Luce Line Trail

The trail begins in Cosmos, by Thompson Lake. There is a parking lot, a campground, and facilities. It crosses MN 4 and MN 7, and will parallel MN 7 for 24.5 miles (39.4 km). At this point, the trail leaves the town and is undeveloped with a natural surface. After 10 miles (16 km), it reaches Cedar Mills and transforms into an aggregate surface. It becomes paved and goes by Otter Lake as it enters Hutchinson. It parallels the Crow River and passes under several bridges, including MN 15. It leaves town and crosses over MN 22 on a bridge. It passes under Minnesota Highway 7 again and continues east. It goes south of Swan Lake and into Silver Lake. It leaves Minnesota Highway 7 and continues northeast, and intersects several farm roads. Just west of Winsted, the trail turns south on a new section to avoid the Winsted Airport. The western segment ends at County Road 20. The western segment is 33 miles (53 km) long.[3]

After following Winsted streets, the trail passes south of Winsted Lake and a parking lot. It continues due east and passes by several roads. It goes by a parking lot at Vega Avenue. It enters Watertown, and crosses the Crow River. It leaves Watertown and goes by several lakes. It changes directions a few times and goes into the small hamlet of Lyndale in Independence. It crosses county roads 92, 110, and 19, south of Maple Plain. It enters the Lake Minnetonka area and passes by Stubbs Bay. Past this point, no snowmobiles are allowed. The scenery begins to be more suburban, and it crosses local roads. It passes under Brown Road and over Orono Orchard Road. It passes US 12 and the railroad tracks and Wayzata Boulevard on a restored bridge. It goes south, running parallel to US 12 for a while. It passes north of Wayzata, and tunnels under CSAH 101. It passes into Gleason Lake. This section ends at Vicksburg Lane. The eastern segment is 37 miles (60 km) long.[4][3]

East of Vicksburg Lane, the trail is paved and known as the Luce Line Regional Trail. It is managed by the Three Rivers Park District. It passes south of Parkers Lake and has several spur trails serving the lake and the surrounding neighborhoods. It enters a tunnel under I-494, and goes by several industries afterward. It crosses Xenium Lane on a bridge and leaves the industrial area. It crosses several defunct railroad crossings. It crosses under MN 55 and turns slightly southeast. It enters the Medicine Lake area. Due to right-of-way issues, the trail narrows to about half its width. This happens for about 0.25 miles (0.40 km), and then the trail goes over two boardwalks. It intersects the Medicine Lake Regional Trail, and parallels 13th Avenue. It goes under US 169. It leaves Plymouth Avenue and goes back to the railway tracks. It crosses Winnetka Avenue and turns south to avoid the Golden Valley Country Club. It turns east again, paralleling Country Club Drive and turns north on Douglas Drive. It crosses the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks and crosses under MN 100 and avoids a pond by circling south. It goes by Schaper Park and goes into Theodore Wirth Park. It intersects several mountain bike trails, and ends at Theodore Wirth Parkway. The Three Rivers Park District regional trail segment is 9 miles (14 km) long.[5]