About Saint Paul Grand Round
The Saint Paul Grand Round is a 27-mile scenic parkway that surrounds Saint Paul and connects the Mississippi River, Lake Phalen, Como Lake, and more than a dozen parks. The Saint Paul Grand Round was first envisioned in the late 1800’s by prominent landscape architect H.W. S. Cleveland. Cleveland was hired by both St. Paul and Minneapolis to outline a plan for their respective park systems. His idea for St. Paul included protection of naturally beautiful spaces along Lake Como, Lake Phalen, and the Mississippi River. The Grand Round was seen as unbroken chain of “parked” ways that connected these larger park spaces that encircled the city. Most of these parkways were installed by the 1930s. The first bicycle and pedestrian trail was installed along Mississippi River Boulevard in the 1920s. Subsequent trails were installed along the southern route and northern routes from the 1980s to today. As of 2026, an off-street bicycle and pedestrian trail has been completed along the majority of the Saint Paul Grand Round and the remaining section along Raymond Ave and Myrtle Ave in the northwest corner of the city can be accessed via on-street bike lane or sidewalk.