Root River State Trail
Root River State Trail and Harmony-Preston State Trail (collectively called the Blufflands State Trail) are a 60-mile (97 km) paved multi-use rail trail system in the driftless area of southeast Minnesota. The trail system consists of two main segments, the Root River segment, and Harmony-Preston Valley segment. The trails are used mainly for bicycling, hiking, and inline skating in the summer, and for cross country skiing in the winter. Much of the trail, especially the Root River segment, is built along a former Milwaukee Road (Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad) railbed following the contours of the Root River valley. The trail was originally paved in the 1980s, and repaved by June 2008.
| Root River and Harmony-Preston State Trails | |
|---|---|
Two cyclists approaching Lanesboro from the west. (August 2007) | |
| Length | Root River Trail: 42.3 mi (68.1 km); Preston-Harmony Trail: 17.8 mi (28.6 km) |
| Location | Southeast Minnesota, Fillmore, Olmsted, Winona, and Houston counties |
| Established | 1988 |
| Designation | Minnesota state trail |
| Trailheads | Fountain (West), Houston (East); Preston, Minnesota, Harmony (South) |
| Use | hiking, cycling, in-line skating, skiing |
| Elevation gain/loss | +728 ft (222 m) from Lanesboro to Fountain |
| Difficulty | Two Stars |
| Season | Year round |
| Sights | Lanesboro, Aroma Pie Shoppe (Whalan), Camp Creek, Lanesboro Museum, Preston Trailhead Park, South Branch of Root River, Root River, Houston Nature Center, Peterson Station Museum |
| Surface | asphalt |
| Right of way | Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad |
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