Yankton Park Singletrack - Mountain Bike Trail

The Yankton Trail Park Singletrack is the ideal beginner trail, so if you want to introduce family or friends to mountain biking, it’s an excellent place to start. It’s short but looped, so you can exit in less than a mile when you get tired. Additionally, there are a few beginner-friendly features and obstacles for acclimating to what you’ll find in much more challenging trails. It’s also worth noting that it’s hand built and well-maintained all year round, and you may see the occasional wild animal if you’re lucky.

Before you go:

Drinking water

Restrooms

Fee required

Lift service

Fat bike grooming

Family Friendly

Night riding

E-bikes allowed

Dogs Allowed

Obstacles

Shuttles

Detailed Trail Description

The Yankton Trail Park Singletrack loop is part of the Sioux Falls network of trails, with the others being Leaders Park Easy, Leaders Park Intermediate, and the Leader’s Park Expert trail. They are all short trails with varying difficulty levels. That said, the Yankton Trail Park Singletrack is mostly an easy trail that should be safe even for complete novices.

There are two access points, and you can start from either. One is from the Minnesota Avenue parking lot trailhead, so if you’re from out of town, you can just leave your car there as you explore.

The other access point is on the western edge of the trail, where you’ll see a split rail fence near the middle of the Yankton Trail Park paved bike trail. As such, if you were already exploring the other trails in the park, this might be a good starting point instead of going all the way back to the parking lot.

About half of the trail runs along the Big Sioux River, so you’ll get plenty of beautiful views as you ride along. Also, there are a few log rollovers that should be a good introduction to the obstacles to expect in other MTB trails. The ladder bridge, balance log, and other features also help make it a more interesting ride.

Finally, the trail is directional, so once you get into it, you should first look for signs on which direction to follow; otherwise, you might cause an accident. Other than that, it should be a fun ride.

Additional Trail Features

1. With no admission fee into the park, you shouldn’t expect any additional fees to use the trail.
2. The only obstacles in this trail are the log rollovers.
3. Once inside the park, there should be no shuttles to bail you out. However, given how short it is, even if you damage your bike, it should be pretty easy to hike back to the parking lot.

Sights of Interest, Landscapes, Views

The trail offers plenty of views of the Big Sioux River.

Recommendations and Precautions

Given how short and easy this trail is, you might also want to check out the other three trails, which include Leaders Park Easy, Leaders Park Intermediate, and the Leader’s Park Expert trail.