There are mornings in Minneapolis when the city feels like it belongs entirely to you, and the Cedar Lake Trail is where that feeling lives. Stretching roughly three miles through the western edge of the city and connecting the Chain of Lakes to the Midtown Greenway, this paved, car-free trail is one of those rare urban amenities that makes you stop mid-stride and think: I cannot believe this is just here, free, waiting for anyone who wants it.
The trail runs primarily through the Cedar-Isles-Dean and Bryn Mawr neighborhoods, weaving past glittering Cedar Lake and threading through a surprisingly lush corridor of cottonwoods, oaks, and native plantings that buffer the path from the surrounding streets. In late spring, the air along the trail smells like cut grass and lake water. By October, the canopy turns a deep, saturated amber that rivals anything you’d pay to see on a Vermont foliage tour.
What makes Cedar Lake Trail genuinely special is how thoughtfully it connects to the broader Minneapolis trail network. Hop on near the Lake Street corridor and you can flow seamlessly onto the Midtown Greenway heading east toward the Mississippi River, or peel off north toward Bde Maka Ska and Lake of the Isles. It is, in the truest sense, a gateway trail — one that opens the entire city to non-motorized travel in a way that feels intuitive and freeing rather than complicated.
The trail is popular with cyclists, runners, rollerbladers, and walkers, and it manages the crowd remarkably well. There is a dedicated bike lane separated from the pedestrian path for much of its length, which keeps things moving smoothly even on a busy Saturday morning. If you do not own a bike, that is no obstacle whatsoever. Nice Ride Minnesota docking stations and several third-party bike share options operate throughout the neighborhoods adjacent to the trail, putting the whole route within easy reach of visitors staying downtown or in Uptown.
One of my favorite stretches is the section that curves along the northern shore of Cedar Lake itself. The lake is quieter and less trafficked than its famous neighbors, which gives it an almost private quality. Early on a weekday, you might share that particular bend with nothing more than a great blue heron standing motionless in the shallows. It is the kind of moment that recalibrates your whole sense of what a city can feel like.
The trail is well-maintained year-round by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, and in winter, sections are plowed for fat-tire cyclists and hearty walkers who refuse to let a Minnesota January keep them indoors. Lighting along key segments makes evening use comfortable in the shorter days of fall and winter.
If you are planning a visit to Minneapolis and you want to understand why residents here defend their city with such fierce affection, spend a morning on Cedar Lake Trail. Pack a coffee in a travel mug, rent a bike, and just ride. By the time you loop back to where you started, you will have covered neighborhoods, lakeshores, and a stretch of genuine urban wilderness that most cities could only dream of offering. Minneapolis built something worth bragging about here, and it is absolutely worth your time.
