Minnesota River Bottoms

The "River Bottoms" is a network of official and un-official trails just south of Minneapolis along the Minnesota River flood plane. They're pretty flat, mostly straight, with plenty of sandy, and full of itch weed in the summer. What more could you ask for? How about flooding? They do that regularly as well.

Fortunately for me, the trails are positioned in a way that makes them part of my preferred commute to and from work. 6-10 miles of single track on the way to work, 365 days a year, is pretty rad, no matter what trail you are riding.

I am a berms, bumps, and jumps kind of guy. The River Bottoms has none of this. However, with all the time I have spent on this trail system, I have learned to appreciate it. If I want to make it more exciting, I ride my stripped down SS Karate Monkey and sprint through the woods wide open. If I don't have the legs to hammer, I ride the Moonlander and crawl the river banks looking for mud, sand, and snow.

Basically, I have learned that any trail is what you make of it and you don't need a bad ass trail to have a great time. If nothing else, you can always fall back on wheelies and no-handed offroad riding to keep things interesting.

Below is an assortment of pictures I have taken over the years while riding the river bottoms. If you get the chance, swing down and give them a try. It isn't the best trail system, but you will be on your bike, in the dirt, and that's all you need.

An illustrated map of the Minnesota river bottom bike trails
My usual route is between J and C.

Left side view of a brown Surly Karate Monkey bike, leaning against a downed tree, on a muddy bank facing a river
SS Karate Monkey with Knard 29x3 front.

Handlebars of a Surly Krampus bike, facing straight down a gravel road, with changing trees on both sides
The service road always works well for wheelie practice.

Right side of a green Surly Krampus bike and trailer, parked on a grassy part of a river bottom valley
Pulling the Bob trailer with my Krampus doing some trail work.

Right side view of a green Surly Krampus bike and trailer, parked on a grassy bank, with a barge in a river behind it
Barge traffic is always something to check out.

Rear, right side view of a green Surly Krampus bike, parked in tall green weeds, next to a foggy marsh
Foggy morning on the Krampus.

Front view of a cyclist riding their Surly bike over the roots of a down tree, on a dirt trail in the woods
Surly product manager, Adam, riding one of the infrequent obstacles on the trail.

Rear view of a cyclist riding their bike between 2 large trees, on a dirt trail that runs alongside a river
Surly brand manager, Peter, ripping between some monster trees.

Straight away view of a dirt trail in the bare woods
Nearly every ride has a few deer sightings.

Downward view of a wood deck raft, in a river with green trees on the sides, against the bank
"The raft" is used to cross 9-mile creek. This picture was taken while the water height is just above average I would say.

Left side view of a bike on a dirt bank, next to a river with a wood deck raft in the middle, in the green woods
When the water gets low, the raft is almost useless. However, those who have tried to ford the creek know that it is almost always a bad decision, ha. Inevitably, you loose 50 pounds of food, 2 wagon wheels, and somebody gets dysentery.

A wood deck raft, in a river and next to the bank
This is the highest water level I have managed to ride the trail during. This is no where near how high the water can get though.

Front view of a cyclist, standing with their bike with the front wheel up, on a fallen tree over a river in the woods
When the raft isn't functional, the tree crossing gets the job done.

Rear view of a cyclist riding towards green trees, on a flooded, sandy trail in a river valley
A little water over the trail doesn't stop us.

Rear view of a bike laying on top of a dirt bank of a river in the woods
Tell me this doesn't look like a playground.

Rear view of 2 Surly bikes, leaning on a hill single file, on a dirt trail in the woods
Gets a little tight through the buck thorn tunnel.

Panoramic, front left view of a cyclist, standing with their yellow Surly fat bike, on a bridge over a wetlands area
Here with Tanner checking out the Old Cedar bridge.

Front view of a cyclist standing under the steel beams of a bridge, with their yellow Surly fat bike behind them
A little River Bottoms art work.

Front, right side view of a red Surly Moonlander fat bike, parked on a platform with a river bridge post on it
Taking a break under the "Swing Bridge" with my Moonlander.

Rear, right side view of a red Surly Moonlander fat bike, standing in deep mud, on a flat river bank
Tire testing in the mud, BRAP!

Breaking trail after a fresh snow. Pure awesome.

Front, left side view of a red Surly Moonlander fat bike, standing in deep snow, on a trail next to a river
Many areas of the trail have consistent traffic all year which makes them great for reliable winter single track.

More fresh snow on the Moonlander.

Front view of a white Surly Pugsley bike, on a snowy covered trail, beside a frozen river with bare trees on the sides
First tracks on the river bank with my SS Pugsley.

Right side view of a white Surly Pugsley fat bike with a cyclist behind, on top of a bank with a frozen river below
Say cheese.

Close up, right side view of the muddy downtube of a red Surly Moonlander fat bike, with a brick wall behind it

About ThorHammer

Thor designs frames, tires, and lots of other parts for Surly. He has trouble fitting into most hats, as his head is surprisingly rotund, and he wears flip-flops as soon as it’s warm enough. On a bike, Thor rides like normal people can’t, which he always does on platform pedals in Vans with no socks because, and I’m quoting here, “I like to feel everything.” In short, Thor gets rad on a regular basis.