Birding by Bike: Lake Nokomis to Fort Snelling State Park

Join us to learn about the advantages of birding by bike and see how many birds we can find along the waterbodies of southeast Minneapolis! We will start our trip by scanning lakes Nokomis and Hiawatha for water birds, then watch and listen for migrants as we follow Minnehaha Creek to Mni Owe Sni (AKA Coldwater Spring) and Fort Snelling State Park - both great birding hotspots. We will return by a slightly different route, with the option to stop at Sea Salt or Mel-O-Glaze for post-ride snacks/treats.

We will meet near the west end of the parking lot on the north side of Lake Nokomis at 4860 E Lake Nokomis Pkwy. Parking in the lot is limited to 2 hours so if driving I recommend approaching from E 50th St and parking in one of the pull-off parking lanes on the north/east side of the parkway.

We will be on paved trails the whole way - the route has a few steep climbs and a steep descent, and one long climb as we come back up out of the river valley on the way back. In total we will climb approximately 300’ and could cover up to 12 miles. If we are seeing a lot of birds, we may not get that far - the primary goal is hearing and spotting birds, not covering miles or reaching a destination. Our pace will be fairly relaxed and we will stick together as a group.

Bring your bike, bike lock (if planning to stop for food after), helmet, binoculars, snacks, and water. If you don’t have binoculars we will provide a pair you can use. The leader will bring a first aid kit. There will be several opportunities for bathroom stops.

Any level of birding experience is welcome 🙂

Photo credit: Luke Franke/Audubon

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Host or Publisher Land of Lakes Bird Alliance