U.S. Bicycle Route 45

The Mississippi River Trail (or MRT) is a designated bicycle and pedestrian trail that traverses the shores of the Mississippi River in the United States. The trail goes from the headwaters at Lake Itasca in Minnesota to near the mouth of the river in Venice, Louisiana. Much of the trail follows roadways used by motor vehicles, although some of the route is on multi-use trails.

According to the MRT website, the trail is divided into three sections: Northern, Central, and Southern. Also, in some locations trails are along both sides of the river.

The MRT begins at Itasca State Park, the location of the headwaters of the river. Itasca State Park also contains over 20 miles of paved biking trails. After it leaves the park, the MRT winds north along the river, traversing county roads to the city of Bemidji. Here the main trail connects to a number of city and regional trails. From Bemidji, the MRT heads southeast along the Paul Bunyan Trail, a state-developed rail-trail conversion. This 100-mile-long paved trail extends from Bemidji to Brainerd.

From Brainerd, the MRT follows county roads, some with marked bike lanes and some with paved shoulders, through the cities of Little Falls and St. Cloud. South of St. Cloud, the surroundings become more urban as the rider approaches the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul. The route through the two cities passes St. Anthony Falls. South of St. Paul, the MRT passes through several smaller cities before reaching Lake Pepin. The route passes through Wabasha and Winona on its way to the Wisconsin state line.

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Wikipedia