Murphy-Hanrehan

From MORC Wiki

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

Getting There

Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve is located just south of Savage, not too far from the Burnsville Center mall. The easiest way to get to the area is Interstate 35 (35W or 35E). Take the County Road 42 exit. Go west on CR-42, past all the malls and down the long hill. After roughly 2 miles on 42, take a left onto West Burnsville Pkwy. Shortly after Cam Ram Park, W. Burnsville Pkwy turns into Hanrehan Lake Blvd. Continue down Hanrehan Lake Blvd until Murphy Lake Road - the gravel road heading up into the prairie on your left. The trailhead parking is a short distance up Murphy Lake Road on the left.

History

Since about 2003, MORC, IMBA and Park District staff have been working together to increase and improve mountain bike opportunities within the Three Rivers Park District. After many meetings and presentations, three parks were identified as potential sites for new mountain bike trails; Elm Creek, Lake Rebecca, and Murphy-Hanrehan. Due to the problems associated with the existing doubletrack trail, replacing the mountain bike trail at Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve was given top priority.

Many of us will miss the doubletrack rollercoaster, but the old trail required more maintenance than it was worth. The doubletrack trail is now permanently closed to all mountain bike traffic. Often built straight down the fall line, it didn’t even approach being sustainable when used as a mountain bike trail. The new singletrack is safer and more sustainable, while retaining the spirit of the old trail as much as possible.

As one of the first metro area parks to have an official mountain bike trail, Murphy-Hanrehan and mountain biking go back over 15 years. But due to a short riding season (August 1st – October 31st), and the increase in popularity of singletrack trails like Lebanon Hills and Theo Wirth, the trail at Murphy-Hanrehan flies below the radar of many Twin Cities mountain bikers. Those days are over.

The Details

WARNING – Please stay on the trail! This will help keep the trail narrow, and will keep you from experiencing some of the more painful residents of the park… there is Poison Ivy and Prickly Ash in the woods, and Wild Parsnip in the open areas.

Many Minnesotans are familiar with poison ivy, but the other two aren’t as well-known. Prickly Ash is a small tree that has very sharp thorns, and is common throughout the woods of the park. Wild Parsnip is a tall herbaceous plant with yellow flowers that causes a nasty blistering rash. Even after the blisters are healed, brown spots may be left on your skin for many months (or even years).

The new singletrack trail will not be subject to the shortened riding season of the old trail - it will be open during the typical Minnesota mountain bike season. The season usually runs from late April to sometime in November or December (this is entirely weather dependent – keep an eye on the MORC forums for info). The exception is a small section of advanced trail that will be closed from late winter to August 1st.

The trail will be closed when the tread is soft after rains, and any other time the trail is susceptible to damage.

The trail consists of three loops; an easiest loop, an intermediate loop, and an advanced loop. The loops are stacked so you must ride parts of the easiest and intermediate loops to be able to ride the advanced. With the exception of small connector trails that are two-way, all the loops are one-way. The trail is also open to hikers and trail runners, so ride in control at all times. Mountain bikers have the right-of-way on the singletrack trail, but always be polite and courteous to other users.

The signage at the beginning of the trail has a lot of good info - stop and read it!

Easiest Loop

Your ride begins with the easiest loop, which is a nice ride through an open, rolling prairie. Much of the easiest loop is visible from the trailhead. This loop is just under a mile long, but makes for a good warm-up if you plan to ride the other loops. About 2/3 of the way through the easiest loop you will come to the junction with the intermediate loop.

Intermediate Loop

If you ride the intermediate loop, you will take the trail that heads directly into the woods. There are a few rocks between the two small trees you ride through, and there is a log across the trail to show users that this is a more difficult trail. The 2¼-mile long intermediate loop is narrower, steeper, and rougher than the easiest loop and will require more skill to ride. Roughly a mile and a half into the loop you come to the intermediate-advanced loop junction. If you choose to finish the intermediate loop, you will ride a boardwalk that brings you out to the edge of the wetland. Careful not to fall off while looking at the view! After the boardwalk you’ll start a long climb back to the prairie, and eventually back to the easiest loop junction.

Advanced Loop

If you choose to ride the advanced loop, you’ll find it even more challenging. The loop begins with a two-way feature designed to show trail users the increased difficulty of the advanced loop. It consists of a pair of two boardwalk steps with short skinny section in between. Please do not ride or walk around the feature – ride or walk your bike over it. This will help reduce the amount of vegetation that gets trampled in this area.

The majority of the new trail at Murphy-Hanrehan is designated as advanced. What makes this loop more challenging than the other loops? It’s a combination of factors: the higher and narrower bridges; a narrower tread (often cutting across very steep sideslopes); steeper, more difficult climbs and descent; and more technical features like rock gardens, large rocks to ride over, and optional features like the log ride. Nearly all of the proposed technical trail features are also destined for the advanced loop, adding to its level of difficulty.

The majority of bridges and boardwalks are on the advanced loop; six bridges and three boardwalks are scattered throughout the loop. One bridge is particularly special… it’s actually more like a giant set of steps. Take it easy the first time, the 45 foot long bridge has 5 drops spaced 9 feet apart. The first 4 drops are eight inches, but the last drop back to dirt is about a foot… all this at only 30 inches wide and 4 feet off the ground.

Most of the advanced loop is in the woods, but it does cut across a few open grasslands. About 5 miles into the advanced loop you’ll enter the largest of these prairies. At the far end of the large prairie you will find an optional log ride, and just after the log ride you will see a connector trail that will be used when the back corner of the park is closed. This will be done seasonally from late winter to August 1st for the protection of nesting raptors in the area. A gate will be closed and signage will be posted when this area is closed. The connector trail will bypass the closed section of trail (a little over ½ mile of trail will be closed). Please obey all signs and closures. After returning through the large prairie, you’ll dive into the woods, following the forest edge. A brief section back in the prairie and you’re in the woods again. This last part of the advanced loop skirts around the bottom of the big ridge with one last climb, followed by a downhill that brings you back to the advanced-intermediate junction. Ride the remainder of the intermediate and easiest loops, and you’ll be at the trailhead.

Land Manager

Three Rivers Park District (formerly Hennepin Parks) manages Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve and the MTB trail. Three Rivers was named the 2006 Land Manager of the Year by MORC due to their continued support of mountain biking. Look for future projects between MORC and Three Rivers! Please help ensure continued access at Three Rivers Parks by riding only when the trails are open, following the rules posted at the trailhead, and always respecting other trail users.

Overall Impression

The new MTB trail is a ribbon of dirt cut through the beautiful woods and prairies of Murphy-Hanrehan Park; traveling up and down ridges, around small knolls, and across drainages and marshes. The trail isn’t super twisty and has fairly long sightlines… the goal here was flow. At almost 10 miles, it’s one of the longer metro trails and has some great views from the top of the big ridge on the advanced loop. On a clear day you can see the skyline of downtown Minneapolis through the trees.

The trail will be developed further over the next few seasons. Keep an eye on the MORC forums to follow the progression of the trail and see pictures of new trailwork projects. The trail will change, so always expect the unexpected on that first lap.

Trail Maps

Three Rivers Park District Murphy-Hanrehan trail map in .PDF format available above.

Click on image above for larger graph.

Total Ascent/Decent: 668' Distance: 9.02 miles

Google Earth with GPS overlay. Click for larger image.

Pictures & Multimedia

Here is a YouTube Video of the log ride in the expert loop:

Rider: Troy Sierakowski

Here is a Google Video of the step bridge in the expert loop:

"Oooh, Eeeeh, Aaahhh, Oooooo.... "

Rock Obstacle

See the Murphy Gallery for pictures.

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MORC Trail Guide Wiki