page_title: Cedar Lake Trail
section_title: Route
hierarchical_section_title: Cedar Lake Trail / Route
caption_attribution_description: English: A look toward downtown Minneapolis along the Cedar Lake Trail.
context_page_description: Cedar Lake Trail is a 4.3-mile, shared-use path in the U.S. state of Minnesota, from downtown Minneapolis to the neighboring suburb of St. Louis Park. The trail begins at its eastern trailhead in downtown Minneapolis and continues west to Minnesota State Highway 100 in St. Louis Park. At the trail's west end, a paved path continues for another 4.2 miles through St. Louis Park to Hopkins under the former name of Hutchinson Spur Trail, but known as North Cedar Lake Regional Trail since 2009. In 2019, large portions of the Cedar Lake Trail were closed due to construction of the Southwest LRT extension with expected reopening in 2021 or 2022.
context_section_description: The trail begins at MN 100 in St. Louis Park, and it will parallel the BNSF Railway It continues east, and passes under a pedestrian bridge serving Cedar Lake Road. It passes under Cedar Lake Parkway, and traverses the northern shore of Cedar Lake. It intersects the Kenilworth Trail and the Southwest LRT light rail on the northeastern shore. It passes under I-394, and will parallel it for the next mile. It goes through an old rail yard, and passes under the Van White Memorial Boulevard bridge. It exits the yard and passes under eight bridges, serving Interstate 94 and ramps and frontage roads. It passes under Glenwood and Royalston Avenues. At this point, the Southwest LRT line leaves the corridor, and the trail has a spur leading to Glenwood. It passes under 10th Street and 7th Street. It immediately enters Target Field, and passes under the light rail station above. It also passes the Northstar Line's station for the stadium. It goes under several downtown streets, including I-94 west viaducts and Washington Avenue. It finally terminates at West River Parkway, after leaving the BNSF railway.
  Cedar Lake Trail was the first federally funded bicycle commuter trail in the nation. It is known as the first "bicycle freeway" because it has three lanes for most of its length within Minneapolis: separate one-way lanes for bike traffic (like a divided highway) and third parallel lane for two-way pedestrian traffic. It is also considered a rail trail as the pathway follows a BNSF Railway line (the railroad's Wayzata Subdivision) west out of downtown Minneapolis. The North Cedar Lake Trail continues to follow that line until just west of Louisiana Avenue in St. Louis Park, where it begins turning southwest.
  The Cedar Lake Regional Trail connects with other Minneapolis trails:
  A bridge over the BNSF tracks connects to Bryn Mawr Park and a section of the Luce Line Regional Trail along Bassett Creek.
  A short spur leads to Parade Stadium and provides a connection to Kenwood Parkway.
  A longer spur, the Kenilworth Trail, follows the old Chicago and North Western Railway branch along the east side of Cedar Lake, which provides a connection to the Midtown Greenway, Southwest LRT Trail, and the Grand Rounds trail system around Bde Maka Ska.
  Another spur follows the west shore of Cedar Lake, which is also park of the Grand Rounds trail system.
  North Cedar Lake Trail also connects with several short trails within St. Louis Park, most significantly a trail along 33rd Street at Aquila Park.  At its west end, the North Cedar Lake Trail meets the Southwest LRT Trail at the intersection of U.S. Highway 169 and Excelsior Boulevard, near the Hopkins Depot in Hopkins. The Cedar Lake Regional Trail, North Cedar Lake Trail, Cedar Lake LRT Trail, Midtown Greenway (for about a block) and the Kenilworth Trail together form a 12.5 mile loop.
caption: A look at the Cedar Lake Trail heading into downtown Minneapolis, from early spring of 2006.
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