Ride Profile

Must Do Ride

Great ride with lots of hills through Fillmore County countryside, past Amish farms.  20 mile stretches between rest stops. Note a number of significant climbs and glides in the first half of the ride. The second half of the ride follows the Harmony/Preston trail and Root River trail with a great downhill glide outside of Harmony.

Ride Description

Start this ride in Lanesboro, the Bed and Breakfast Capital of Minnesota home of the Root River State Trail.  Lanesboro is a bicycler's mecca with lots of things to do beyond the trail, live professonal theatre, art gallery, good food and more than 20 lodging establishments to choose from. 

This circular route is split between Fillmore County highways and the Root River State Trail.  The first half is filled with lots of climbing and gliding through the countryside on seldom traveled county highways.  The second half of the ride follows the Root River State Trail with beautiful landscape.

Start Location and Parking

Lanesboro offers two off street places to park: Sylvan Park on Parkway Avenue and just west of downtown across the river next to a large pond.

Ride Directions

Go west out of Lanesboro on Hwy 16,  left (south) on Hwy 21.  Proceed 6 miles on 21 to where 21 turns right, then 4.5 miles to Hwy 115.  Right on 115 through Amish country until Hwy 52.

Right on Hwy 52 to Harmony.  Go past downtown to the Kwik Trip Station, then left to connect with the Harmony/Preston trail.  Follow the trail all the way back to Lanesboro.

Food, Coffee and Juice Joints close to Start/Finish

Harmony has many restaurants downtown.  Great pie at Harmony House restaurant.  Our favorite is Quarter/Quarter 1/2 block east of the hardware store downtown.  Snacks and restroom is available at the Kwik Trip in Harmony.

Preston has a sandwich shop downtown along with a deli in Preston Foods grocery store.   The Old Barn Resort is 5 miles from Lanesboro with a full service bar and great burgers and fries.

Lastly, Lanesboro has restaurants for all tastes and budgets.

Food, Water, & Bathrooms along route

Rest Rooms at the Harmony Visitor Center and the Trail Head in Preston.

Recommended Bike Shops (name, phone, website)

Little River General Store in Lanesboro has a full service bike shop and bikes of all shapes and sizes to rent (including recumbants.)