Hike 40 - Normandale Lake

It’s spring in Minnesota which means that many trails are muddy. We’ve been itching to get out and are still limited by the places we can go with COVID-19 still being so predominant so we’ve been selecting a number of paved trails to keep us on track.

I’m always impressed with the number of trails close to home. We go to a trail near our house many, many times each year, but it’s nice to know that we can hop in a car and have so many options within 20 minutes from home.

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I’ve driven past Lake Normandale more times than I can count, but have never given it a thought until searching for nearby paved trails. It’s a nice 2 mile trail with some points of interest. One being a waterfall, and the other is being able to see the ski jump up the hill. It almost makes me want to come back in the winter when people are actually sking down that particular jump.

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Trail: Lake Normandale Loop Trail

Location:  Bloomington, MN

Trail surface: paved

Date: 3/14/21

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Jo: ★★★★

Jesse: ★★★

Riley: ★★★★

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This trail was well maintained, close to home, interesting and dry - no muddy shoes! Plus, there are so many trails near this one (some of which we’ve explored).