January 27, 2005: Parker's Lake Park/Luce Line Hike (Plymouth)

Join the hiking group for a hike from Parker's Lake Park in Plymouth to a Hennepin County trail and west along the eastern portion of the Luce Line Trail. The Luce Line Trail is a state-established trail maintained by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources that stretches 63 miles from Plymouth to the small town of Cosmos in west-central Minnesota. The trail runs on a former railroad line. The Luce Line Trail was originally built as the Electric Short Line Railway, began in 1908, and ran from downtown Minneapolis to west central Minnesota by Colonel William L. Luce and his son, Erle D. Luce. In 1924, the Luce Line was bought by Minnesota Western Railroad and was renamed the Minnesota Western. In 1927, the line reached its western most point at Gluek, Minnesota. The last passenger run on the line was in 1947. In 1956, the Minnesota Western was bought by Minneapolis & Saint Louis Railway. The track was abandoned by the railroad in 1972, the land was acquired by the State of Minnesota as the state's first nature trail, and the line was taken over by the DNR for a recreational trail in 1976. The original acquisition of 104 miles of the trail cost $400,000. The route will include a trestle bridge crossing of Gleason Lake. Adjoining Parker's Lake Park are the Hennepin County Male Adult Detention Facility and the Hennepin County Female Adult Detention Facility.

If coming by car: Take the Hwy 55 offramp from I-494 and proceed west on Hwy 55. At the second stoplight, go south (left) onto Niagara Lane. Go 1 mile to the T-intersection with Co Rd 6. Proceed straight through the intersection and into Parkers Lake Park. We will meet in the parking lot for the park.

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

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

Map of 15205 County Road 6
Plymouth, MN 55447-3213

Mapquest map to Parker's Lake

City of Plymouth Hiking routes

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This page was last updated on October 2, 2005.