I like this ride. I do. I finally even made it past Lake Calhoun and then suddenly realized I was near Steel Toe Brewing. Woo!! Weeeee!!! Set 'em up and I'll knock em down. Well at least one since I had to ride back. But anyway, that made the trip out west even better. Many people were using it when it was light but yowza! That was was a wicked headwind on my way home and it was getting dark. Just some additional safety observations during my ride: it seems like the homeless population are starting to grow. Some of the lights are out. Saw one person using the blue police responder to assist someone passed out in the weeds and at night, I didn't feel as safe on my ride home as I did on my ride in due to the waning light. I decided to follow some yahoo who was in far better shape then I am but I managed and by the time I made it back to Hwy 55, I was thoroughly knackered. None-the-less, I had a quick and enjoyable 15 mile ride and will go again. Anyway, it inspired a haiku: It is a nice ride Exits to good food and drink Sketchy in the night read more

The Greenway is part of the reason that Minneapolis was honored as Bicycling Magazine's Best Bike City in America in 2010. Yay us! Things I love about this spectacular local bike highway: -The Greenway feels better under my tires. It's smooth, like buttah. -Bikers and other Greenway users are protected from cars and buses, which scare the bejeezus out of me when I'm biking on busy streets like Franklin (aka the worst bike road in the best bike city... that's another tale though). -The bike path is flat, so I don't get tuckered out. -That bridge over Hiawatha is cRaZy cool. -Midtown Global Market has an entrance right on the Greenway for easy ethnic food access and pastries from the Salty Tart (cyclist fuel). -There's a bike shop mid-Greenway if I want to trick out my ride on the go. -Said bike shop is also a cafe for more cyclist fuel. -At night, the Greenway is the best place to roam with my bike gang. read more

Midtown Greenway - Active Life Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

A Freeway for bikes---need I say more? One of the many things that makes Minneapolis and St Paul such a cool place to live. They even plow it in the winter for the die-hards! If you are a blader, you'll appreciate the smooth trail, and if you are just out for a stroll, you'll appreciate the differing and beautiful scenery you'll pass by. My hubby used it to commute before his days at BB, and he misses how it not only was a great workout and saved gas, but also was a way to decompress from the day. read more

Midtown Greenway - Active Life Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Greenway is the yellow brick road to Oz! If you need to get somewhere in cities, the Greenway will get you there or connect you to another path you need. It's pretty well maintained, and very few stops for cars considering it runs inside the city. It's usually fairly busy, so I appreciate that people follow the rules. I can't stand a loose dog, child or star gazer walking all over the bike lanes. So, thankfully, that is rare. I enjoy seeing all the people out using the Greenway daily. If you needs some help, there is always Freewheel bike shop and some air pumps along the way. The community gardens are also starting to bloom and the spray art always adds extra color and excitement. If you have not taken this path before, you are missing out. It is the super-highway of all trails! read more

Yes, it really is "a Freeway for bikes"---you really can't describe it better than that! Biking on the Greenway -West River Parkway - University - St Anthony Main area are favorite bike routes that I enjoy in Minneapolis during the warmer months. I love that the Greenbelt gives me easy access to Calhoun and the other chain of lakes, also to northwest Minneapolis suburbs like St.Louis Park and Golden Valley. Save some gas money, enjoy the scenery, and cutting the breeze biking! A good workout that 's free and fun, too! read more

I LOVE this whole concept of converting old rail paths into bikeways! If you live remotely near any part of the greenway, you need to give cycling on it a try. It is smoothly paved, protected from traffic, and has minimal stops at intersections. This all in the city! Only improvements that could be made would be to make the path a little wider - make a slow lane and fast lane! read more

Anyone that has a bike and lives around Minneapolis should definitely start biking more often by using the Greenway trail to get from one place to another! I usually come to Minneapolis around the U of M campus to bike with my friends along the Greenway trail to get to Uptown Minneapolis for hang outs and food! It's very relaxing and a fun way to stay active throughout the summer! I'm sure many Minnesotans are very grateful for this biking trail so we don't have to worry so much about running into people, cars, stop lights, etc. I'd suggest to always bring a backpack with water and a sweater in case it sometimes gets chilly at night! read more

Midtown Greenway - Biking on the greenway trail during summer! - Active Life Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I love Minneapolis for having a Greenway dedicated to those who do not have cars! Thank you for providing us with an excellent, well-kept pathway to bring us from one side of the city to the other on our bikes, Rollerblades, and feet. you have been there for me in times of need over and over again, and I will always rely on you for as long as I remain in this city! Thank you Minneapolis, Thank you! read more

One of the main reasons I moved to this area was for the Greenway! Coming from out of town I'd never heard of such a concept but it intrigued me. Sure enough, almost every night I'm out there. Either walking my dogs or riding my bike, it's good for hours and hours of exercise and entertainment. Who needs a gym when you live on the Greenway! Seems safe enough, although I've seen a cop car drive up and down it before. One of the things I love most about it is how you can get off and check out all the little shops and restaurants along the way. I suggest going to their website and printing out a map of the stops so while your riding you'll have a better idea of places you want to stop off at! Tip: This summer the Sheraton hotel right next to the midtown global market and the bike shop is having happy hour on Thursday nights out on the Greenway patio! Cheap beer and apps, haven't tried it yet but I plan to soon! read more

What a great urban trail we have here in Minneapolis. I've used it frequently to commute to work over the past years. Most recently, I've marked off distances to do speed workouts with a friend. It beats jumping fences to get at the School tracks, and I can kick back and have a treat at Midway Cycles after. It can get sketchy at night, however. I know that there are 'neighborhood patrols' currently trying to keep crime down at night. Hopefully that will curb some of the incidents from occuring. read more

The nicest bike trail I've ever been on. Lots of beautiful community gardens and a bike shop along the way. It's well marked as well, so you can tell how far away your destination is. This is a great way to connect Uptown, Lake Calhoun and the UMN campus. I'm pretty sure I saw a prostitute...servicing a patron in some bushes underneath a bridge and I STILL give the Greenway five stars. That's how nice it is apart from that unpleasant incident. read more

I drool when I think about biking on the Greenway. Although I live in the NW suburbs (yeah...i know...), I made the trek out here last week to feel the wind in my, um, winter hat. It was an exhilarating experience. The entire path was plowed and I only encountered a few large puddles. This path is very smooth and quite level. The location of it is unbeatable. I had the pleasure of taking it into Hopkins before riding all the way back up the Maple Grove this past summer. I hope to take it further into Chanhassen this summer. I would love to hear how it is further West of the cities. I must say that my new bike is looking quite shabby after the ride due to the accumulation of sand in the brakes, chain, gears, and other mechanisms. Not to mention, my entire backside was covered in sand. I can agree with a passing cyclist when he stated, "you gotta get a fender!!". Nevertheless, the sand situation was a very minor tradeoff for this lovely afternoon ride. I still feel the satisfaction in my soul when I think about this first great biking experience of the season. Once my pretty little bike is cleaned out, trust me, I will be back on the Greenway. read more

Thank you, Minneapolis, for providing the planning and availability of bike "highways" like the Greenway. When it comes to bike highways, this is a slick version of a biker's crosstown- sans cars and near-death experiences. I can bike all the way out to my mother's house in Hopkins on the Greenway from the Mississippi River, with minimal interference from cars. Any opportunity to ride on a road without cars probably adds another day to your life expectancy. There are only 2 bad things about the Greenway. (1) It can be a scary place at night and I try to avoid biking after nightfall and (2) Sometimes it can get pretty crowded on the weekend, and bikers have to do a lot of dodging. read more

The Midtown greenway makes it very easy to get around by bike! You are protected from cars, it is wide enough for traffic both directions and it is flat. Of course Minneapolis in general is flat, but still. It is a lovely little path all by itself that winds through Minneapolis. Not all the scenery is great, but there are places where you get decent scenery and the sides are green. This is great instead of being fenced in next to walls or concrete. I took the greenway from my sisters house in Prospect Park over to downtown Minneapolis. Somehow I never knew about this path when I lived in the suburbs. read more

I love skating on the greenway. What a great way to get some skating time in, without worrying about cars possibly hitting me the majority of the trip. Usually I'll head out from the Hiawatha area, and go all the way to Hopkins, which is a good 15 mile round trip. Plus, kudos to the Parks & Rec for widening the bridges in the Calhoun area! So much easier to get through that section of the Greenway now! :) read more

The Greenway is a really, really cool idea. The path is really smooth and I feel pretty safe chugging along at a good clip because there are no cars. That said, I have had some problems with inexperienced riders or - gulp - rollerskaters not understanding how to communicate on the path (i.e. "on your left!") or not respecting the lanes. These have led to some close calls. So my advice to anyone looking to hop on for a ride are to enjoy but make sure that you keep your eyes open for people who might not quite know the rules of the road (or, I guess, path). Other than that, it's a very convenient path that will take you to a surprising amount of convenient locations. read more

One of my absolute favorite things about Minneapolis. Over the summer I spent every weekend biking the Greenway. It's such a nice path --really well kept -- and not too crowded, which gives you the option of racing or taking a leisurely trip. I loved that it led me straight to the Chain of Lakes, where I could bike alongside them some more or relax on the beach. Another awesome aspect of the greenway is the bike shop along the way. Perfect for a pitstop and a healthy snack, and the people working there were really friendly -- my first ride I got completely lost when trying to get to my apartment (it was off the greenway -- the greenway itself is really easy to navigate), and they were very helpful in leading me back. read more

I am trying to make the switch to locally-grown produce and buy all my groceries from the Produce Exchange at Midtown Global Market. I also recently installed fold-out grocery baskets to the rear rack of my bicycle so that I can do all my grocery shopping on two wheels. If it weren't for the Greenway, I probably would have given up after my first trip. There simply is no decent stretch of road that would offer a way to get between the PX and my house without threat of death by car. Thanks to the Greenway, I can ride safely to and from the grocery, even with my wide-load grocery baskets trailing me. Thanks, Greenway, for keeping me alive and keeping my carbon footprint as small as possible. read more

I try to stay away from superlatives, but the Greenway is the very bestest best thing about Minneapolis, a city that I like for half of the year. On a scale of 1-5, I give it a 9. It would be a 10, but for the everfucking rollerbladers. I used to commute from downtown St. Paul to Minneapolis using the Greenway (Summit - River Parkway - Marshall/Lake Bridge - Greenway), and had fantasies about mounting whirling razor blades on the front of my bike. Remember in "Gladiator" how some of the chariots at the gladiator fights had razors mounted on the wheels? Like that. I would be cooking down the Greenway, and a Day-Glo spandex-clad rollerblader would loom in front. Shooosh, shooosh, shooosh, taking up both bike lanes and pedestrian lane, I would move in for the kill. "On your left" I bark. Rollerblader remains oblivious, deafened by Aqua or whatever horrible noise doubtless playing on the iPod. "On your left" I bark again, giving myself good cause to clean up the Greenway. I shift gears, closing the distance between the Greenway-hogging rollerblading, and neatly clip off the offending leg with my razor blades. I am a hero, opening the Greenway to efficient passage for bicyclists and pedestrians, and ridding the world of yet another rollerblader who refused to die with the 90s. The Greenway is awesome. You can take it and its extensions from Eden Prairie to downtown St. Paul, with very few interruptions by any vehicular traffic. You'll have to take care of rollerbladers still, but that's a minor nuisance when you have bike-mounted razor blades. read more

I love the Greenway! There are lots of entrances/exits, it's fast, it's got smooth pavement, separate lanes based on direction and another for pedestrians, and it's just ridiculously fun. I'm so happy that I live a block away from an entrance. The Greenway has allowed me to easily ride my bike to Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet - if it didn't exist I'd probably end up driving. read more

I really want to love the greenway. I love that it exists and represents how progressive the cities are for bikers. It's convenient and fast. Like a freeway, it's not very scenic. However, it is filled with people who take biking too seriously and bike really fast. I'm tired of people screaming "on your left" at me. Maybe I just bike too slow. A kid on a tricycle passed me. read more

Hopped on the trail at the Depot in Hopkins...road west...exited after the Hiawatha Bridge and took streets to Birchwood Cafe for breakfast. The result, a net ZERO calorie breakfast! read more

I love the Midtown Greenway and us it often as part of my commute from Mac-Groveland in St. Paul to downtown Mpls. Weekdays are usually best time because it seems most people are familiar with its use and understand it's a major transportation route for bikers. Weekends are a little bit more difficult with a different vibe as far as your weekend warriors but it's stil great. My question is what is the official rule of policy with respect to use of motorized modes of transportation. I see Segways on the Greenway that are sometimes in great enough numbers to jam things up. Are persons using Segways considered pedestrian?. If so, why aren't they in the walking path rather than the bike lanes? Also, I sometimes see people on motorized scooters. I would think that any gas-powered vehicle isn't allowed. I just wondering. In my opinion, sse of these various modes of transportation detracts from the Greenway. read more

I am rescinding a star because frankly, there are parts of the Greenway that literally stink. And holding your breath while trying to keep up with the guy in the Flanders jersey in front of you is a difficult thing to do. read more

The ride from Seward to Lake Nokomis is a gorgeous blend of urban landscapes, community gardens, waterways, canals, creeks and lakes. I've only ridden the pavement as far as St. Louis Park, but i know it extends much further than that. read more

super fan! I love taking it from my house on Nicollet to the Seward Co-op and everywhere in between and beyond. I don't ride it at night solo but during the day never had an issue. Well kept, lots of traffic. read more

The Greenway is the shiz. Flat, long, smooth roads allow even the most fledgling cyclist to dominate the Twin Cities terrain. 4 miles on the Greenway feels like 1 mile of stop and go city road riding. Yay Minneapolis! read more

Beautiful walking, biking, skating, running, relaxing.

Great way for bikers to get around if you get one of the bike maps from one of the local shops. I wouldn't recommend certain spots at night.

The Greenway is awesome! I love the bike shop on the path as well. I broke a spoke a mile away and stopped in. Was back on the path in 20 minutes. read more

The Midtown Greenway, founded by the Midtown Greenway Coalition, is one of the most successful trails in the nation! More than a bike trail -- it's a major transportation corridor, and the fastest way to get across town via bike (faster than driving a car!). The trail stretches from the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes (pick it up between Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles) to the Mississippi River, where it connects to the Grand Rounds and the trails along the river. Take it south to get to Minnehaha Falls and the lovely Minnehaha Creek Trail back to Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun. If you love the Greenway, stop by our office and say hello! We're on the Greenway, located in the Freewheel Midtown Bike Center. Happy biking! Soren Jensen, Executive Director Midtown Greenway Coalition read more

The Midtown Greenway is one of the things that makes Minneapolis great. It is a smooth, clean, convenient place to ride my bike and actually helps me go places I'd like to go! It would be nice if it were a little better lit for night-time riding, but other than that I have no complaints. I love seeing all the happy bicyclists there on my commute. read more

Great people working hard to keep Minneapolis green and active.

Super convenient as a bikeway (I never walk it) not only because it's a straight shot from the lakes on the west end of South Mpls to the eastern end of the city, but connects to the Cedar Lake Trail, the Hiawatha LRT Trail, the trail along the river, and if you just want to ride a big loop in South Mpls there's the Minnehaha Trail which parallels this one 30 blocks south and is much more scenic, although there's less going on as far as shops, restaurants, and bars nearby. With the Midtown Greenway it makes otherwise remote locales easily accessible (Seward is a great example), not to mention all of the stuff on Lake St and more just a handful of blocks away in either direction. To give some perspective of how progressive Mpls is, NYC has 100 miles of greenways/trails covering their city (468 sq miles), while we have 50 for a mere 58 sq miles. This and the rest of the greenways combined raises the bar very high for residents' quality of life: Mpls just wouldn't be the same without them and are a must for visitors (there's even Nice Ride to rent and drop off bikes everywhere). read more