May 19-21, 2023 I set out with my husband and friends to do an extended version of bikepacking.com's Mammoth Gravel Loop bikepacking.com/routes/mammot... that started from our house near Hugo, Minnesota.
Day 1: We rode from Hugo to St. Croix Falls (45 miles), camping at the Big Rock Creek campground.
Day 2: We headed northwest along the St. Croix River, through Governor Knowles State Forest, which had some sections of tricky sand. From there we headed east to Grantsburg, WI and entered the gorgeous Crex Meadows State Wildlife area, where we saw swans, Sandhill Cranes, Blue-winged Teal and other waterfowl, deer, turtles and more. We ended the day at Banach Lake Campsite, a single site that requires you to book in advance (we booked it through AirBnB). The site has a picnic table and open pit toilet, but no water, garbage or other amenities. 77 miles total.
Day 3: After breakfast in Webster at the Chuckwagon Diner (highly recommend!!), we started out on a long slog down the Gandy Dancer trail, a rails-to-trail project that preserves a nice portion of land on either side, but gets a bit repetitive for riding. After lunch at 3 Arrows Coffee Company in St. Croix Falls, we headed back to Hugo on a variety of surfaces. 91 miles total.
4 июл 2023
