hennepin canal parkway

As a cyclist, I need to get away from cars from time to time. Most trails are short, don't go anywhere and are often crowded. This one goes from The Quad Cities nearly to Chicago and runs near charming, bike friendly towns like Colons and Geneseo along the way. The surface is smooth and the entire way is flat with many places to primitive camp. Because few cyclist get more than five miles from their home, wildlife has not learned to run away, so you see a lot of turtles, egrets, heron, deer, snakes, muscrat, and more. It does get far from towns at times and there aren't enough places to refill, so be sure to take plenty of water and some snacks.