Crossing This 120-Year-Old Bridge In Minnesota Is Like Walking Through History

There are many beautiful, significant, and architecturally-stunning bridges in Minnesota, like the lift bridges in Stillwater and Duluth, the Stone Arch and Hennepin Avenue bridges in Minneapolis, and pedestrian bridges in Granite Falls and Jay Cooke State Park. I think some of the most stunning bridges are old railroad trestles. Unfortunately, they're a bit of a dying breed in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, with many being vandalized or demolished. But there's one historic bridge in Minnesota that's a 120-year-old railroad trestle you can walk across: the Red Jacket Trail bridge over the Le Sueur River near Mankato.

The Red Jacket Trail comes in at just over six miles (one way) and stretches from the North Minnesota River Trail in Mankato to the Red Jacket Valley Trail near Rapidan.

A Rails-to-Trail pathway, the Red Jacket follows a former Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad right of way.

The trail includes an historic railroad trestle that was originally built in 1901 to cross the Le Sueur River.

The original trestle was badly damaged during heavy flooding in 2010.

The pilings were rebuilt and the bridge was reinforced the following year.

Today, you can access the bridge from the trail, itself, or from the small, riverside park beneath it.

Red Jacket Trail Park is great place to explore the river bank, fish, or splash around on a hot day.

Walking out over the span, you get great views up and and down the river valley.

Where you can imagine what the rail workers saw when they passed over the trestle a century ago.

Biking or hiking across this historic Minnesota bridge from the turn of the 20th century feels a bit like strolling through history. For a map of the Red Jacket Trail, check out AllTrails - or AllTrails Plus, if you'd like to download a map to print or for offline use. If you need a spot to rest your weary legs after a day on the trail, this nearby Airbnb with a saltwater hot tub may just be what the doctor ordered!

Have you ever visited this historic bridge near Mankato, Minnesota? Let us know in the comments!