Recreation

Lake Wobegon Trail

590 County Road 2
St. Joseph, MN  56374

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Welcome to Lake Wobegon!

The Lake Wobegon Trail, which was once the abandoned railroad corridor that runs from Avon to Sauk Centre, was opened on September 30, 1998. The trail was originally the idea of the Albany Jaycees, who spent many hours raising money and support for the trail.

Planning for the trail began in the fall of 1994, and fundraising began in the fall of 1995.

Construction costs were a joint effort between the Federal ISTEA (Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act), State DNR Regional Trail Initiatives Grant, Albany Jaycees Fundraisers (including city contributions), Central Minnesota Initiative Fund (McKnight Foundation) and Stearns County.

Wobegon Trail Map and Mileage

Download a full-size version of the Lake Wobegon map (100 Kb PDF file).

Total trail length: 54 miles

St. Joseph to Avon: 9 miles
Avon to Albany: 6.9 miles
Albany to Freeport: 5.3 miles
Freeport to Melrose: 6 miles
Melrose to Sauk Centre: 9.5 miles
Albany to Holdingford: 9.4 miles
Holdingford to Morrison County Line: 3.6 miles
Sauk Centre to Todd County Line:  4 miles
St. Joseph to Fergus Falls: 103 miles

Lake Wobegon-related Links

Mercy Manor resident Herman Petermeier enjoys The Wobegon Trail. (553KB PDF)

Read the monologue that Garrison Keillor delivered on August 26, 2007 (20KB PDF)

Watch the Lake Wobegon Trail video with Garrison Keillor August 26, 2007.

Other interesting videos from the Trail Extension Opening in Osakis:

• Garrison Keillor arrives in Osakis
• Singing America the Beautiful with Garrison Keillor
• Introductions by Commissioner Sakry
• Speeches by various dignitaries
• Cutting the ribbon
• Pounding the green spike
• A word from the Park Director

Visit the official Lake Wobegon Trail site . (opens a new window.)

Trail Grand Opening Celebration

The Lake Wobegon Regional Trail officially opened on September 30, 1998. The Grand Opening Celebration was held in Albany, with other ceremonies also held in other communities along the trail.

Video of Garrison Keillor at the Dedication of Phase 1 of the Lake Wobegon Trail in September 1998

Sing along with "The Lake Wobegon Trail"

Listen to the Prairie Home Companion Radio show where Garrison Keillor sang the "Lake Wobegon Trail song" (you will need to download Real Player). Choose 32:53 from the selection list to go directly to that part of the show.

"The Lake Wobegon Trail"

Written by Garrison Keillor
First performed Saturday, October 3, 1998

When the storms of life assail you
And you hit a stretch of bumps
And your children chew your arms and legs to little bleeding stumps
And you're feeling so depressed
And weird thoughts cross your mind
And you dare not take a Rorschach test
For fear of what they'd find-
Before insanity strikes
Let us go and ride our bikes

On the Lake Wobegon Trail
With the wind at our backs we will sail
Straight on ahead
Down the old railbed
Past the pond and field and peaceful homestead
Through St. Joe and Avon it goes
Albany, Freeport, Melrose-
Past hog farms and dairy
Across the wide prairie
Along the Wobegon trail.

When you want to leave the hustle
And get out of your car
And go where there's no cruelty, no cares, no Kenneth Starr-
And you're tired of the blather,
The rat race and the grind
And you keep getting farther and farther behind,
Let us preserve our faculties
And ride as slowly as we please

Down the Lake Wobegon Trail
Through farm and valley and dale
In the autumn sunshine
Oh what is so fine
As a ride with your pals on the Great Northern line
In downtown Avon we will enter
And go all the way to Sauk Centre
Get your bike and let's ride
Fifty miles side by side
Down the Lake Wobegon trail.