I get a lot of requests here at Twin City Sidewalks, and one in particular keeps coming up.
does anyone want to write a post about how to bike into/out of downtown Saint Paul from the west
So by popular demand, here it is, your definitive list of bike lane options going from downtown Saint Paul to the west.
9 comments:
Yeah, no good bike lanes. I often wrap around past the capitol building and then connect up to Summit Ave. On my way into downtown from Summit Ave, I sometimes go through the Minnesota History Center parking lot and enter downtown on 10th street.
Don’t forget the handy bike lane up Ramsey Hill!
If the Midtown Greenway gets extended over the river, do you think that will motivate St. Paul to connect Downtown to new bike bridge?
Probably not? Summit Ave. bike lane good enough? Magic 8-ball what say you?
When I lived in S. MPL I would often take the river road to Shepherd Road into Saint Paul, then cross over the river via the Wabasha Bridge, drop down into Harriet Island park and take the bike lane west. This only works if Water Street isn't flooded. According to a bike map I just consulted, this part is called the lilydale regional trail. Just past the yacht club, take the bike path along the bluffs, that eventually goes behind Lucky 13. Cross over to get up to the Mendota Bridge that takes you across the river, and now you're in Minneapolis. I would then take the bike path through the edge of Fort Snelling, Minnehaha Falls Park, and then choose my lane from there. Since I lived on Minnehaha near East Lake street, that was an easy ride from the falls.
Now that I live in Saint Paul, we often take the route others have mentioned, the bike lanes up to the Cathedral and take Marshall to Lake. But that is usually because we like to do stuff around the East Lake street/lLongfellow neighborhood.
If we're going north, it's more likely that we'll take a route over to como ave, and then try to hop on the commuter paths that go past the University. I haven't done this one in a long time so I can't be more specific right now.
Debbie:
That is my favorite route, especially since I live on the West Side! It's pretty much "the scenic route" though, as it adds a lot of miles if you're just going somewhere central in Minneapolis.
1.) Put your bike on the 21 and then get off somewhere on Selby past the Cathedral.
Hahaha, that's so true XD
I remember doing Saint Claire on a few occasions, and Grand, and I think Selby. There's also that one bike trail that goes along 35E, that might be the best, though it can be a bit out of the way, and last time I took it, the asphalt was pretty rough (I doubt it's be repaved since the mid 90s or something).
Actually they just repaved the 35E "sneaky trail" last year! It is still out of the way tho.
I rarely bike out of downtown St. Paul, but when I have to I eventually end up going west at some point. I effectively take 7th to Kellogg to John Ireland to Rice Street. I suppose I pass Charles going that way and would probably take Charles west if I was going over to the Midway area or something.
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