November 17, 2015: Southwest Hennepin County Regional LRT Trail (Hopkins)

Join the hiking group for a hike along the varied terrain and surroundings of the Southwest Hennepin County Regional Light Rail Transit Corridor Trail heading west out of Hopkins.

The trail is one of two corridors that follow abandoned railroad beds that are being reserved for eventual light rail transit operations. The hike will be along a portion of the north corridor, which runs 15.5 miles from Hopkins to Victoria. The first settlers of Hopkins arrived in 1854. The town really began in 1887 with the building of the Minneapolis Moline farm machinery factory, which once employed most of the city's residents. The West Minneapolis Land Company was also founded in 1887 to build tenement housing for the Minneapolis Moline factory workers. The community was incorporated in 1893 as the village of West Minneapolis and was renamed in 1928 for Harley H. Hopkins, who was among its first homesteaders and was the community's first postmaster. The first mayor of the city was Harley Hopkins' son, Chester L. Hopkins.

Directions: From Highway 169 in the western suburbs, take the Excelsior Boulevard exit and proceed west to 8th Avenue. Park at the "Park-n-Ride" parking lot at 8th Avenue and Excelsior Boulevard. We will meet at the parking lot and walk the trail to the west.

Map to hike start point: 8th Ave S At Excelsior Blvd
Hopkins, MN 55305

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This page was last updated on November 29, 2015.