The Medicine Lake Regional Trail is a
bicycle trail
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Howe ...
that runs from the
Medicine Lake Regional Park in
Plymouth, Minnesota
Plymouth is a city in Hennepin County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. A suburb in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, the city is about west of downtown Minneapolis. The population was 81,026 at the 2020 census, making it Minnes ...
, to the
Elm Creek Park Reserve in
Maple Grove. The trail runs for and is maintained by Three Rivers Park District.
Route description
The Medicine Lake Regional Trail starts at the
Luce Line Regional Trail
Three Rivers Park District is a special park district serving the suburban areas of the Twin Cities including suburban Hennepin, Carver, Dakota, Scott, and Ramsey counties. Three Rivers's mission is "To promote environmental stewardship throug ...
just south of Medicine Lake in Plymouth. The trail starts heading north on the east side of Medicine Lake. The trail then starts heading through the Medicine Lake Park Reserve. The trail then goes north into northern Plymouth where it has crossings with Rockford Road (County Road 9, CR ), Bass Lake Road (CR 10), and
Interstate 494
Interstate 494 (I-494) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway making up part of a beltway of I-94, circling through the southern and western portions of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota. The road is coupled with I ...
(I-494). The trail then leaves Plymouth and enters Maple Grove where it has crossings at Weaver Lake Road (CR 109), Elm Creek Boulevard (CR 152),
CR 81, and
State Highway 610 (MN 610). The trail then ends at the Rush Creek Regional Trail at the Elm Creek Park Reserve.
History
The trail was affected in an August 2006 plan to eliminate confusion on the part of bicyclists using the Three Rivers Park District trail system.
In July 2008, the
Minnesota Department of Transportation
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT, ) oversees Transportation in Minnesota, transportation by all modes including land, water, air, rail, walking and bicycling in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Cabinet (government), cabinet-lev ...
closed the trail's bridge over CR 81 after reports that it was shocking trail users crossing the bridge. MN/DOT concluded that trail users were safe since the level of shock was low, but gave the bridge additional grounding before reopening the bridge.
[ ] Since then, warning signs have been installed on the approaches to the bridge warning trail users of the risk of shock.
Crossings
See also
*
*
References
{{Minnesota hiking trails
Bike paths in Minnesota