Today's Most Popular Video
Jun 7, 2009 11:23 pm US/Central
Finding Minnesota: Biking The Mpls. Grand Rounds
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
The state of Minnesota is well-known for its natural beauty, from lakes to woods to livable cities. And in one 50-mile path through Minneapolis, you can take all that in (and then some) on the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway.
It takes you through seven distinct sections of the city -- from lakes and waterfalls, to river vistas and woodlands. It's all accessible to anyone by car, by foot, or by bike.
It took imagination and foresight more than a century ago to create what is now one of the crown jewels of Minneapolis. It was the vision of a man named Horace Cleveland back in the 1880s, when the early Minnesotans were still arriving by horse.
He pictured tree-lined parkways connecting the prettiest areas of the city. Those parkways came to be known as the Grand Rounds.
A little-known fact is that nearly every foot of land that borders water in Minneapolis is controlled by the Park Board. The board started acquiring all that land back in the 1800s.
"So rare is it that a city is graced with the natural beauty that this one has and the foresight to leave it open for everybody to enjoy and use on a regular basis," said Alex Zachary, a district planner for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
Starting in
downtown Minneapolis, the Grand Rounds take you past historic landmarks from the milling days, mixed in with contemporary buildings of the skyline.
That's connected to the
Mississippi River section, with expansive views of the water from nearby bluffs.
From there, you move on to the
Minnehaha section, the creek, the trees, and the main attraction: the Falls.
The trail then moves past Lake Nokomis to the
Chain of Lakes section -- Harriet, Calhoun and Lake of the Isles.
That's then connected to
Theodore Wirth Park, with miles of woods and wetlands and a 15-acre wildflower garden.
And there are still two more sections.
Victory Memorial, with its stately trees, is the longest World War I memorial in the country.
Finally comes the
Northeast section, one of the highest parts of the city. And if you hunt for it, you'll find a lesser-known waterfall.
Despite the name, Grand Rounds isn't one big circle around the city. In fact, there's always been a missing link -- a section between Northeast Minneapolis and the east bank of the University of Minnesota. Last year, plans were approved to complete the link, but the money's not there yet to do it.
Still, for more than 100 years, visitors have enjoyed the fact that this is all reserved for them, all within the city limits.
"We have this right here," said Zachary. "We have it going through the entire city. Everyone is really close to it, within a couple miles, max to the Grand Rounds."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Couple Recalls Deadly Tour Bus Crash
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
