Fridley – Minneapolis loop

A road and trail ride.

Approximate distance: 31 mi


This is a loop ride west to the Mississippi River in Fridley, then south along the river to downtown Minneapolis, and then back to Shoreview via Roseville. The first portion of the route is on roads with good shoulders and passes through Long Lake Regional Park on scenic park trails. In Fridley, the route turns south on roads and later on trails in Riverfront Regional Park along the Mississippi River. Further south, the route crosses the river and then continues south on roads passing through industrial areas in north Minneapolis. When the route gets close to downtown Minneapolis, it returns to trails near the river. The route passes over the scenic Stone Arch Bridge and then continues north and east on residential roads in Minneapolis and on the Diagonal Trail leading from Minneapolis northeast to Roseville. In Roseville, the route follows trails and residential roads north back to Shoreview.


Directions:

  • Go west from Shoreview CC along Hwy 96 to Old Hwy 8

  • Take trail on west side of Old Hwy 8 to entrance to Long Lake Park

  • Follow park trails northwest and exit park onto Mississippi St.

  • Take the trail to Long Lake Rd then turn right.

  • Turn west onto Mississippi Rd. and continue west to E. River Rd.

  • Turn south onto E. River Rd.

  • Near I-694, take a trail that goes underneath I-694 near the Mississippi River.

  • Continue on the trail through Riverfront Regional Park.

  • Continue on the trail past the Minneapolis Water Works facility to 37th Ave NE.

  • Turn west on 37th Ave NE to the N 42nd Ave bridge.

  • After crossing the river, take a trail exit to the right and descend to a lower trail.

  • Take the trail to Soo Ave N.

  • Take Soo Ave N to N Washington Ave and turn south.

  • Take N Washington Ave to N 22nd Ave and turn east.

  • Ride to W River Pkwy and take a trail adjacent to this road south.

  • After passing under the Plymouth Ave bridge, exit the tail onto W River Pkwy.

  • Continue south on W River Pkwy to the Stone Arch Bridge.

  • Cross the Stone Arch Bridge and take 6th Ave SE to the northeast.

  • Turn southeast onto SE 8th St.

  • After crossing I-35W, turn northeast onto 10th Ave SE.

  • After a short distance, turn east on Como Ave.

  • Take Como Ave to 18th Ave SE and turn north.

  • At Hennepin Ave, go straight to a trail on the right side of Stinson Blvd.

  • At the intersection of Stinson Blvd and New Brighton Blvd, go northeast on the Diagonal Trail.

  • The trail ends at Walnut St – turn north.

  • Turn east onto a trail at Cty Rd C.

  • Follow the trail along Cty Rd C to Hamline Ave – turn north.

  • At Josephine Rd turn east and continue to Lexington Ave.

  • At Lexington Ave turn north and continue to Cty Rd D.

  • At Cty Rd D turn east and continue to Victoria Ave.

  • Follow Victoria Ave to Snail Lake Blvd.

  • At Snail Lake Blvd turn east and continue to Hwy 96.

  • At Hwy 96 turn west and return to the Shoreview CC.


Route section approximate distances (see map):

  • Shoreview CC to Old Hwy 8 – 3 mi

  • Old Hwy 8 to W River Rd – 5 mi

  • W River Rd to N 42nd Ave bridge – 5 mi

  • N 42nd Ave bridge to Stone Arch Bridge – 5 mi

  • Stone Arch Bridge to Diagonal Trail – 3 mi

  • Diagonal Trail to Lake Josephine – 5 mi

  • Lake Josephine to Snail Lake – 3 mi

  • Snail Lake to Shoreview CC – 2 mi