MRT Riding Day 6 - 8/6/2026 - Little Falls to St. Cloud - 39 miles

Today we switched to the west side of the Mississippi River and followed river side roads all the way to St. Cloud. We rode on a combination of the Great River Road and the MRT.  We had the best views of the Mississippi that we have had yet on this tour.  The weather was sunny and the temps were great, but once again we had strong headwinds.   

We stopped at the Lindbergh Museum just south of Little Falls. We visited the grounds but the house was closed. 

Beautiful river side views today with wide shoulder roads and almost no traffic.

MRT Riding Day 5 - 8/5/2026 - Brainerd to Little Falls - 37 miles

We enjoyed the final 14 miles of the Paul Bunyan Trail this morning as we left Brainerd and the trail wound its way beside the Mississippi.   Once off the trail, the route was along Highway 371 on the east side of the river.   371 had nice wide shoulders so we felt relatively safe.  But the traffic was definitely noisy.   There were several frontage roads along the way to provide relief from the high noise.  While the route was totally flat the main challenge was a strong headwind with gusts of up to 25 MPH.

Still following the MRT (Mississippi River Trail) hike route signs.

 Navigators photo over the pilot's shoulder.  The road was a bit busy but the shoulders were good.

We learned that the Minnesota highways have ATV lanes in the side ditches!

The Mississippi is steadily growing as we ride south.

 

MRT 8/4/2026 - DAY OFF - Enjoying Brainerd MN

Saw some sights in town.  And here is the Mississippi from the Brainerd bridge.  After 100+ miles wondering south from Bemidji it is a bit wider. 

MRT Riding Day 4 - 8/3/2026 – Pequot Lakes to Brainerd – 25 miles

Today the Paul Bunyan Trail led us to Brainerd. We continued our journey along many lakes and through dense forester.   The trail was almost completely flat.  Besides a steady headwind, the weather was again ideal.

 

Stopping at Nisswa for morning coffee and tea right next to the trail.   Taking a relaxed pace today with a short distance to ride.

 

MRT Riding Day 3 - 8/2/2026 - Walker to Pequot (Pee-Kwot) - 37 miles

 Continuing riding the Paul Bunyan Trail today.  We had a pretty good headwind today.  The great tree lined trail helped with both the wind and the heat.    There are several nice small towns on the route spaced just right for taking a break. So many lakes along the way.  Today we learned that to be called a lake the body of water must be at least 10 acres in surface area.  Minnesota has 11,842 such bodies of water.  Whoa !

 

We will be following the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) on most of our trip. 

 

Lucette statue at Hackensack – Paul Bunyans girlfriend

MRT Riding Day 2 - 8/1/2026 - Bemidji to Walker, MN – 34 miles

 Today the real riding starts!  However, we like to ride shorter distances early on so that we can get used to the touring lifestyle once again.

 

The route from the Bemidji to Walker was all on the paved Paul Bunyan Trail.   Beautiful lakes, river crossings, and many streams.   All the water ways along our route drain into the Mississippi which is wondering around between the lakes just east of us.  We will be following the Mississippi closely in the coming days.   The trail had a few rough spots but in general was wonderful.   Pretty good surface for being this far north.

Beautiful, level, paved trail all the way today. 

 

MRT Riding Day 1 - 7/31/2026 - Bemidji, MN - 12 miles

Bemidji Lake is the farthest northern most part of the Mississippi River.  This is where we are starting our Mississippi River Trail (MRT) bike trip, riding south to St. Louis / St. Charles, MO.   Yesterday we stopped on Itasca State Park, MN to see the Mississippi River headwaters just south of Bemidji.

 

The Mississippi Headwaters at Itasca State Park.  Lots of people swimming at the headwaters - that was unexpected. 

 

Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox at Bemidji

The size of the Mississippi as it exits Bemidji Lake