Little Earth Trail is an approximately , multi-use bicycle path in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Minnesota, United States, that links several neighborhoods, parks, businesses, and trails in the Phillips community. The trail begins at its northern end near the intersection of East Franklin Avenue and 16th Avenue South and eventually follows the west side of

Hiawatha Avenue Minnesota State Highway 55 (MN 55) is a highway in west-central, central, and east-central Minnesota, which runs from the North Dakota state line near Tenney and continues east and southeast to its eastern terminus at its intersection with U.S. Hi ...

to the

Midtown Greenway The Midtown Greenway is a rail trail in Minneapolis, Minnesota that follows the path of an abandoned route of the Milwaukee Road railway. It is considered under segregated cycle facilities. Used both recreationally and for commuting, the p ...

and

Martin Olav Sabo Bridge The Martin Olav Sabo Bridge is a bridge in the city of Minneapolis and the first cable-stayed suspension bridge in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Formerly the Midtown Greenway Pedestrian Bridge, it was renamed in honor of former Representative Mar ...

. Named after the nearby

Little Earth Little Earth is a residential housing area in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States that is home to nearly 1,500 people, many of whom are American Indian. The residential housing association at Little Earth considers itself a united people of 3 ...

community, the shared-use pathway provides transportation and recreation opportunities, and is a frequent location of activism on social justice issues in Minneapolis.

Route description

Little Earth trail is located entirely within the Phillips community, running along the easternmost edge of its East Phillips and Ventura Village neighborhoods. The northern terminus of the trail is near many businesses and services on East Franklin Avenue. Going southward, the trail follows the Hiawatha Avenue transit corridor to East Phillips Park. At that point, cyclists and pedestrians can cross over the

transit corridor eastward on a non-vehicular traffic bridge, and connect to East 24th Street,

Hiawatha LRT Trail Hiawatha LRT Trail is a , multi-use path adjacent to a light-rail transit line in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, that is popular with bicycle commuters. Users travel along the Metro Blue Line and Hiawatha Avenue transit corridor, reac ...

, and the nearby Franklin Avenue Station. If continuing southward on Little Earth Trail, people are able to connect to the

trail, and the

offers trail users another opportunity to cross the Hiawatha Avenue transit corridor eastward. After reaching Little Earth Trail's southern terminus, people can reach

Lake Street/Midtown Station Lake Street/Midtown station, also referred locally as either the Lake Street station or Midtown station, is a Blue Line light rail stop in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Description This elevated station spans over East Lake Street ...

or continue southward past East Lake Street on Hiawatha LRT Trail.

History of the trail

Little_Earth_Trail_Minneapolis_northern_section_closed_2020-06-26

The name of the trail is borrowed from the

community in Minneapolis, a 9.4 acre, 212-unit housing complex at approximately East 24th Street and Cedar Avenue that is home to nearly 1,000 residents. Construction of Hiawatha Avenue in 1999 included a 12-foot (3.7 m) wide,

shared-use path A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is 'designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists'. Examples of shared-use paths include sidewalks designated as shared-use, bridleways and rail trails. A ...

along the west side of the highway, which was later named and signed as Little Earth Trail. As part the broader Midtown Minneapolis trail system, it serves as an important conduit for people to move through neighborhoods and reach community and regional destinations. In the 2010s, the City of Minneapolis included Little Earth Trail in its efforts to improve signage and amenities for mixed-use paths. In 2018, Little Earth Trail was the location of a sprawling 70-tent, 120-person

homeless camp A tent city is a temporary housing facility made using tents or other temporary structures. State governments or military organizations set up tent cities to house evacuees, refugees, or soldiers. UNICEF's Supply Division supplies expandable ten ...

that represented social problems in the area, such as historic displacement of American Indian people, lack of affordable housing, and ineffective social services. The camp along Hiawatha Avenue closed in December 2019. Some grassy areas next to the trail were fenced off with "NO TRESPASSING" signs, but portions of Little Earth Trail remained open to bicyclists and pedestrians. People in the Phillips community refer to the area as " The Wall of Forgotten Natives," which literally represents a large, concrete sound barrier along the Hiawatha Avenue transit corridor and the issues facing former camp residents. In 2019,

opioid Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia. Other medical uses include suppression of diarrhea, replacement therapy for opioid us ...

harm reductionists hung a banner on the 24th Street bridge from Little Earth Trail to advocate for safe use spaces in Minneapolis.Anonymous
Minneapolis, MN: Harm Reductionists Demand Safe Use Space
'' It's Going Down''. June 2019.

References

External links

Nice Ride Minnesota: MapsMidtown Greenway CoalitionOpenStreetsMap: Little Earth Trail
{{Coord, 44.9557, N, 93.2434, W, display=title Rail trails in Minnesota Transportation in Minneapolis Bike paths in Minnesota Shared-use paths in Minneapolis

Route description

History of the trail

See also

References

External links