Explore the best rated trails in Owatonna, MN, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Empire Township Trail and Batchelder Trail . With more than 68 trails covering 324 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
I finally made it to the Cannon Valley Trail, I live 3 hours away. It was beautiful with the river , tree canopy and hills. interesting and multiple rest stops. Some parts aren’t the smoothest but overall it’s in decent shape. I was happy to pay $7 to support its upkeep. What a deal for a good outdoor experience. I rode from the Cannon Falls end to Red Wing and back. Enjoyed the Red Wing waterfront parks/ trail. Found the bike on-ramp for the bridge over the Mississippi. Found an excellent CannonBelles Ice Cream / sandwich shop at the end.
$30 season pass or a $7 daily, with a "non-cash surcharge" if you try to pay online. The trail is nice, but the fee is getting out of hand.
My first time on this trail was today. Started seeing some nice fall colors on the trees. Beautiful scenic ride with cliffs, hills and valley. The overall trail was really nice. Nicely kept up and very smooth to ride on. Only down fall was that it was too narrow. Could use about another foot on each side
Context: Rode trail end to end both directions on a m road bike w 700 X 23m tires. Past reviews seem accurate wrt beauty of surrounding landscape. Disregard older reviews re poor pavement conditions. The pavement is smooth end to end. An occasional weather crack (closer to Faribault) is typically marked. Would ride again on same bike any day.
I attempted this trail for the first time last week. I agree with one of the reviews where the beginning point in Belle Plaine is tough to find. The parking lot is may be enough for three or four cars gets washed out dirt all rutted. After unloading my bike, I went to what appeared to be the entrance completely overgrown with weeds. My E bike gives me 40 miles to a battery. I tried going through just a mile and coming back, a total of 2 miles, it used up 25% of my battery due to so much mud. It would be perfect for a gas dirtbike. Not worth a trip.
My first time on the trail was on 8/13. As soon as I got into the trees, I was met by two turkeys on the trail then a few miles further on, two deer ran across the trail, smooth going all the way. About halfway through the trail, I saw people on inner tubes floating down the river, having a great time. Made it all the way to the end and a mile towards Redwing. On the way back I jumped 6 more deer. A gorgeous trail that’s well-kept. Nice bathrooms and rest areas. I live in Brooklyn Park and it was well worth the drive. I’ll do it again, especially in the fall.
It had beautiful landscape that constantly changed from farmland with wide open spaces & bright sun to wonderful &welcoming shade that held all kinds of birds and bugs… the problem came with dodging all the potholes and craters in the asphalt…. Making it uncomfortable when trying to keep speed up to go faster than the bugs or rolling to the next shade tree when the sun is overhead… we did read a few reviews some good some not , im not a review writer nor do I take much stock in the ones I read … but I am writing this one because of our disappointment … it was felt by both of us and we both gave the same reasons…. The surface of this trail…. And then it just ends… 2miles from Eyota, MN which was originally the reason to take this trail… and if the trail surface had not been so bad, we would had rolled our way into town, have lunch, meandered around the town and return to the trail, instead, we were done… over it…. It’s a dam if you do, dam if you don’t… Catch22 … kinda of a trail… the beauty you see on this trail is worth seeing if a crater filled, potholed road doesn’t bother you too much.
As the last reviewer said "it's a horrible trail". Lots of bumps, ruts, cracks, etc. The main trailhead in the downtown area is very nice, you do go thru a nice park eventually and it connects to a couple of other trails. Probably better to start at the other trails or parks in the first place. Until this trail gets re-paved, better to avoid it.
I can’t believe that people don’t see where their $5 goes! The trail is well-marked and there are excellent rest stops along the way. We went from Cannon Falls trailhead all the way to Red Wing for lunch and then rode back for a total of 42 miles. Not sure why people would say it’s bumpy or boring, ha! It’s gorgeous. Lots of wildlife, and following the river makes it far from boring. Many lovely places to stop for a drink of water and a rest. If someone didn’t want to go so far, they would enjoy the segment from Cannon Falls to Welsh. This trail is verrrrrry flat! Fun fun fun.
If you want a nice pleasant ride that is paved, this is a great ride for any bike type. Travels through country side with minimal traffic. Worth the stop.
My husband and I rode our ebikes from Shakopee to Carver. Majority of the ride was under tree canopy with nice views of the MN river. We are just getting into riding, the trail level was appropriate for us. Enjoy!
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