... get on 35W, and exit at 98th Street (Old Shakopee). Head east until you get to Portland. After the stoplight at Portland, start looking to the right for the brown information sign that points to Martin Luther Manor, and Indian Mounds. Turn right here (98th St.) Take 98th a few blocks east until 11th Avenue. Turn south on 11th. The school will be on your left. 11th Ave. goes a few blocks and turns to the west. Just before the road stops going south, look to your left and you'll see the gravel doubletrack heading down the hill past the 'Caution Drop Off' sign. This is the east end of the River Bottom trail.

[edit] History

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[edit] The Details

Depending on the season, the trail conditions vary quite a bit. Early in the spring things are usually pretty sandy, especially if the trail was flooded out by the winter thaw. Once summer arrives expect the field grass to grow over eye level, and the stinging nettles to come out in abundance... and you can't forget the mosquitoes. It's generally a good idea to not stand in one spot for too long or you'll be an unwilling blood donor. The trail is usually in the best shape in the fall as the grass and weeds have died or been trimmed back and the sand is packed down. Additionally, you don't have to worry about bugs or blind corners from overgrown foliage. Winter brings a little unpredictability to the trail. If it's a light snow winter, expect a packed singletrack for the whole trail. The raft across 9 Mile Creek gets pulled late in the fall, and put back in the spring, but this doesn't affect your ride much, because the creek freezes solid (PLEASE CHECK FIRST BEFORE CROSSING). This description is from the Bloomington Ferry end (west) to Indian Mounds (east).

The trail dives into the woods to the left of the information kiosk, and it's nearly 11 miles of singletrack until you reach the other end. The first bit of the trail heads south following the river wandering through forest and field. Throughout the trail you have a good look at the river activity as the trail never ventures far from shore. A couple miles into the ride, the trail enters Isaak Walton League property. This is private property, but they are generous enough to let us ride through. Let's observe good trail etiquette by sticking on one line so we keep the trail narrow.

There are a few spurs the head off away from the river. A few of these dead end into nothing, but a couple are fun alternates. If it looks like the trail is tapering off into nothing, turn around. The trail is heading onto private property.

About 6 miles into things, you'll hit 9 Mile Creek. MORC has put in a raft that you can pull yourself across on. Good luck not getting devoured in mosquito season, especially if you have to wait for someone else to cross.

To pick up the trail on the east side of the river, head a little south and look east, it's pretty easy to find. After a few log crossings the trail widens into a doubletrack and eventually turns into a gravel road. Stick with it on the road until you cross under 35W and hit the Lyndale parking lot. The trail heads out east immediately in front of you.

50 yards in, you've got a choice of left or right. Either one gets you to the same point. Right is singletrack, left is doubletrack. Next up, you'll run into a nasty sinkhole that has all sorts of trees down in it. There's a creek on the left of the hole that you'll have to find a way across. At one point it had a good crossing, but that washed out.

This is where the trail takes on a different personality. The trail heads up onto the bluff. Be careful in this area because of the high speeds and the poor sight lines.

The trail snakes its way up and down the side of the bluff, and ultimately climbs up the hill to a picnic table. Go ahead, catch your breath, you're not there yet. Head down the trail to the east of the 'to Lyndale' sign. Next, you'll pop up at an old city park. The parking lot is still there, but its closed to traffic and there is grass growing up everywhere.

From the field hang a right along the treeline, go past a few picnic tables and fire pits, and head into the woods. Stick with the main trail until you get to a creek. This is the end of the line. Any further east and you run into off-limits land. The Feds will (and have) confiscate your bike if they catch you in the wildlife preserve. Head left up the hill following the creek. After crossing the creek a couple times, you'll hit the crushed rock doubletrack. Take this up to the top of the bluff. You're there. This section of the River Bottom ends here. There's more, but it's located east of Cedar, and on the south side of the river.

[edit] Land Manager

[edit] Overall Impression

This is a pretty fun trail. It's got a lot of distance, and a good amount of variety. Kind of flat, unless you're on the east end. Watch out for hammerheads that won't yield the trail to their mother. If you're into night riding, this is a great trail. Expect to see LOTS of deer and other spooky glowing eyes. There are better trails in the area, but if you're looking for variety, or are taking someone who isn't very adept at mountain biking, this is a great trail.

[edit] Trail Maps

[edit] Pictures & Multimedia

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