Rochester Active Sports Club (RASC) is a nonprofit club based in Rochester Minnesota, designed to promote nordic skiing, mountain biking and road biking in SE Minnesota.
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The Douglas trail is ~13 miles in length and goes from behind IBM to Pine Island, with a break at 4.5 miles in Douglas. It connects to the Rochester City Trail system at the trail head, allowing one to rollerski from downtown Rochester to Pine Island.
Trailhead (South end): Car-park off
Trailhead (North end):
Note: All major road crossings now have trail bridges crossing them.
The Douglas trail follows an old railroad line from Rochester to Pine Island crossing numerous small roads along the way. The section of trail from Rochester to Douglas was resurfaced a few years ago and is in relatively good condition. The first main section of the trail goes to Douglas (4.5 miles) where there are toilets and other amenities. The next section is from Douglas to Pine Island and is in excellent condition. Total distance = 13 ml one way. The trail is essentially flat and straight with only one minor climb near the beginning. There are multiple road crossings - most are quiet gravel roads.
Henry Walker and John Resman lead a small group of skiers on an easy rollerski on the Douglas trail.