Twin Cities Metro Area Short & Sweet Bike Trails

If you have an hour or an afternoon, these trails are for you. We’re working our way through the Twin Cities Metro bike trails and we’ll add them as we ride them.

Hardwood Creek Trail: 9.5 miles

Hugo, MN

The paved 9.5-mile Hardwood Creek Trail starts in Hugo and travels through Forest Lake along Highway 61 through mostly residential areas and the shopping districts of both towns. This trail is built on a former railroad grade and is flat and level. An adjacent natural surface trail is used by equestrians and groomed for snowmobiles in the winter. Just north of Forest Lake, at the Washington/Chisago County line it connects with the 17.5 mile Sunrise Prairie Trail, which ends in North Branch.

The Hardwood Creek Trail is well marked

Crossing West Broadway Avenue in Forest Lake

Map of both trails along the way

If it wasn’t for this sign you wouldn’t know it. At the county line you continue on to the next trail

Sunrise Prairie Trail: 17.5 miles

North Branch, MN

The Sunrise Prairie Trail starts in North Branch and travels south through the towns of Stacy and Wyoming through mostly rural and wooded areas, although I35W is never far away. Just north of Forest Lake, at the Washington/Chisago County line it connects with Hardwood Creek Trail into Hugo. Like on the Hardwood Creek Trail, an adjacent natural surface tread way is used by equestrians and groomed for snowmobiles in the winter. A future connection north to the Willard Munger State Trail is being considered. In the future, the Swedish Immigrant Trail will connect to the Sunrise Prairie Trail in Wyoming and run northeast to Interstate State Park.

Near Wyoming, MN the trail becomes more wooded

Map of both trails along the way

If it wasn’t for this sign you wouldn’t know it. At the county line you continue on to the next trail

Advertising mural in North Branch

Swedish Immigrant Trail: 10.4 miles in segments

Two segments between Chicago City and Interstate State Park

When complete, the Swedish Immigrant Trail will connect the town of Wyoming on the Sunrise Prairie Trail to Interstate State Park and be about 20 miles long. Currently, two short segments exist: A four-mile paved section between Center City and Chisago City and a and a 6.4-mile route traveling southwest from Interstate State Park to a dead end west of Shafer.