The new trail is another section of the Mill Towns State Trail that eventually will extend from Faribault to Cannon Falls. They are slowly working on one section at a time, only as funding allows. It has been years in the making…and there is a lot more sections yet to be completed.
We’re already enjoying this new section that starts near our home. It’s very convenient for us to hop on the bikes and get to the new trail. Currently, it’s about a 10-mile ride, out and back from our place. To extend the ride we can go to the nearby Dundas Trail and add more miles to our trip.
The new section runs along the Northfield Golf Course, then along Carleton’s upper arb. There is a long tunnel under the busy Highway 19, and then a nice, hilly trail through the woods that ends at an old abandoned, steel bridge, near Highway 47.
Thankfully there is a barricade at the end of the trail, since there is about an 8-foot gap between the trail and the bridge, and one could miss it and end up in the Cannon River.
They are continuing to work on a section of the trail, along Jefferson Parkway, which has created many vehicle detours that are inconvenient for our side of town…but, it will be worth it in the end.
