Back to Twin Cities Touring
Overview
Nice campground along the Mississippi River.
Bike Ride
The first part of the ride is so-so, but the Cannon Valley Trail is fantastic! Very senic and great biking. Beware that it’s a huge hill to climb to get to the campground at the park.
Camping
The campground was very so-so. The park is beautiful with nice views because of the bluffs along the Mississippi River.
Why I would go again
- Biking the Cannon Valley Trail is a delight!
- It’s pretty close
Why I would not go again
- There are places just as close that are better bike rides.
Story:
What a splendid ride on a Friday along the beautiful Cannon Valley Trail! It was pretty empty and my brother and I rode together from his house in Eagan to join a much bigger family camping trip. I rode alone on the way home (he rode in the car with his wife and kids). I met some desis and later that fall rode with them. I met a guy from Red Wing that helped establish the Cannon Valley trail! He was so friendly, and invited me to go camping. He led me to Lake Byllesby, where I had a nice swim. All of this took a lot of time and energy, and I realized it would be quite difficult for me to have the energy to finish the ride. So I biked to the Apple Valley Transit center and took a bus home from there. As I write this in 2019, this trip and the capsized canoe (see Baker Park) are the only times I didn’t finish a ride and took another form of transportation to get home. It’s ok, not everything goes as planned!
