Get a grip on Minnesota’s hills: How to start mountain biking

Experts offer guidance on the different paths kids and adults can take to try mountain biking around the state.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
July 16, 2025 at 11:30AM
Instructor Lisa Martens chats with riders during a Stoke MTB mountain bike skills session at Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan. (Rebecca Villagracia/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

School is out for the summer, but it’s the perfect time for mountain biking education for both children and adults in Minnesota, where the sport is more accessible than ever.

Jon and Bridget Shore, volunteer cycling coaches at Shifting Gears Mountain Bike Club, were out for an informal practice session with their 8-year-old son, Ezra, and his friend recently. The family navigated dips and turns through wooded paths at Carver Lake Park in Woodbury, where the kids also rolled through the skills park that includes wooden berms and mounds of dirt.

“If you are doing it once a month, you are not going to progress very quickly,” said Jon Shore, of Lake Elmo. “Make it a habit to try going once a week. Get your kids involved. You bring snacks. You make it a fun event.”

Fun is the goal for the Shore family from Lake Elmo. Bridget and Jon Shore hit the trails with son Ezra. (Bob Timmons/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

With recent additions, the state now has about 700 miles of mountain biking trails, according to the Minnesota Cycling Association. And the sport continues to grow. High school teams have blossomed from 151 riders 13 years ago to 2,750 now, spread through 150 schools.

“We see over 50 percent of the kids get one parent involved in riding. We are creating mountain biking parents, too,” said Josh Kleve, the association’s executive director. “The explosion of cycling in Minnesota has been tremendous.”

Here is what you need to know to join the fun.

Michelle Hatch of Bloomington introduces herself during a Stoke MTB mountain bike skills session at Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan. (Rebecca Villagracia/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

How to get started

Renting a bike from a shop or from a parks or trails system is a smart first step. You’ll learn some basics about braking and gearing and, hopefully, the importance of a good bike fit based on the rider’s height, weight and skill level.

The reach to the handlebars and the seat height, for example, can be the difference between an uncomfortable roll and a positive, safe experience.

Get some training

Several organizations throughout the state offer lessons for adults and children new to the sport.

The Loppet, based at Theodore Wirth Regional Park in Minneapolis, has organized skills clinics.

Three Rivers Parks District offers lessons in the metro area.

The Department of Natural Resources’ “I Can” program offers summer sessions at Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area near Ironton. The vibe is all-inclusive and safety-first, said coordinator Eric Pelto, with sessions intentionally capped at 15 people.

“There are people who want to get into [mountain biking] and don’t know how,” he said. “It is our responsibility to make them feel comfortable.”

The Stoke MTB mountain bike skills session at Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan on July 13 brought instructors and riders together. At left, instructor Lisa Martens helps John Hatch, and at right, instructor Leigh Kramarczuk guides Liz Walters. (Rebecca Villagracia/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A variety of guides

Paying for a guide service is another way to learn.

Leigh Kramarczuk and Lisa Martens turned their love of mountain biking into a side business, becoming certified instructors and creating Stoke MTB.

They hold three-hour clinics at places such as Carver Lake Park and Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan. They also run shorter sessions. For example, a “confidence booster” in late July is for people who are coming back from injury or feel their skills have stagnated.

Trails like Carver and Lebanon Hills are ideal training grounds, Kramarczuk said. The systems include space for the self-proclaimed Stoke Sisters to focus on teaching away from busy trailheads. Then the students go apply it on the trails.

Mari Kivisto of Deerwood, in central Minnesota, is a certified instructor who teaches riders of all abilities through her guide service Sure Shift. She makes sure the trail is a good fit, too.

“We ensure that riders are on a trail that matches their skill level,” she added. “We don’t want folks scared and over their head.”

Group or private sessions

Both group sessions and private lessons have their benefits.

Kramarczuk said group rides can be helpful even when a participant isn’t pedaling, because watching others and hearing feedback have value.

There is also the positive energy of learning something fun together, she added.

Private lessons are customizable, where a rider can learn at their own pace. Some experienced riders go to private lessons to refresh their skills or build new ones.

Understand trail ratings

Most Minnesota trail systems mark paths with colors that signify their difficulty: green (easy), blue (more difficult), black (very difficult) and double-black or red (extremely difficult).

More difficult trails are sometimes narrower than green trails and also can include rocks and bridges — examples of “technical” riding.

Martha Wittrock of Minneapolis rides at a Stoke MTB mountain bike skills session. (Rebecca Villagracia/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Where to comfortably ride

Metro area

Lebanon Hills Regional Park: The green (easy) trails are reliably fun to do on repeat. The terrain is fairly smooth and flat except for one climb in the upper section, Kramarczuk said. Riders can even do a “low-commitment” section — that’s just more than a half-mile — and still find it worthwhile, she added. “It is one of the most fun, flowy stretches of trail in the metro.”

Northeastern Minnesota

Mission Creek, near Duluth: Kivisto suggests the 4-mile Upper Cathedral and the 2-mile St. Louis River trails in the Mission Creek system, which connects to the Duluth Traverse. The paths are flowy — trail lingo for a smooth and consistent ride — making them good for less experienced riders.

Northwestern Minnesota

Gooseberry Mound Park, Moorhead: While rated easy to intermediate, the 3 ½-mile trail is considered a fun loop for beginners, weaving along the banks of the Red River, according to the Fargo Moorhead Trailbuilders.

Central Minnesota

Lake Brophy County Park, Alexandria: Granny Gear is a fun, entry-level loop, said Jeff Brand, a member of the Big Ole Bike Club and a middle-school mountain bike team coach. Granny Gear’s banked corners, or berms, are smaller and easier to ride through than others in the park’s network.

Southwestern Minnesota

Belmont Park, Jackson County: Three trails in the system pay homage to the Lakota lands they are built on, near the Des Moines River, said county parks and trails supervisor Jeremy Bartosh. The Wowahwa (which means peace in Lakota) is a fun, flat starter trail. Bartosh said the trails have caught on since they opened in 2021. “[The system] is a smaller one but people driving through should stop and check it out. It has been a joy to have in our local area.”

Southeastern Minnesota

Northern Heights Park Trail, Rochester: The new, closed-loop trail opened in May— a collaborative effort between the Rochester Active Sports Community and the city of Rochester. The path has been an immediate hit with hikers and mountain bikers, who ride in opposite directions on mostly flat terrain, said club board member Alec Tackmann. There even are a few benches to take breaks.
“The trail is a cool success, and we want to run with it,” said Tackmann, who added that they are planning to build more trail.

Stay up to date on trail conditions

Any veteran rider will say it’s important to know conditions. Some systems are closed when wet, and some wet trails are easily damaged by tire and foot traffic. The Trailbot app (available on iPhone and Android) has condition reports for 77 systems across Minnesota and includes trail update notifications and maps.

Ride, ride again

Practice might not make perfect, but it can be game-changing in any activity, mountain biking included.

Cyclist Jeff Schwartz of St. Paul, who started mountain biking about 18 years ago, said repeated riding is mandatory to get confident, gain skills and avoid trouble.

He repeatedly rides trails at Carver Lake Park atop his beefy Specialized bike with 3½-inch tires. By now, he’s well-accustomed to narrow, tricky spots with exposed roots or leaning trees that can smack handlebars.

“It’s super helpful to know the trail,” said Schwartz, 48. “You learn the dirt.”