(lively music) - [Narrator] On this episode of River & Trail, we travel the Blue Earth River and follow its gorgeous bike trails.

Join us as we explore how the river has impacted Southern Minnesota, from Mankato to the border.

(lively music continues) (spirited music) (spirited music ending) (inspiring music) (inspiring music continues) (inspiring music continues) - The Blue Earth River got its name historically from Indigenous people, and then again by the European settlers because of the blue clay that is found lower in the watershed.

There's a little bit of it up here that it... But once the river downcuts to a point through old glacial clay, there's a blue clay that originally was mistaken to be copper by some French explorers.

And it was deemed that it was not copper, it was just clay.

But that's how we continue to keep the name Blue Earth River and towns like Blue Earth and such like that, due to that clay formation that appears to be blue.

(inspiring music continues) (inspiring music continues) The Blue Earth River where we're standing right now, the flow is coming from south to north.

It originates, the main branch of the Blue Earth originates at Union Slough by Algona.

There's another branch that originates east of there in Iowa, and then it all flows and meets around Blue Earth, Minnesota, and then starts heading north and picks up some streams that come from the west, like over by Sherburn, Fox Lake area, Fairmont Chain of Lakes, things like that.

So, where we are right now, the east branch and the middle branch and the west branch have met, but they haven't picked up that water from the west, where the watershed picks up a big percentage once it gets that water that comes from the west, and then heads towards Mankato, where it ultimately outlets in the Minnesota River.

(inspiring music continues) (inspiring music continues) The Blue Earth River has kind of a unique history.

It's geologically a young river.

So our area was under a block of ice called the Des Moines Lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet.

So that flattened the ground.

And then, when that receded, it built a giant lake over by Fargo-Moorhead area that was called Glacial Lake Agassiz.

And this lake was larger than anything that we know from freshwater lakes, much larger than Lake Superior.

When that lake started to fail, it made what we now know as the Minnesota River.

It was this large two-mile-wide river that was, you know, up to 200 feet deep, called Glacial River Warren.

And that carved, if you look on a map, the Minnesota River comes down, and then heads to Mankato, and then it heads up to the Mississippi River.

So that makes a unique feature where the Blue Earth River starts to flow towards Mankato as opposed to like the Cedar or other rivers east of here that are flowing towards the Mississippi River.

It ultimately ends up in the Mississippi River, but it has to go through the Minnesota River first.

So then, it has a, maybe a longer track to the Mississippi River than it would have.

Another unique thing about how young this is, is that after the glaciers went through, you can see some high ground around here.

That's where the river originally started, and since then has been lowering itself to get down to the level of the Minnesota River.

So if you get to Vernon Center, Garden City area, you start to see a lot steeper river, as it's cutting down towards Mankato and along Rapidan Dam in that area.

A lot of people recognize that area as a very steep breach of river, where this is a very flat breach of river.

(lively music) (lively music continues) (lively music continues) Prior to kind of what we know as human settlement, with roads and everything, this river was used for navigational purposes.

It was used for mills.

There's old dams that have been removed since.

And then, you know, as Europeans started settling this area, we went from a marshy wetland-type watershed to one that we know now, which is built for row crop agriculture, and there's a lot of drainage ditches and things like that.

And a river is a reflection of its watershed, and it kind of tells a story of what happened before, what's happening now.

So, once you start changing the way the water flows through a watershed, the river has to respond to that.

So all that extra water that took place, it's starting to go through the river.

The rivers are now bigger than they used to be.

(lively music continues) (lively music continues) As far as recreational opportunities on the Blue Earth River, we are standing on a canoe launch here by Blue Earth.

So, it does get some kayakers, local kayakers and canoers, and just enthusiasts for state water trails.

Generally, when people think of the Blue Earth River, they're thinking about downstream of Rapidan Dam, how they used to put their kayaks in below Rapidan Dam and then float down to Mankato.

But this area does have some pretty good opportunities for fishing, kayaking, snowmobiling in the wintertime on the ice, things like that.

Even ice fishing can happen on this section of the river because it is slow enough and has deep enough holes that ice fishing can be good at times.

As it was closer to the Minnesota River, you see different fish species, like sturgeon and things like that, that people tend to target for bigger fish, you know?

Up here you're thinking more walleye, northern pike, carp, bullheads, some things that are more common in this area as opposed to down where they're near a bigger river.

(solemn music) (solemn music continues) Anytime I can get on the river, it's a new experience.

Like, you're always learning something.

The river is always changing.

They say you never step in the same river twice, and that's because, as you can see, the water is changing all the time, but there's also sediment moving.

Habitat is changing.

You have to learn the river almost every time you go out.

And I think that that alone is rewarding to me, to kind of learn the river again, see what kind of fish are in the spots that they've been in historically.

How rivers or how it changes from different seasons, you know?

In the summertime, you might catch a lot more carp.

In the fall, you might catch a lot more walleyes and northern pike.

Just based off of water clarity and time of year and water temperature, you can catch a completely different type of fish, even though they're all there at one time.

I think that it's just important for people to recognize that these rivers have some really good recreational opportunities.

They have value.

A lot of times people don't see rivers unless they're going over a bridge.

And I think unless you're near a river, you really don't think about all the things that are going on.

So it's important to kind of get in touch with what's going on in the river.

Kind of find a spot that you like, a spot that's good for fishing, and just see how it changes from year to year.

And then you'll start to understand just what's going on with the river and what's going on with the rainfall and the flooding and the landscape in general.

And then building that value will certainly lead to more recreation on these rivers.

Certainly you want to be safe because flowing water is much different than a lake.

You just have to be concerned about log jams, different safety features, and, you know, always wear a life jacket on the river.

(easygoing music) (easygoing music continues) (easygoing music ends) (calm music) - Rivers have defined Mankato, Minnesota, since the city was established in 1852.

These days, the historic river's central role has shifted more from commerce to recreation as the city has developed an impressive trail system, increasing access to the popular waterways for local enthusiasts and tourists alike.

Today, we'll focus on the trails along and near the Blue Earth River on this episode of River & Trail.

The Blue Earth River flows north from the Iowa border to Mankato along Highway 169 before joining the larger Minnesota River bound for St.

Peter.

South of Mankato, near the confluence of the Le Sueur and Blue Earth River, Blue Earth County features many trails and attractions.

So Jack, what can you tell us about the history of the trails, especially the trails around Blue Earth River and in this area of Mankato that you know about?

- Well, Dan, we're standing on the Red Jacket Trail, which is a Blue Earth County trail.

It has been open since 1997.

This area was first settled or first occupied by Winnebago tribe to the east, Dakota to the west.

The first European explorer in this area was Pierre Charles Le Sueur, who had a fort in 1700 to 1701 at the confluence of the Blue Earth and the Le Sueur River.

This is on a rail line.

This is a rail line that ran from Mankato initially just to Good Thunder, and then further southeast.

That rail line was established in 1874.

Earlier than that, there was a flour mill, a flour mill on the Le Sueur River known as the Red Jacket Flour Mill.

And the Red Jacket Flour Mill was named after a Seneca Indian from upstate New York who supported the British in the American Revolution.

So why did that end up here?

It ended up here because the owner of the flour mill was interested in Indian lore.

And he painted the mill red, and he named it the Red Jacket Mill.

Thus, this has been known, this area, as the Red Jacket Valley and the Red Jacket Trail, historically.

- Interesting.

I never knew that.

I always though it had something to do with maybe you're supposed to be wearing a red jacket when you ride the trail.

- [Jack] It would be appropriate.

(chuckles) - [Dan] The Red Jacket Trail has a lot of features on it along the way.

Some of them are natural features, and some of them are manmade.

Can you talk a little bit about those?

- Well, the natural features in this area are really the result of Blue Earth County having 386 miles of river.

One of the largest river systems in the State of Minnesota by a county.

And so the Red Jacket runs, right now we're standing along what's Indian Creek.

It goes by the ski area of Mount Kato.

Drops down into the Blue Earth River Valley.

Comes back up across the Red Jacket Trestle.

And then a slight incline, about 3% grade or less, up to the town side of Rapidan.

The trail itself was opened in 1997.

The rail closed in 1978.

So that's close to a 20-year period when this was not a trail after the rail closed in '78.

- [Dan] So in 2024, there was a huge flood.

- [Jack] Yep.

- And it affected the trail itself and some of the destinations along the way.

Can you talk about that a little bit?

- Well, there's been a couple of floods that have had major impacts on this trail.

I don't know the exact year, but for a year, the Red Jacket Trestle was not used because one of the piers had been broken because of a flood on the Le Sueur River.

In 2024, when the Rapidan Dam was breached or the river moved around the Rapidan Dam, parts of this trail were washed out, particularly the area between the Red Jacket Trestle and the town side of Rapidan, or the end of the trail near the town side of Rapidan.

And so those had to be repaired.

And even this year, because we are in such a major drainage area, there's oftentimes portions of the trail that need to be repaired.

And even this year, portions of this trail between the Red Jacket Trestle and the end of the trail were closed.

They may still be.

I haven't been out there for a couple of weeks.

- Well, it's interesting because a lot of times people think, oh, once a trail is built, that's it.

You know, it takes care of itself.

But it's just like anything.

If it's like, if you can't afford to maintain a BMW, then you can't afford to buy a BMW.

And it's the same thing with trails.

It's like you need to be prepared to maintain it as well.

- And trail users are grateful to Blue Earth County commissioners for keeping this trail in good shape, maintaining it, and making it a great asset for the community.

- Is the High Trestle Bridge the number one attraction, do you think, to the Red Jacket Trail?

- [Jack] Well, I think the Red Jacket Trestle is a true attraction in the area.

It's 550 feet long.

It's 80 feet high over the Le Sueur River.

But I think the whole trail system here, from Mankato to the town side of Rapidan, is a good introduction to what this area is like.

It is an area of ravines and rivers and creeks.

It's quite unusual for Southern Minnesota, which is typically outside the tree line, at least Southwestern Minnesota, and generally flat.

And here we have hills, they're manageable to bicycle, mostly.

And we have a lot of water.

- There is a hill on the South Trail that has challenged me a number of times on many a hot summer afternoon.

Can we talk about that maybe a little bit?

- Well, the South Trail goes from Minneopa State Park to Highway 22, and there's one huge descent going west to east, and one huge ascent on that trail.

The huge ascent, er, descent comes into the Blue Earth River Valley, and it comes out by Indian Creek or Indian Lake Natural Area on the east side.

And it's been my experience that both of those hills are the steepest hills for cycling in the Mankato area.

In town, Main Street Hill is at 13%.

And I believe both of these exceed that.

Cyclists who know will go out onto County Road 90, which has an eight-foot shoulder, and less of a grade going up and down either of those hills.

- [Dan] There's always a workaround.

You just got to talk to the locals, right?

- That's right.

Yeah.

Yeah.

One of the other, I think, attractions right near the Red Jacket in the South Trail is Indian Lake.

And Indian Lake has an interesting history.

It was a recreational area, where within a mile and a half of Indian Lake, where we stand, it was a recreation area for Mankato people, and it was a place they cut ice in the past.

And in 1922, they drained that lake, and it converted into farming.

And when County Road 90 was built as the south border of Mankato, if you will, that lake was reclaimed in 1999.

And it is now a wonderful natural conservation area maintained by Blue Earth County.

And it's an attraction that when people ask about what to see here, I say, "We're going to take a short hike."

There are two hikes in this area I highly recommend.

One is Indian Lake nature area, and the other is the Red Jacket Valley Park, which is just across County Road 1 from the Red Jacket Trestle.

It is a 1.7-mile loop around old gravel mining pits.

There's a swimming beach there.

And it is just a wonderful example of the terrain and the geography of this area.

(lively music) (geese honking) (geese honking continues) (majestic music) (majestic music continues) (majestic music continues) - [Narrator 2] For some, river paddling is all about the solitude.

The Blue Earth River provides just the right amount for those seeking a quieter river route.

(majestic music continues) - The solitude really gets me in touch with myself and nature.

It's very calming.

So to see, just to be slow down in the river and think about, I usually think about, like, "Who came here," you know?

"Who traveled by the river, and what did they see?

How long ago was that?

Were they in birch bark canoes?

Was it," you know, that kind of thing.

And in the solo canoe, I can kind of do what they call sit with yourself and really get just completely relaxed.

Like, nature is just, in that way, is like an elixir.

(curious music) I like rivers when they're running pretty high.

So, you know, you can get... I'm pretty careful.

I always talk to the DNR.

I get the maps.

I customize their maps and laminate the section we're doing, and Kate gets one, and I get one.

And we meet up at bridges and parks and landmarks.

And sometimes it's just a wave, sometimes it's where I'm going to get out.

(curious music continues) On this particular river, last year, you know, you never know what's around the bend, and that's what I really love about solo canoeing.

It's quiet, unless I'm talking.

Last year, about halfway down, this animal was coming across a big, wide section at a turn and I thought, "It's not a beaver."

So I dug in, stroke pretty hard, and I got about a canoe, a paddle length from it.

And right when it crossed in front of the canoe, it looked back at me, and it was a raccoon, and only this part of the face was out.

And I thought, "They don't look like good swimmers."

But I mean, it swam a big section.

And it had the gall to growl at me after that.

It was almost across.

I was like, "I guess they are good swimmers."

I did get trained in whitewater paddling.

That's why I put the float bags, these yellow float bags in here, is so I don't get pinned, and if the canoe tips over, it floats up.

I check the conditions.

I look at the Minnesota DNR river levels.

I use the USGS river levels.

I talk to the DNR.

On this river, I talked to, I think it was Jon Lore in Blue Earth.

He gave me a lot of really great information.

(curious music continues) For me, 40 miles is a good chunk.

That's a whole day, and I've done that a bunch.

And so I was going to do 42 miles.

This is 84 miles from the top in Blue Earth down to here.

It's 84 miles.

So I was going to do 42 and 42.

But then it was going to rain the second day, and I said to Kate, "Hey, I think I have an idea."

And then we went under the bridge and she didn't get to hear the rest of the idea.

And so then the next bridge she's asking me, "What's your idea?"

And I said, "I think I can go farther."

So I made 64 miles on this river that one day.

That's a personal best for me.

If you do do this trip, I think when the river was really ripping last summer when I did it, I was like four and a half miles an hour on this stretch right to here.

I would plan on about three miles an hour, and I would also say like, anything you really want to like, end it before you're worn out and maybe it's not fun.

And then see if you really like it.

I happen to really like it, so I spent almost 15 hours in my canoe on one, you know, that long day last summer.

But everybody is different.

(majestic music) I always wear a good life jacket.

I carry a little Garmin.

I send her signals.

We keep in touch.

Have a trip planned.

I kind of like the simplicity of just putting a canoe in somewhere.

And that's where it started.

(majestic music continues) (majestic music continues) - [Dan] Mount Kato Ski Hill in Mankato has been established for nearly a century.

Nearly three decades ago, mountain biking was introduced to the area to close the long inactive gap of time between ski seasons.

These days, the sophisticated trail system is considered one of the highest-level courses in the region.

(intense music) (intense music continues) - Mount Kato is Mankato's original mountain bike park.

We designed the trails in 1995 and finished them and actually opened them in '96.

So they're 30 years old.

We have elevation.

So we kind of put the mountain biking or the mountain back in mountain biking.

A lot of people really like that.

Some people don't because it's a lot of work.

So as they're climbing up the hill, it's not easy, but they get rewarded in different areas, three times, with some pretty technical descents.

So, we have multiple areas where they climb.

This is the longest one here.

And then the other ones are a little bit more technical.

- [Dan] Given the steep grades, narrow passages, and challenging terrain, beginner riders may want to build their skills and endurance on a smaller, flatter course before taking on the mighty Mount Kato.

- You need to be in pretty good shape.

If you come out here for your first time mountain biking, you're going to struggle, you're going to have a tough time.

But if you're in average to pretty good shape, probably won't have an issue.

Those that maybe aren't as technical with their bikes or haven't maybe done as much off-road riding might struggle a little bit too.

It gets pretty technical in some spots.

- [Dan] Fortunately, though, there is a beginner-friendly warmup route that's suited for all skill levels.

- If high school kids aren't really ready for a full hill climb or descent or the technical areas, we did build a trail somewhat newer in the past few years called Reed's Way.

And it basically has very little climbing to it.

It is single-track, so it is kind of technical, but it kind of allows them to kind of work their way towards other trails.

But it basically starts at the bottom, heads out, doesn't really climb up a big climb, and they just head back into the woods, back to the back, through the maze, bottom through a bunch of trees of, you know, again, not much climbing.

It's more rolly single-track.

And then they end up coming back.

It's, I think, about one and a half to two miles.

And then they come right back out front again.

I personally use it a lot for a warmup.

I always like to come out and do that.

Especially early in the season, I'll just ride Reed's Way, and then once I get in better shape, then I'll start to climb here.

- [Dan] Another reward for climbing a hill of this proportion is the incredible view from the top.

- The really cool thing too that I forgot to mention is, when you come across the traverse here, you have this look, this overlook of the valley, of the different river valleys and back-in-the-town ways.

And then back on lift 6, there's another really nice view that you're able to see.

It's quite a ways.

(intense music) (intense music ends) (bike rattles) (uplifting music) (uplifting music continues) - Do you want to do your best bison imitation?

- No.

(chuckles) - Jack, come on, man.

Humor me a little bit.

See, now that's what I used to do when I was taking tests in school and I got in trouble.

I pull out my little notes and look at them.

- Yeah, but the test is over.

- Oh, okay.

- But you still got a camera.

(Dan chuckles) - We do outtakes too, by the way.

I might use that.

(Jack chuckles) As the city has developed an impressive trail system, increasing access to the popular waterways for local... I was right on there.

(uplifting music continues) Rivers have... I'm starting to get tired.

(uplifting music continues) (uplifting music ending) (upbeat music) - [Announcer] Funding for this program is provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

(bird calling)