MnDOT adds North Star Route to U.S. bicycle system

The second route to be listed on the U.S. Bicycle Route System

The 315-mile bicycle route that runs between St. Paul and Grand Portage State Park, just south of the Canadian border, is the state’s second route to be listed on the U.S. Bicycle Route System, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The route, which is U.S. Bicycle Route 41, will also be known as the North Star Bicycle Route. The name was selected by the public, during MnDOT’s public engagement process to align the route.

The U.S. Bicycle Route System is a network of numbered cross country routes, and currently, there are more than 11,500 miles of routes in 24 states. 

The first U.S. Bicycle Route in Minnesota, was the Mississippi River Trail in 2013, which runs form Hastings to the Iowa border, also known as U.S. Bicycle Route 45.

The new North Star Bicycle Route combines existing roads and mixed-use paths and trails that travel through some of the state’s most popular locations, including two national parks, nine state parks, and the Superior National Forest.

A ribbon cutting is set for May 20, 2017, at the junction of U.S. Bicycle Routes 41 and 45 in St. Paul, which will kick off a six-day bicycle ride to Grand Portage State Park.

Read more about the North Star Route and the May bicycle ride at www.mndot.gov/bike/usbr41/index.html.