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The Central Lakes Trail
runs 55 miles from Osakis west to Fergus Falls.
We use the old
Burlington Northern Railroad mile markers for reference,
beginning with Mile 129 east of Osakis. This ties into the
mile markers on the Lake Wobegon Trail.
Osakis - The trail begins
on the far east end of town, but you'll want to park your
car at the landing parking lots just north of downtown near
the four-sided clock. The Osakis Chamber of Commerce has an
information center nearby.
•M 130.2
Traveling west, you pass through a beautiful tunnel of
trees; then the trail goes down its biggest hill, crosses a
busy highway and climbs up to M1.4. The trail flattens out
as it goes through farmland and woods.
•M 131.2 Now the
trail is really out in the open and in the sunshine. No
wonder crops grow so well here.
•M 132.2 After a
downhill grade, the trail goes under a big, wooden bridge.
Note the cross bars on the bridge that once carried power
lines. The marking for "132.9" is a mile marker left over
from the days when trains used the trail corridor. The trail
continues slightly downhill for three more miles.
•M 133 The trail
is elevated for over a half mile as it continues through
farmland and wetlands.
•M 133.7 The trail
crosses a babbling brook. Stop and enjoy the sound.
•M 135.5 Nelson
Meet the little town of Nelson as you cross Nelson Street
named after the rugged pioneer politician who became a
Minnesota governor and U.S. Senator.
•M 137.5 The trail
crests on a small hill, crosses a highway and dips for a
short ride down a steep hill and into another valley of
trees. Note the sign that says you're passing Westin
Station.
•M 137.9
Alexandria
Watch for many road
crossings as the trail goes through residential areas of
Alexandria and commercial areas and back into seclusion at
M141.6.
•M 138.3 Stop on
this bridge for a view of Lake Geneva and Lake Victoria.
•M 139 The first
of several rest stops that include a bench and shade roof.
The trail continues through Alexandria, but much of it is in
wooded areas and within sight of lakes.
•M 139.9 Another
rest stop.
•M 40.1 Pass
under a railroad trestle and then under busy Hwys 27 and 29.
Between the two is the Alex Bike and Fitness Center.
•M 140.8 Watch for
the statue of "Big Ole," the Viking at the north end of
downtown. With plenty of parking, this is another good spot
from which to start a trail ride. The Kensington Runestone,
the Douglas County Historical Museum and the Alexandria
Chamber of Commerce are within a block of the trail here.
Ahead, note the former depot that once was a stop for
trains. The trail skirts Lake Angus and a park area after
you pass the original depot that is now a restaurant.
•M 141.6 Pass the
last of the busy street crossings and industrial areas.
•M 142 Another
shaded rest stop.
•M 148.5
Garfield
A nice trailside picnic
shelter welcomes cyclists to Garfield with a place to rest
and find trail information. There is parking and a
waterless toilet. A convenience store can be found just to
the south, and the town center just to the north, where a
couple of cafes are located.
The next ten miles of
the trail are predominately in open country, with long views
of prairie, farms, and scattered wetlands and lakes. You
will be within sight of a paralleling highway on this
stretch.
•M 151.6
The raised former
railroad grade offers nice views of Aldrich and Nelson
Lakes.
•M 153.9 Brandon
You pass along the south
side of town, with convenience stores visible to the south.
The downtown is about a block to the north. A small
trailside park and shelter are located at mile 153.8.
•M 154 to 156.2
Stowe Lake Wildlife Area.
The trail passes along
the south side of this prairie wetland area, offering many
opportunities for bird and other wildlife watching. A
display area can be found at Mile 156.2.
•M 156.9
You pass over the very
small Chippewa River.
•M 158.8 Entering
Evansville
A nice picnic shelter
with parking and a toilet is located along the trail.
Informational signs are also present. The downtown area is
located a few blocks to the southwest, where you can find a
convenience store, and a couple of eating establishments.
•M 159.0
A street crosses in the
downtown area of Evansville.
•M 159.5
An old railroad bridge
crosses a creek.
•M 159.8
Douglas County Highway
#1 crosses the trail. Please be careful!
The next 7 miles of
trail pass through a very scenic area of woodland, lakes,
and wetlands. The scenery is quite different from the more
open landscape just to the east.
•M 163.4 Melby
The trail skirts the
south side of the very small community of Melby.
•M 165.3
The trail passes between
two large lakes, Lake Christina to the north and Pelican
Lake on the south. There is a boat landing at the Grant
County line with a parking lot. Pelican Lake's claim to
fame is the large walleye taken from this lake that appeared
in the movie "Grumpy Old Men". The fish was returned after
its brush with fame and is said to be still swimming around
the lake. The Seven Sisters hills are located on the north
side of Lake Christina, several miles to the north. This
lake is well known for its large population of ducks during
migration times.
•M 167.5
You pass over Highway
#178 on a large bridge.
•M 167.6
Community of Ashby
A bright sign welcomes
you to the Ashby business district. A small parking area
with picnic tables is here as well. If you are biking into
town you will likely want to exit the trail at this point.
A little further up the trail there is a grassy rest area.
If you are leaving your bike and walking the block or two to
the main commercial area this may be a more convenient
stopping point.
In either case, the main
street lies only a block south of the trail. You can find a
café or two, a grocery store, two convenience stores, a
hardware store, Ashby City offices, etc. There is a nice
city park just to the south of the main street with
bathrooms. A Bed and Breakfast is adjacent to the Park.
•M 167.7
If you do not exit the
Central Lakes Trail in Ashby, you will not see much of town,
as the trail passes through a fairly deep cut of land. You
will however get an intimate view of the Ashby Elevator and
the sweet smells of grain processing. This is another
reminder that you are in grain country.
•M 167.9
Leaving Ashby, the trail
turns to the Northwest running straight and flat through
slightly rolling farm fields and marsh lands for about 6
miles. This region is quintessential rural farm landscape,
dotted with many wetlands. There is limited shade and
refuge from the wind on this stretch between Ashby and
Dalton.
•M 169.1
You are now entering the
Otter Tail Empire where Grant County Hwy 48 becomes Otter
Tail County 48 also called Otter Tail County Veterans
Memorial Drive. It will also connect with the Otter Tail
Scenic Byway at Dalton.
•M 175.1 Town of
Dalton and Highway 35 crossing
The Threshermens Grounds
entrance is on one side of the highway, and a very nice city
park on the other side.
The Lake Region Pioneer
Thresherman's Association's annual Threshing Show is held
the first weekend after Labor Day. Their Threshermen's
breakfast is worth scheduling for.
You will also find a
sign there telling of the great ski jumping days at the
Walter Erickson Ski Jump which was once the highest ski jump
in Western Minnesota at 64 feet. The jump was blown down in
1967 by 80 mph winds.
Skiing was a regular
form of transportation for the early Norwegian immigrants to
the area. They would often ski to Dalton in the winter for
supplies.
Many locals use the
entrance to the Threshing Show grounds as an unofficial
trailhead.
The city park has a
shelter, toilets, drinking water, and a playground.
To visit the downtown,
head north a few blocks on Highway 35. You can find a small
grocery store, a classic small town café, and a few other
facilities.
•M 175.4
About three tenths of a
mile from the entrance of the Dalton Threshing Show area you
pass under Main Street. This provides a second opportunity
to get to the downtown area.
•M175.4 to 182
The trail now takes you
a long way from the highway. You will be passing through
miles of rolling woodland and along a multitude of lakes and
wetlands. Bring along your binoculars, find a quiet spot
and watch nature in its splendor. Wildlife and Wildflowers
abound here. If you visit in June you might wish to keep an
eye out for the many yellow, and rarer pink Lady Slipper
flowers.
•M 178.0
A highlight of this
section of trail is the Stony Bridge over the Pomme de Terre
River. The French explorers named this river after the
potatos or apples of the earth the Indians shared with
them. You will easily miss this stream if you are not
looking down for it, or listening for its babble.
The railroad bed is very
high along here and provides many beautiful views of the
river valley. There is a bench with a spectacular view a
few tenths of a mile past the stream.
•M 179.2
The trail crosses a
small gravel road.
•M 181.6
The trail crosses a
small gravel road.
•M181.9
The trail crosses
Highway 29.
•M 182 to 182.5
You pass along Lye Lake,
which offers a wide array of bird life. Birders will want to
pack their binoculars and spend some time here. The trail
stays along the north shore in a tunnel of trees. Across
the Lake (to the south) is Swan Lake.
•M 183.0
A sign indicates the
continental divide. The wetland only a few hundred yards to
the south flows into a chain of rivers ending in the
Missippi (Gulf of Mexico). The Lakes and wetland just to
the north flow into the Otter Tail River, eventually ending
up in Hudson’s Bay.
•M 183.2 Entering
Fergus Falls
A sign indicates a short
connecting trail to Pebble Shores Drive (a residential
area). This can provide trail users access to the Pebble
Lake Swimming Beach by riding about 0.6 miles on Pebble
Shores drive, then walking or riding down the hill at the
golf course maintenance building.
Riders can also continue
on Pebble Shores Drive about another one-half mile, and
then catch a city bike path into town.
•M 183.5
The trail passes along
Pebble Lake on a high embankment, providing wonderful views
of the lake. DeLagoon Park can be seen on the north side of
the Lake, the Swimming Beach and Golf course on the
southwest side.
•M 183.9
A well signed “turn off”
to DeLagoon Park. This is a very large and beautiful park,
with campground, toilets, drinking water access, picnic
shelters, boat ramp, softball field complex, etc. The
connecting trail from the Central Lakes Trail is however
unpaved at this time, and is about one-third of a mile long.
This park is the
official trailhead until new construction is finished (see
below). Most riders access the trail at mile 184.7
There is a city bike
path that connects this park to the golf course, swimming
area, and into the city along Pebble Lake Road.
•M 184.3 to 184.7
The trail passes along a
section of the Federal Prairie Wetlands area. There is a
kiosk providing some information and a nice overlook of the
wetlands. Wildlife is quite abundant here.
•M 184.7
Trail passes under MN
Highway 210.
•M 184.7
Trail Ends. The trail
currently ends in the parking lot of a storage facility on
the north side of the highway. There is a small parking
area and access (gravel) that provides access to Hwy 210.
There is also a trailhead sign, maps, and a bench. The land
and access road are privately owned, so please be respectful
of this area. By road, this trail end is located about
one-half mile east (on Hwy 210) of the Pebble Lake Road and
Hwy 210 intersection on the southeast side of Fergus Falls.
Look for the Stor-N-Lok building.
SPECIAL NOTE
A trail will be built very soon that will connect the end of
the Central Lakes Trail into the commercial district of
Fergus Falls.
M ++++
Continuing into
Fergus Falls
If you are continuing
into town you will wish to head west on Highway 210 for
one-half mile, then north on Pebble Lake Road. You will
quickly encounter convenience stores and some fast food
restaurants. You will also see Grotto Lake Park on the
left, with a large Otter statue, and a nice park. The
Downtown area lies about one-half mile farther to the
northwest. The primary hotel and “big box” shopping zone
lies about another 2 miles to the northwest along Lincoln
Avenue.
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