Bike Trails Paths Near Me in Foreston
Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area
307 3rd Street, Ironton, MN
Abandoned by mining companies more than 30 years ago, this area of former mining pits and rock deposit stockpiles now boasts regenerated vegetation and clear lakes that draw a wide range of recreation enthusiasts. Twenty-five miles of natural shoreline can be explored by boat or canoe and anglers can cast a line for trout, northern, bass, crappie, or sunfish.
As one of Minnesota's newest State Recreation Areas, Cuyuna's 5,000 acres are mostly undeveloped. Off-highway vehicles are not permitted within the boundaries of Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area.
Park Highlights:
Camping
Trout Fishing
Canoeing
Mountain Biking
Scuba Diving
Fat Biking
Fat Biking
Winter doesn't stop us! We've got 40 miles of groomed trails for premier fat biking.
Mountain Biking
Get your heart pumping with the tight turns and scenic vistas of over 30 miles of singletrack trail spread across 800 acres!
Portsmouth Campground
There are 18 electric sites and 15 non-electric sites, plus a group camp located in this campground on the northwest shore of the Portsmouth Mine Pit Lake (395 feet deep).
Forestry Campgrounds and Day-Use Areas
Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area also manages two DNR Forestry Campgrounds and one Day-Use Area.These facilities include the Clint Converse Campground in Land O'Lakes State Forest and Greer Lake Campground and Pelican Beach Day-Use Area in Crow Wing State Forest. Camping is first-come, first-serve.
For information, contact Cuyuna State Recreation Area at 218-546-5926.
Camping
Drive-in Sites 29 sites
Camping is available at the Portsmouth Campground. The campground is located on the northwest shore of Portsmouth Mine Lake. The campground has both shaded sites and open, grassy sites. 18 electric and 15 non-electric sites are available for camping during the regular camping season. All campsites require reservations.
Walk-in Sites 4 sites
Same as above, but without drive-in access.
Group Camp 1 site - accommodates up to 25 people
Site is located in a wooded area within a short distance of restrooms/showers, swimming beach and mountain bike trails.
Trails
Summer
Paved Bike 8 Miles
The Cuyuna Lakes State Trail.
Mountain Bike 25 miles
Winter
Other 40 Miles
Approximately 40 miles of various trails are packed primarily for fat biking, but snowshoes and cross country skiiers are welcome too. These trails are off limits to hikers, except for the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail.
Recreation Facilities
Summer
Picnic Area Two Picnic Areas
The Pennington Water Access picnic area has two picnic tables and one pedestal grill.
The Miner's Mountain Rally Center picnic area has 12 picnic tables, one picnic shelter and lake access.
Other Mine tours, scenic overlooks
Croft Mine: Open for self-guided tours from Memorial Day through Labor Day, Sat-Sun 10 AM to 6 PM.
Portsmouth Overlook: East side of Portsmouth Mine Lake, off of Hwy 6.
Miner's Mountain Overlook: Located near the Miner's Mountain Rally Center, overlooking Huntington Mine Lake.
Closed to vehicles in the winter.
Water
Swimming Beach Portsmouth Campground
Boat Access Drive-in and carry-in
Canoe Access Drive-in and carry-in
Other Shore Fishing
Shorefishing available throughout the park.
Lake Minnewashta Regional Park
6900 Hazeltine Boulevard, Chanhassen, MN
Lake Minnewashta Regional Park is a developing park on the shores of Lake Minnewashta. Facilities completed to date include a swimming beach, bathhouse, reservable picnic shelters, volleyball courts, creative playground, and concession stand.
Minnehaha Regional Park
4801 S Minnehaha Drive, Minneapolis, MN
Histry of Minnehaha Park:
Name: The park was officially named Minnehaha State Park when it was purchased by Minneapolis for the state of Minnesota in 1889. In 1906 it was officially designated as a part of Mississippi Park, which included the parkways on both sides of the river and Riverside Park. The name Minnehaha comes from words in the Dakota language that mean waterfall. The popular translation of "laughing waters" comes from a felicitous, but too literal Anglophone translation of "ha ha".
At that time the park board was more accommodating to relinquishing land for freeways. As the demand for park land for highways increased, however, the park board eventually fought those actions with bitter determination. The conflict between highways and parks came to a head over highway plans for Hiawatha Avenue (Highway 55) in the mid-1960s. The highway department planned a freeway from down town to the airport via that route. The plan was to build an elevated freeway between Minnehaha Park and Longfellow Gardens over Minnehaha Creek. The park board hired its own consultants who proposed a plan that would divert the freeway around the western edge of Longfellow Garden. That plan would have maintained the integrity of the parks better, but would have required the dislocation of more homes and businesses, which the state and the neighborhood fought strenuously.
The park board challenged the highway plan all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Before the case could be heard by that court, however, it ruled in a similar case from Nashville, Tennessee in favor of the preservation of park land. That decision set a precedent that doomed the highway department's plan. Before a compromise could be reached federal money for building the highway was no longer available. The highway was eventually built in the late-1990s to a plan that put the highway through a tunnel over Minnehaha Creek covered by a "land bridge" between Minnehaha Park and Longfellow Garden. A new garden, named Longfellow Garden, was created on top of the land bridge.
With the plans for the highway moving forward, the park board also developed a master plan to renovate the park. In 1995, a new garden, the Pergola Garden, featuring native wildflowers and grasses, was created overlooking the falls from the south.
Over the next two years, the parking lot that once overlooked the falls from the east was removed to the edge of the park and traffic was no longer permitted up to the falls. The parking lot was replaced by a garden and the fountain with Longfellow's words inscribed. The durable old refectory was given a veranda and a band shell was built east of the refectory.
In 2007 a new river overlook was built in the Wabun picnic area and a children's playground was added to the picnic area. Restoration of the creek in the lower glen began in 2008: the creek banks were stabilized and retaining walls and footings installed by WPA crews during the Great Depression were replaced. Work in the lower glen was completed in 2010 with the restoration of native vegetation.
Glacial Lakes State Trail
The Glacial Lakes State Trail is located on a former Burlington Northern railroad grade, and is generally level and wheelchair accessible. The trail is paved for 22 miles between Willmar, Spicer, New London, Hawick, and the Kandiyohi/Stearns County line, and a five mile stretch from Richmond to Roscoe is also paved.
The many lakes make this area a popular tourist destination. The towns along the trail provide access points, rest stops, and other services to trail users.