I’ve wanted to ride this route for a very long time. I had a great summer of bike commuting and bikepacking, but hadn’t ridden in 6 weeks. Could I ride the Grand Rounds in one day? One last hurrah before the snow flies? An easy breezy Sunday ride around the city? Yes!
LETS GO!
TRIP DETAILS
LENGTH 51 miles (we did a 40 mile loop)
DIFFICULTY easy, paved terrain with a few hills
DATE VISITED November 12, 2023
MAIN FEATURES The Grand Rounds Scenic Byway is a paved multi-use path that orbits the heart of Minneapolis, taking you through its history, culture and some of the city’s best views! The 51 Mile loop is divided into 7 districts and takes you through many natural features, including (7) lakes, creeks, a 53 ft waterfall, the Mississippi River, wooded areas, as well as parks, playgrounds, picnic areas, gardens, and scenic bridges. There are many historic stops and signs to read along the way, so you can go as fast or slow as you like and there’s always something new to see!
Our counter clockwise route started and ended at Theodore Wirth Park and ended up being around 40 miles instead of the listed 51 miles. Looking back, I attribute this to riding along the east side of the chain of lakes vs. doubling back on the one way trails around the lakes, skipping the east bank of the Mississippi, and accidentally heading straight to the Stone Arch Bridge instead of looping the Downtown District. Here’s a snapshot of all of the sections, official mileage, and more detail of each segment below!
- Theodore Wirth (4 miles)
- Chain of Lakes (13.3 miles)
- Minnehaha (12.6 miles)
- Downtown Riverfront (1.2 miles)
- Mississippi River (9.2 miles)
- Northeast (6 miles)
- Victory Memorial (3.8 miles)
Mileage Source: Explore Minnesota
The Grand Rounds can be ridden in one continuous loop or enjoyed in sections. If you are riding the entire loop, or the Northeast segment, counterclockwise direction is more downhill than uphill. I do not have any elevation data to prove this, but I have ridden it both ways, and it was nice to coast down some nice long downhills at the end of a long ride.
History of the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway
The Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway is part of the Federal Highway Administration’s National Scenic Byways Program, which recognizes and supports outstanding roads. The Grand Rounds is one of the country’s longest continuous systems of public urban parkways and has been the preeminent urban parkway system for more than a century.
Originally conceived by Horace W. S. Cleveland and other visionaries in the early days of the Minneapolis Park System, the Grand Rounds is a unique example of a connected park system created for the benefit of the citizens and visitors of Minneapolis.The Grand Rounds has been nominated for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
-Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board
While riding the rounds you will also see signs for two other scenic trails, the Great River Road– est. 1938 and the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) – est. 1996-2000. Both of these routes will take you along the Mississippi River through 10 states and roughly 3,000 miles of scenery. I have seen signs for these routes on other trips and it was cool to see where they intersect, right here in the heart of Minneapolis.
Theodore Wirth Segment
We started at the Trailhead, which is a newer construction multipurpose building in Theo Wirth Park. It’s a hub for mountain bikers, hikers and cross country skiers, and great place to start! We started around 9:30 am, with temperatures in the low to mid 40s degrees and a wearing a few extra layers. From the trailhead, we headed south through the golf course and our first lake- Wirth Lake!
Chain of Lakes Segment
The first lake you’ll see is the smallest of the Chain of Lakes, Brownie Lake! The trail continues to Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles, Bde Maka Ska, Lake Harriet and Lake Nokomis. Each lake has a one way trail with bike and pedestrian lanes. We opted to bike one side of Cedar, Bde Maka Ska, Harriet and loop all the way around Lake of the Isles and Nokomis due to where the one way trail enters and not wanting to double back. If you’re hungry or need to refuel, this section has a wide variety of places to stop and grab a bite in the Uptown area.
Minnehaha Segment
This segment was one of my favorites on the trip and it was my first time riding on a good chunk of it. The Minnehaha segment winds through heavily wooded areas along Minnehaha Creek and ends at a 52 ft waterfall! You can read more about Minnehaha Falls in this post!
The Minnehaha segment had less traffic, and the delightfully quiet sound of the bubbling creek and Tamarack trees that glowed golden and bright in the Autumn sun. “Are we still in the city?” I asked. In the summer Minnehaha Falls is a hopping place with a nice restaurant, places to picnic and easy access for all to enjoy.
Mississippi Segment
This segment of the trail winds down West River Road along the banks of the Mississippi River, near the University of Minnesota. Below the high view of the trail are old oak savannas, sandy shorelines and historical and cultural sites including Bohemian Flats and the Winchell Trail. The Winchell Trail is a 5 mile round trip hike that follows steep trails and gorges with spanning views of the shores of the Mississippi River.
Downtown Riverfront Segment
There are plenty of signs on this trail, but we got a little turned around at the downtown riverfront area after crossing the historic Stone Arch Bridge and ended up missing part of this segment. Something for next time! Our route crossed over the Mississippi River, the Guthrie Theater and the old Mill City ruins. We enjoyed seeing the old part of town and the city skyline against the bright blue sky!
Northeast Segment
Despite the numerous signs, we got turned around here too and accidentally rode the Northeast Diagonal Trail- but if you’re going to accidentally pick a trail to ride, it’s a great one! Very pretty and short enough to course correct. Before our detour, we stopped for a sandwich and took the opportunity for a longer break before our final stretch.
The trail winds through more wooded parkway and bridges with views of the Minneapolis Skyline and the Missisippi River. This is also the hilliest section of the ride, but the counterclockwise route is more downhill than up.
Victory Memorial Segment
The east to west segment of the parkway is a lovely trail that borders the city of Camden and does not share the road with cars. The bike and walking path (added in 1975) is long, flat and lined with trees and open green space. Although I have driven on the north to south segment, this was the first time that I noticed the many memorials that are located inside the centerline of the parkway. Victory Memorial Drive was completed in 1921, is designated as a historic district and and serves as a memorial to the Men and Women who served in World War 1. Our ride was shortly after Veteran’s day, so the parkway was lined with American flags to commemorate. We stopped to learn more and talked about the wonderful things you are able to notice on a bicycle vs. a car.
Back to Theo!
We had flat, easy riding for the rest of the route and then one nice long downhill coast into Theodore Wirth Park at the end of our fun day! We got back to where we started just before 3:30 pm and celebrated with an early dinner at Mill Valley Market, which is a tasty restaurant inside of the Trailhead building! TACOS!
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned, I’ve wanted to ride this route for a very long time. On the morning of our ride, I realized that exactly 7 years ago to the day, I hiked 20 miles on the Grand Rounds with our oldest son as part his Hiking Merit Badge Requirement. To the day! I’ve led three 20 mile group hikes on this route, and ridden segments many times, but but so glad to have finally had the opportunity to enjoy (almost all of) the trail in one trip to see it all stitched together! Next time, we’ll hit all 50 miles!
Minneapolis Parks are known for their thoughtful planning and accessibility, and being able to enjoy the history and beauty of so many of them in one ride is something to be grateful for and I hope to do again soon!
Have you ridden the Grand Rounds? I’d love to hear about it!
Drop me a note in the comments or say a little hello on the Wandering Pine FB & IG.
Happy Trails!
~WP
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