Minnesota was named the “Best Trail State” in the nation by American Trails, a national trails group.
World-leading master inline skate instructor, Noelle Robichon has skated most of the famed Minnesota trails. She is now creating trail reviews as a guide for:
- Students who have taken our classes.
- Adventurous skaters who are traveling to Minnesota and would like a trail guide specific to inline skating.
For inline skating trail descriptions, access, maps and difficulty ratings in Minneapolis and beyond click on the preferred links:
Big Rivers Regional Trail (Mendota Trail)
Paul Bunyan Trail – a fantastic 120 mile trail from Brainerd to Bemidji in Central Minnesota.
Sunrise Prairie Regional Trail
Gateway Trail (Coming Soon)
- Disclaimer: Always skate with caution as skate surface conditions change from day to day season to season due to weather changes.
- Note: While skating trails, it is always important to stay alert to, and effectively negotiate trail debris. Trail debris can include: sticks, twigs, rocks and pebbles, leaves, sand, water (often found after rain under tree canopies), paint, broken uneven pavement, metal grates, wooden bridges.
- Take a Lesson: Navigating rollerblading trails on inline skates is not intuitive. We recommend inline skate lessons from experienced qualified instructors prior to skating outdoors. Further we recommend the following courses: Beginner and Improver Clinic followed by our Trail Skating Clinic.
- Follow the skater’s rules of the road: Always skate in control and know your ability level.
- Ensure skate equipment is appropriate and in good working condition.
For more information on American Trails, click here.
Side Bar: It is our personal opinion skating on trails is far easier and most effective on inline skates. Compared to inline skates, roller skates produce a very rough slow ride on trails. Roller skates work well in roller rinks and controlled flat outdoor spaces for urban dance skating and rink skating.