Our Trails

Accessing the Trails:       View MMHPT Trail Project Map          Download Project Map

In Marquette: To get on the trails, walk, ride, or drive up Thornton Lane, the paved road that runs parallel to the first base line of the Bench Ballpark (Elliott Field). Parking is available at the top of Thornton Lane. A signpost at the top of the road will guide you to the trails. You'll find restrooms, water, a shelter, and a playground just outside the left field fence of the ball field of South St.

In McGregor: If driving, park at Determination Park on Eagle Drive, then walk or ride east to the corner of Eagle Drive and Center St. Turn left (north) and follwow the gravel Evacuation Road down to the gate. The Soo Line trail starts on the other side of the gate.

Access the Trails on Recreational Platforms!       View our trails on Trailforks

Our Trails are currently available on Trailforks! Click the button below to visit the Trailforks site

We are currently working to add our trails to the All Trails, Hiking Project, and Biking Project platforms. Stay tuned!

Thornton Lane (open)

Thornton Lane is a single lane paved road that experiences very little traffic, as it only services one residence and access to the city's water reservoir. The road was rebuilt and paved in the summer of 2024, but remains a somewhat aggressive uphill entry to the trail system. MMHPT and the cities of Marquette and McGregor are working together to create a "friendlier" trail through the woods to get up the hill to access the Main Line and other trails in the vicinity. There is parking available at the top of Thornton Lane.

Main Line (open)

The Mainline is a 0.5 mile doubletrack trail which was rehabilitated in the summer of 2024 to improve drainage and create a more esthetic and safe connector traversing the slight hillside between Thornton Lane and the Evacuation Road. Occasionally, a few ruts will develop following heavy rains.

Milwaukee Road (open)

The Milwaukee Road is a singletrack loop trail which follows the sideslope of a ridge to a nice, peaceful rest area with a bench and overlook, before turning back and returning to the Main Line Trail on the other side of the ridge. This trail was hand built by volunteers in the summer of 2024 as a part of Phase I of the MMHPT project and for most of the volunteers, was their first experience at building sustainable singletrack trails. The length of the trail from the Main Line back to the Main Line on the opposite side of the hill is 0.28 miles.

"Contoured South" (to be renamed)

This trail parallels the Main Line trail but to the south of it. As the current name implies the trail follows the contours to tame some of the climbing evident on the Main Line, however it will be a single track rolling along the sideslope and crossing a couple ephemeral drainages, one of which required a short bridge. It was built during June of 2026 by a Conservation Corps of Iowa/Minnesota Trail Crew being partially paid for with a grant awarded MMHPT in the fall of 2025 from the Upper Mississippi Gaming Corporation. The trail is usable, however it is not 100% finished. The approaches from both sides of a bridge are yet to be built, along with some other "fine-tuning".

North Siding (open)

The North Siding is a short but fun trail connecting the Main Line to the Roundhouse trail junction and rest area. This trail is a mere 0.1 miles in length.

Soo Line (open)

The Soo Line is at the highest elevation of the Phase I trails and was constructed in 2024-25. It can be accessed from the Evacuation Road near the chain gate on the border of Marquette and McGregor just a short distance from Eagle Drive in McGregor or from the north end just to the east of the Evacuation Road. Plans are in the works for a connector trail (South Siding) between the Main Line and the Soo Line to keep users on the trails, rather than on the road.

Evacuation Road (open)

The Evacuation Road was created a few years ago as an emergency escape/evacuation option for the residents who live on the Bench in Marquette in the event that the one in/out route from the Bench near the casino is closed or blocked due to flooding, train derailment, toxic spill, or other calamity.  The road was created under a sharing agreement/easement between the cities of Marquette and McGregor At the north (lower) end, the road connects with Walnut St. in the NW corner of the Bench residential area in Marquette and at the south (upper) end it is simply an extension of Center Street in McGregor and crosses Eagle Drive. 

McGregor Trail (open)

The McGregor Hiking Trail connects the Methodist Hollow residential area in McGregor with the Eagle Drive residential area which borders the rest of the MMHPT trails.  In that direction, it is a challenging uphill ride, but manageable on foot. The trail is 0.7 miles in length and passes through secluded woods bordering a quiet neighborhood. This trail follows a historical trail that was important to the early residents of McGregor.  The McGregor Trail will be rehabbed by an AmeriCorps CCI crew in August of 2026 and a reroute or two might be built to make the trail more biker/user friendly.

Wells Hollow Trail (open)

This trail was built several years ago by Clayton County Conservation. It is a hiking trail and at this point it is not intended to be used by bikers. It is 1.5 miles in length.

Lookout Point Trail

Scheduled to be finished in the summer of 2026, this easy trail follows the blufftop from the Ridgewood area of McGregor Heights out to the point overlooking Marquette above Bally's Casino. People have visited the overlook for several hundred years, and in the early 1900's (and maybe before), it was known as "Lookout Point". The out-and-back trail is about 0,4 miles in length (each way).

Moosga Haja

This will be the first trail built to the west side of the Evacuation Route. It will be built in August-September of 2026 by an AmeriCorps NCCC Service Team. It will be almost a mile in length and will give frequent views of the open meadows and it stays mostly in the trees around the perimeter of the open meadows. The name "Moosga Haja" is from the Ho Chunk/Winnebago language for "meadow view".

Double Down

This trail hopefully to be completed in 2026 will give users entering the MMHPT system from Eagle Drive in McGregor the first opportunity to connect with and enjoy the trails to be built to the west of the Evacuation Route. Once down from the ridge, trail users will first connect with the Moosga Haja loop and if keeping to the left, will soon be given the option of continuing that loop or jumping onto "Ante Up!" which will take them further into the western part of the trail system. 

Ante Up!

We are hoping that Ante Up! will be our first machine-built trail and will be completed in 2027. It will connect the Moosga Haja trail with the High Roller loop trail further to the west. We are also hoping that Ante Up! will be our first "flow" trail.

High Roller

High Roller will be a 1.3 mile loop trail that circumnavigates a bluff top at the west end of our trail system. Jumping on and off points planned for High Roller include Anti Up! and By Gorge! At the far northwest point of High Roller will be a rest bench with an excellent view of the Bloody Run valley to the west of Marquette, the old quarry, and Hwy 18 as it crosses both Bloody Run Creek and the railroad tracks. Depending on funding available, we are hoping for this trail to be built in 2027-28.

By Gorge!

Once built, at 1.7 miles in length, By Gorge! will be the longest and gnarliest trail of the entire MMHPT trail system. It may also be the one with the most adventure and interesting terrain as it winds around the side slopes of a steep ravine which opens out to the Bloody Run Valley to the north. Depending on funding available, we are hoping for this trail to be built in 2027-28.

South Siding

The South Siding "might" be built in the future and will connect the west end of the Main Line to the north end of the Soo Line trail. The purpose of this trail will be to mitigate some of the climb from the Main Line to the Soo Line and to keep users on trails, rather than on the Evacuation Road.