How to Bike to the State Fair

Apparently, some people dislike the Minnesota State Fair. I’m willing to bet that those people drove to and from the fair.

Don’t drive to the fair! It’s the worst way to experience it. Driving to the fair will allow you to be impressed by the cottage industry of residents who, for 12 days a year, run highly lucrative parking services from their yards. But that’s the only thing driving will do for you.

Taking a bus to the fair is a great way to arrive. There are free park & ride lots all over, as well as regular bus service (like the A Line Bus Rapid Transit on Snelling or Route 3 on Como) that leads straight to the main entrance.

Biking to the fair — which opens today and runs through Labor Day — is also an excellent way to travel! The free bike corrals near the entrances are staffed full time, and arriving by bike offers the simplicity of traveling straight to and from your destination with no extra steps or waiting.

However, one big catch might make your trip a lot less fun: the “last mile” infrastructure is not so great. High traffic levels and road closures and reconfigurations take place during the fair, which means some routes that normally work well for biking are unpleasant or impossible to use. The State Fair organization often seems indifferent to the needs of cyclists, and the resources they offer are virtually useless.

There are good bike routes into the fair that will drop you right at a bike corral, safe and happy, but it’s hard to find those routes without some trial and error. I want to help you have the best experience biking to the fair, so I will lay out a recommended route to the fairgrounds from each direction that keeps you (to the extent that it is possible) on safe and uncongested roads or paths.

Think one of these routes could be improved? Email [email protected]. This is a crowdsourced effort and I hope to continuously improve these recommendations.

A Few General Tips

• The bike corrals are staffed full time and use a ticket to check your bike in and out, so you don’t need to bring a lock but you might want to anyway if your bike is valuable. Don’t lose your ticket, obviously.
• The corrals get very crowded on busy days. Be prepared for the possibility that you might need to lean your bike along the fence or wedge it into a mess of other bikes at one of the racks. A cable lock might provide more flexibility than a u-lock if you end up parked somewhere weird.
• In anticipation of the crowding, it’s a good idea to remove any mirrors, lights or other doodads sticking off your bike or helmet. I’ve had things get knocked off my parked bike by other people squeezing past.

From the South and Southwest

Even though the South Bike Lot appears closest, reaching it means dealing with heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic on Como. Not worth it! Entering via the West Bike Lot up by Buford is a much nicer ride and less crowded than the South Lot.

1. Get yourself to Raymond Avenue. If you’re coming from south Minneapolis, cross the Lake/Marshall bridge and then take Pelham, part of St. Paul’s Grand Round.
2. Follow Raymond north across Como as it becomes Cleveland Avenue.
3. Turn right on Buford Avenue and follow that in. The West Bike Lot will be immediately to the left as you hit Randall Avenue.

From the West

The usually pleasant University of Minnesota Transitway becomes less nice during the fair as it receives heavy bus traffic, including many charter buses whose drivers are less courteous to cyclists than the regular Metro Transit buses. For this reason, I recommend skipping the last elevated leg of the Transitway and heading to the West Bike Lot instead of following the Transitway in to the South Bike Lot.

1. Take the U of M Transitway east.
2. When you hit Energy Park Drive, leave the Transitway to jog east, then turn left on Raymond.
3. Follow Raymond north across Como as it becomes Cleveland Avenue.
4. Turn right on Buford Avenue and follow that in. The West Bike Lot will be immediately to the left as you hit Randall Avenue.

From the Southeast

Your options from this direction are, sadly, very limited. Avoid Snelling Avenue at all costs. Lexington Avenue is only slightly better. The most comfortable route is going to be a little longer, but will keep you mostly on separated paths and off streets designed like freeways.

1. Cross the rail yard at the pedestrian bridge from Hamline Avenue.
2. Jog east to Lexington & Energy Park Drive. There’s a separated bike path here you can take north into Como Park.
3. Turn left on the path just before Como Avenue. When you hit the west edge of the park (at Hamline Avenue), jog over to the path along Como Avenue.
4. Follow the Como path in to the South Bike Lot near the main gate to the fair. Expect the path to be crowded with pedestrians for the last quarter mile, so you’ll likely be walking your bike unless you’re brave enough to take to the street.

From the East

This one feels like a toss-up. Entering via the North Bike Lot gives you a less busy gate and better chances of biking all the way into your lot, but you’ll be riding mostly in the road. Entering via the South Bike Lot lets you stay on separated paths, but the last quarter mile will have a lot of congestion.

To the North Bike Lot:

1. Take either Wheelock Parkway or Como Avenue until you hit the lake.
2. Proceed around the lake and north on the path following Lexington Avenue.
3. Turn left on Hoyt Avenue and follow it into the fair.
4. The North Bike Lot will be on your right just after you cross Snelling Avenue.

To the South Bike Lot:

1. Take either Wheelock Parkway or Como Avenue until you hit the lake.
2. Head west on the paths through Como Park.
3. When you hit the west edge of the park (at Hamline Avenue), jog over to the path along Como Avenue.
4. Follow the Como Avenue path in to the South Bike Lot near the main gate to the fair. Expect the path to be crowded with pedestrians for the last quarter mile, so you’ll likely be walking your bike unless you’re brave enough to take to the street.

From the Northeast

You’ll probably want to stay off Snelling and Larpenteur. Beyond that, there are no obvious routes to prefer or avoid here, so you’re largely free to follow a direct route on side streets.

1. Take Hamline Avenue south, or use another street that works for you.
2. Turn right on Hoyt Avenue and follow it into the fair.
3. The North Bike Lot will be on your right just after you cross Snelling Avenue.

From the North

If you have a bike that can handle gravel and want a quieter ride, you can improvise a route through the farm area of the U of M’s St. Paul campus. For simplicity, though, we’re describing a more direct route here.

1. Take Fairview Avenue south.
2. Turn right at Larpenteur Avenue.
3. Turn left onto the bike lane on Gortner Avenue.
4. Turn left on Buford Avenue, and follow it straight in to the West Bike Lot.

From the Northwest

Feel free to improvise on this one. Most of the streets on this side of the fairgrounds are rideable and safe.

1. From Como Avenue, take Hendon Avenue east.
2. Turn right on Cleveland Avenue and left on Buford Avenue, or cut through the paths on campus until you reach Buford Avenue.
3. Follow Buford Avenue straight in to the West Bike Lot.

Feedback welcome! The comments have been disabled at Streets.mn, so email [email protected] with any feedback or suggestions: what you liked, what didn’t work, what could be better. Enjoy the fair!