Two-Wheel Tour Of Bike Trail System

From the major sewer project to a decade-long series of levee work, the bike trail system in Sioux Falls has been part of countless construction projects over the last several years.  Now the 'Trail Closed' signs are coming down. 

Take a tour of the 19-mile loop of the Sioux Falls bike trail, and you can find just about anything from bridges over the Big Sioux to a stretch that runs behind the Great Plains Zoo.

"I like the area on the east side where you have a lot of the trees, but certainly a lot of the areas along the levee system are nice too.  That's what's great about it; it's really diverse," Sam Trebilcock said.

Trebilcock is a fan of the trail system and the Sioux Falls Transportation planner.  He says the system is in great shape around the city now, and nearly all of the road blocks that have been up this summer have been removed.  That is except for an area in downtown between 8th and 10th Streets.

But this downtown detour will soon be a thing of the past as well.  The detour signs could come down in about one month.

"It is one of the most important recreational assets that we have and one of the most popular.  It's also become a really important transportation mode for people to get around," Trebilcock said.

The city has plans that will keep expanding the trail.  In fact, in all, there's now 23 miles to enjoy with more expansions planned to the west and east.  With fall colors showing their glory, the trail is prime for anyone looking for some exercise and some natural beauty.

"Take a ride on it, any little bit of it and they'll find that it's in a lot better shape because we've been able to improve the condition of it.  It's really a nice way to get around," Trebilcock said.

But to keep it nice, more construction is planned down the road.

KELOLAND News Chief Photographer Kevin Kjergaard took a GoPro camera along for a ride on the entire bike trail.  Click on the video player below to see more of the path.