Luce Line
The Luce Line State Trail follows the corridor of a former
railroad line and has been maintained by the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) since 1976. It runs
63 miles, from the western metro suburb of Plymouth to the
small town of Cosmos in west-central Minnesota.
From Plymouth to Winsted, the sur face is crushed
limestone, with a parallel trail for horseback riding.
West of Winsted, the trail has a mowed-grass surface
from Cedar Mills to Cosmos.
In Hutchinson, the trail is paved from Zebra Ave to just
west of Hutchinson on County State Aid Highway (CSAH)
115. From CSAH 115 to Cedar Mills it is comprised of crushed
granite; from Cedar Mills to Cosmos it is mowed grass.
Efforts are being made by the city to entice visitors to
the lakefront promenade, parks, and the downtown areas
of Winsted from those Luce Line entry points.
Where the trail enters Winsted by Southview Park on
the east, new signage was added in 2010, titled “Winsted
Cosmos
Winsted
Cedar Mills
Hutchinson
Byway.” The signs can be found throughout town along
the trail, and they direct visitors north to Mill Reserve Park
and the lakefront promenade. Plans are being considered
to create a plaza entry in this area, as well, to provide
trail users with seating, and landscaping to make it more
inviting.
A paved city trail along the north side of Main Avenue,
where pedestrians previously had to use the street, was
completed in 2010. It’s one of the city’s efforts to provide a
safe walkway through town for trail users.
The Luce Line Trail entry on the west side of Winsted is
south of the Cenex Winsted Farmer’s Co-op, on the west
side of McLeod County Road 1.
Ribbon-cutting events, celebrating the trail-paving
project, took place in Winsted and Hutchinson in 2015.
The trail is available for multiple uses, such as hiking, biking,
inline skating, cross country skiing, and snowmobiling. A
parallel horse trail will also be included.
Watertown
Orono
Wayzata
Silver Lake
Winsted is near the middle of the Luce Line State Trail, which runs from Plymouth in the east, to Cosmos in the west.