Dakota Rail Regional Trail
Information updated February 2024
The Dakota Regional Trail connects Lester Prairie to Carver and Hennepin counties.
Where: The trail is a former railroad corridor extending 44 miles from Hutchinson to Wayzata.
Features: The trail is paved from McLeod Co. Rd. 1 in Lester Prairie to the east.
No motorized vehicles are allowed except snowmobiles, which can be used west of McLeod County Road 9. Snowmobiles are not permitted on the trail anywhere in Carver County. The trail accommodates the planned uses of walking, hiking, biking, jogging, dog walking, and inline skating.
As you travel west from Shaver Park near the beach in Wayzata, you’ll pass through the Lake Minnetonka area with its many undulating bays. Spring Park is a great place to watch boats passing under the bridge over the channel between Harrison Bay and Seton Lake.
Next, the trail takes you through more lake area and you continue to the town of Mound. As you travel on, the lakes become fewer, but the trail remains scenic and tree-lined.
Gale Woods Farm, an educational farm with classes and a country store, is a great stop between Mound and St. Bonifacius. Watch for signs to a short, connecting trail.
St. Bonifacius, just north of Lake Waconia is the last town on the Hennepin County stretch of the Dakota Rail trail. Once you reach the northern edge of the lake, you’ll cross into Carver County as the trail hugs the lakeshore.
The next town, Mayer, is only about 20 miles from Wayzata, but things take on a much more rural tone here. Farm fields and grain silos are a commons sight as you make the transition from an urban to an agricultural landscape.
After you pass through New Germany, the trail continues to Lester Prairie.
Features: The trail is paved from McLeod Co. Rd. 1 in Lester Prairie to the east.
No motorized vehicles are allowed except snowmobiles, which can be used west of McLeod County Road 9. Snowmobiles are not permitted on the trail anywhere in Carver County.
