Southern Portion of the Hiawatha LRT Hike (Minneapolis and Bloomington)

Join Larry Martin for a hike in Minnehaha Park after a ride on the recently opened southern portion of the Hiawatha Avenue Light Rail Transit line from the Mall of America through the tunnels under the Airport to Minnehaha Park (the fare, good for 1 1/2 hours and the trip both ways, is $1.25.) Ground for the LRT line was broken in 2001. The last portion of the line opened on December 4, 2004. The line uses Bombardier-built self-propelled electrified train vehicles, each 94-feet long and articulated, with 66 seats, that can carry 187 passengers at full capacity. The line connects three of the Twin Cities most popular destinations, downtown Minneapolis, the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, and the Mall of America in Bloomington. The line travels through 7,400 foot tunnels under the airport runways in addition to a tunnel by Minnehaha Creek. The LRT line is estimated to have cost $530.17 million to construct. Hiawatha Avenue and nearby Lake Hiawatha are named for the poem "Song of Hiawatha" by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), which sold 50,000 copies following its release in 1855 and which was apparently a reformulation of the Finnish epic Kalevala. Hiawatha was a legendary chieftain of the Iroquois from the 16th Century and had no connection with the area that became Minnesota.

If driving: The hiking group will meet at the Light Rail Transit Station, located at Southeast corner of the Mall of America, at 24th Avenue, in Bloomington. From the East, take Interstate 494 and exit on 24th Avenue South. From the North or West, take Interstate 494 to Highway 77 South and exit on 81st Street/Lindau Lane. Park in the Mall parking lot along 24th Avenue and walk to the lower level LRT Station.

The group will reassemble at a nearby restaurant after the hike for dessert or dinner.

For information, call Larry Martin at ((612)721-7175).

Maps on Us map to hike start point

LRT Map

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This page was last updated on January 7, 2005.