Segments of the popular Minnesota River Bluffs and Cedar Lake regional trails northeast of Eden Prairie have been closed since 2019 for the construction of the Metro Green Line Extension light rail project. The refurbished trails are now fully open.
Casual weekend bike riders or kids and aerodynamic speedsters can again travel connecting trails from Eden Prairie to the Midtown Greenway, Lake of the Isles, Bde Maka Ska, and Lake Harriet to Minnehaha Creek, its waterfall, and the Mississippi River. Along the way, they’ll get close-up looks at new light rail stations and feel-good panoramas of signature Minnesota landscapes.
EPLN met trailside with John Jarvis, Jim Alexander and Chis Nelson, each one an informed and buff trail fan, for their takes on the reopenings.
John Jarvis
“You can take the River Bluffs Trail all the way to the Midtown Greenway via the Cedar Lake Trail and nearly downtown via the North Cedar Lake Trail,” says self-described “bike nerd” John Jarvis.
The longtime Eden Prairie resident recently retired from an engineering career in applied spectroscopy, a high-tech field measuring optical radiation. Jarvis would commute four miles by bike each way, year-round, on local streets between his family’s home near Pax Christi Catholic Community and his employer in West Bloomington. His routes involved serious hills and traffic. Rush hours are now part of his past. “At my age,” he quipped, “distracted drivers are my biggest fear. Cell phones are my enemy.”
The detour signs that began popping up like dandelions five years ago on trails sharing narrow corridors with freight trains and large construction cranes, trucks and work crews were a given. The zig-zag detours on local streets could be puzzling and scary. “The first time, it might be a little tricky,” he advises. “I’ve been lost so many times. But I know where I am at now.” In retirement, Jarvis is focusing his engineering savvy on bike tire pressure optimization.
Jim Alexander
“This has been frustrating for a lot of people including myself for how long its been taking to having the trail shut down,” says Metro Green Line Extension Project Director Jim Alexander. He had ridden his bike to Shady Oak Station in Hopkins to meet with this reporter at 8 a.m. on July 10.
The head of the nearly $3 billion public transit project regularly commutes on a bike between his home in Linden Hills and project headquarters in St. Louis Park.
As a few bike commuters sped by, the quiet-spoken Alexander, a geotechnical engineer, was delighted with the look of the new station – its parking lot, landscaping and street approaches – which seemed ready for passengers. He praised Hopkins and the project’s other partner cities for their significant investments in light rail.
Before bulldozers began carving track alignments about 5 1/2 years ago for what was branded Southwest Light Rail Transit (SWLRT), Alexander regularly rode the River Bluffs Trail. He’s an avid bicyclist with four high-end, two-wheel steeds and an unicycle.
Referring to delays at the Kenilworth Tunnel, Alexander said, “I can figure once we get it done, people will say, ‘Yeah, great.’” He chuckled some, then added, “But I’ve been in front of some angry crowds.”
The landscaping on the tunnel cover and wider sections of the corridor will feature bike lanes, pedestrian walkways and the West 21st Street Station.
Chris Nelson
Cycling enthusiast Chris Nelson recognizes Alexander as a trail ally. The Hopkins resident, a digital advertising sales marketer, formed and administers the SWLRT Trail Status Facebook Group.
His social media posse shares alerts sparked by trail flooding, debris, fallen trees, and temporary closures. It also tracks the slow LRT construction progress, which shapes the status of trails from Hopkins to Target Field.
Nelson said he was “over the moon” during a July 1 ride when he noticed that the new hike-and-bike tunnel under the busy, four-lane Blake Road had finally opened. For Nelson, it was perhaps an E.T. and Elliott bicycle moment, not flying past a full moon over suburban California but through a tunnel in Hopkins.
Two weeks later, several inches of rainwater flooded the tunnel. A Facebook commenter dubbed it “B-Lake Tunnel.” Responding to Nelson’s query, project staff explained that an electrical breaker malfunction had shut down the tunnel’s lift pumps. The fix was made, and Blake Lake was sucked dry.
For casual trekkers
The Minnesota River Bluffs LRT Trail, which angles through Eden Prairie, is one of 18 regional trails maintained by Three Rivers Park District. The leafy and scenic Chanhassen-Eden Prairie-Minnetonka stretch is served by only a single oasis, Smith Coffee, on Eden Prairie Road. East of Minnetonka, the route becomes a tad cosmopolitan, with near-the-trail cafes, bars, craft breweries, car dealers, lumber yards, factories, and connections to other regional and local trails.
Consider the following Eden Prairie Local News (EPLN) notes for relaxed, northeasterly trail outings beyond Eden Prairie. Amble along at your own pace to appreciate what the speedsters have yet to notice.
Minnetonka side trip
At the Rowland Road crossing, bicyclists can begin a four-mile, scenic round trip along the street-side trail east to Lone Lake Park in Minnetonka and Bryant Lake Regional Park in Eden Prairie. Lone Lake’s amenities include a spring-fed branch of Nine Mile Creek, a restored prairie wetland, a big woods, and a mountain bike trail. The regional park also offers a swimming beach, boat rentals, disc golf, a snack, sandwich and soda concession, and picnic tables.
Hopkins
The regional trail shares the Green Line Extension corridor eastward from Shady Oak Station just inside Hopkins.
The 11th Avenue South trail crossing sports a Wendy’s restaurant. Bikers can pedal south on 11th Avenue, following signs, to the 15-mile-long Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail. It serpentines through wetlands in Hopkins and Edina, sometimes on elevated boardwalks, and passes through Centennial Lakes Park with its lagoons, croquet lawn and eateries. The Nine Mile Creek Trail (but not the stream) crosses Richfield to connect with the Minnesota River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and Lake Nokomis.
At the Downtown Hopkins Station on 8th Avenue South, walk bikes across Excelsior Boulevard to reach restaurants, a craft brewery, and the Lake Minnetonka LRT Regional Trail. This trail connects westward to Lake Minnetonka, Excelsior, Shorewood, Carver Park Reserve, and Victoria.
The Green Line Extension rises next to the former Depot Coffee Shop to span Excelsior Boulevard and freight rail tracks. Before light rail construction and the pandemic, the Depot refilled water bottles and sold juice, coffee, and muffins to cyclists. It was also a safe hangout for teens. The Depot’s free parking lot is now maintained by the Three Rivers Park District.
The Depot marks the eastern end of the Minnesota River Bluffs Trail. The Cedar Lake and North Cedar Lake trails meet on the other side of Excelsior Boulevard. It’s a busy intersection; Highway 169 on- and off-ramps funnel into it.
North Cedar Lake Trail
The North Cedar hike and bike ribbon threads north through Hopkins alongside Highway 169 and then eastward onto a quilt of St. Louis Park neighborhoods, parks, and gardens before entering Minneapolis. East from Highway 100, trekkers pass through a 3.5-mile stretch of restored prairie vibrant with native grasses, wildflowers, pollinators, and birds. The North Cedar connects to a Minneapolis trail on the west shore of Cedar Lake.
Trail advocate Dave Carlson tells EPLN that the North Cedar Lake Trail now crosses under Interstate 394 with a busy freight line and a light rail alignment being readied for tracks. Near a barrier, a spur trail curls under downtown freeways to the Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
After its complete makeover is finished sometime in 2025, the Kenilworth Trail east of Cedar Lake will be reconnected to both Cedar Lake trails. Check the entire light rail project’s street and trail detour updates and maps here.
Beltline Boulevard Bridge and Station. July 14 photo
Cedar Lake Regional Trail
The 4.5-mile Cedar Lake Regional Trail from Highway 169 to the Midtown Greenway is not only served by the new tunnel under Blake Road in Hopkins but another under Wooddale Avenue and an impressive span over Beltline Boulevard, light rail and freight tracks in St. Louis Park. A mile east of the bridge, a temporary route around the Lake Street Station construction site connects to the Midtown Greenway. Neighborhood gardens and pit stops edge the 5.5-mile Greenway on its way to the Chain of Lakes and the Mississippi River trails.
In case you need to know
One of the bicycles John Jarvis rides is an 11-speed Salsa Mukluk, pictured above. The bike was developed and engineered by Quality Bicycle Products in Bloomington. Bike enthusiasts typically use these so-called “fat bikes,” equipped with knobby and studded tires, to navigate snow and ice. The Minnesota River Bluffs trail is plowed during the winter but can ice up after thaws
Last Friday, July 26, Jarvis rode his bike 56 miles west from Eden Prairie to a farm near Brownton. He camped out there with other cyclists. Early Saturday morning, he, a friend, and others began a 100-mile tour of McLeod County’s gravel and dirt roads. The event is called “The Dirty Lemming.”
Editor’s Note: Writer Jeff Strate is a founding member of the EPLN Board. From February 2015 through February 2017, Jeff served on the SWLRT Community Advisory Committee as an at-large member.
Special bike tour slated for Tuesday Aug. 6, 1 to 3 p.m.
Join Met Council Chair Charlie Zelle and Green Line Extension Project Director Jim Alexander for a 4.5-mile bike ride on the Cedar Lake Regional Trail. Ride your bike to the event. The tour departs at 1:10 p.m. on the trail behind Greenway Commons Mall on West Lake Street, Minneapolis. The info-packed trek ends at what Hopkins claims to be “The World’s Largest Raspberry.” The red monument is anchored in a parking lot next to LTD Brewing on 8th Avenue.
Event links
Starting Point: Ride your bike to the trail behind the Greenway Lakes Commons Ride. Parking is only for shoppers.
Ending Point: 8th Avenue, Hopkins, at the giant raspberry.
The Full Route: Map
To register and get more info, contact Laura Baenen at Metro Transit via
email or phone 612-269-4365.
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