Odder Otter

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After putting together a ride I called G.R.E.A.T. (stands for Glacial Ridge Excellent Adventure Trip), I wanted to do another one but this time go North of Alexandria, MN. Lots of Otter themed stuff up that way, and there are some fun road side oddity stops. Hence the name, Odder Otter. Which I might refer to as O².

G.R.E.A.T. is a prairie and farm route and is about 70% gravel, but O² is a Northwoods and lake route and is about 60% paved. O² does have some good minimum maintenance roads and trails as well as plenty of scenic gravel.

I did Odder Otter in 6H40M. . . .at a very rapid pace. I did 240 miles, but had to do a little backtracking and the finished route has a few corrections in it that will shorten it slightly. I only stopped for gas/food once (15 minutes). I did not climb up Inspiration Peak (25-35 minutes + time you spend up top). I did not stop very long for pictures/stretching at any point; usually 2 minutes or less. For people that have a sense of self preservation and for sure if there is more than one person, expect 10 hours.

I picked Alexandria because it has the most lodging and food options in the area. There are a million resorts in the area and on the route but during prime time (Memorial day-Labor day) they usually require a full week or full weekend to rent a place.

There are weather condition related water crossings near waypoints OO08, OO09, OO10, OO10 DE1, OO10 DE2, OO50, OO51, OO52. Be cautious and use a stick to measure depth/check for rocks if the water isn't clear.

A note on the dead-end trails: These waypoints are denoted as OO## DE#. They are in parks or are access roads for private land, so stay on the road. All the trails in Maplewood are for horses or walking, not vehicles. Respect the signs and trail markers, of which there are many. Turn around at the obvious "end of the line" markers you will see (I placed many of the OO## DE2 waypoints near them). All other waypoints are just OO## for navigation points. If there is a description after them, it was a stop I planned in.

OO08 to OO09, this road does go through. Google shows it but Garmin doesn't. Skip these two waypoints if you are doing this in a passenger vehicle, because you probably won't fit or you will smash your oil pan. Watch for the big rocks. Oil pans without skid plates and cast rims use extreme caution.

OO10 Folden wildlife management area only allows travel in the park when it is not hunting season.

OO10 DE1 is the start of the dead end spur to explore the WMA and OO10 DE2 is the far end. I didn't go any further because there isn't really a trail past this waypoint. There are two small creek crossings to get to the open field in the back; about as deep as the foot pegs on my CB500X. Watch for the big rocks on the entry hill and in the first water crossing. Oil pans without skid plates and cast rims use caution.

Skip all OO10 waypoints if you are doing this in a passenger vehicle, because you probably won't fit. Downed trees are a big issue on this road, but it was passable by motorcycle on June 8, 2023.

One stop where you will be wandering around on foot for a bit is the Nyberg sculpture park. Ken's shop is also on the route, but he's not always around. The Bigfoot gas station has food, so grab lunch while you walk around the sculptures. The beef jerky/meat selection there is pretty tasty too. OO15 is the waypoint. OO17 is the statue of the Big Foot, Ken's first statue that was so loved by the town they started putting them all over. The frontage road OO16 waypoint has a few more of his creations, too.

OO22 and OO23 NW of Ottertail is a two-track lane. Skip this if you are in a passenger car, unless you don't care about trees scratching it up.
A note on the road after Maplewood state park: 260th is not marked as a street on the park end, but it is there and it does go through.

OO40 is an old mill dam. I don't know anything about the abandoned building at the site, but that is where people tend to park. You can walk on/across the dam.

OO42 DE1 and OO42 DE2 is an access road to private hunting land. The access is a public minimum maintenance road that is open other than during hunting season. Skip these two waypoints if you are doing this in a passenger vehicle, because you probably won't fit and will likely get stuck in the very soft gravel past the turn to the North.

OO46, OO47, OO48 are in Maplewood State Park. Technically.... you should have a state park pass.... but this is not in the main part of the park, is not normally patrolled , and is a through road with no signs saying you have to stop at the office to buy a pass. There are only state park boundary signs and then a few trail maps along the road. That being said, if you have the time, go off route and explore the whole park. It's a really nice place.

OO50 OO51 OO52 is a public minimum (more like zero) maintenance road. Garmin does not show the North end of this road, but it is there. It connects to the spur shown on Garmin at OO52. This is basically a tree tunnel over a dirt road. There is some gravel, but it washes out with rain. When I was there, a few spots looked like solid gravel but were almost like quicksand.

OO60 Phelps Mill was recently renovated/restored. The bridge on the route will be closed for construction in June 2023, but you can use 288-290-340 gravel roads to get around it and back on CR-1 to the next waypoint.

Between OO63 and OO64 there is a small dam on the outlet of Ottertail lake. It's a nice spot to stop if you want to relax a minute, or go down the road another mile or so and stop at Zorbaz for food/drink if you need it.

OO70 is the parking lot for Inspiration Peak. I took this from their website, because Sinclair writes way more gooder than me can:
[Inspiration Peak] rises to 1,726 feet, about 400 feet above the surrounding countryside Making it one of the highest points in the county and also one of the higher points in the state of Minnesota. The vista was well-known to Sinclair Lewis. From the prairie-covered crest of the hill, he wrote, “there’s to be seen a glorious 20-mile circle of some 50 lakes scattered among fields and pastures, like sequins fallen on an old paisley shawl.” Lewis chided Minnesotans for not knowing the “haunts of beauty” in their own back yards. And generally speaking, the overlook might as well be a secret, it is known by so few people outside the immediate area. The site was designated as a Minnesota State Wayside in 1932.

South of the peak is a big statue of the Virgin Mary. There is a guest book and free plastic rosary necklaces if you are into that sort of thing. The story is on the plaque, so I won't re-type it here.

Next is OO72, a neat sheet metal mill dam. It creates a cool pattern on the falling water.

On the way back to Alexandria, you will pass Leaf Valley. Leaf Valley Mercantile is very much a small local bar, but the food is good. Otherwise, the final waypoint on the trip is at the Depot, which has good food too. It's right across from Copper Trail brewing and the Big Ole viking statue. CT is a decent place, but the beer is hit or miss. They like to experiment. Interlachen Inn is my favorite place to eat in Alexandria, but it's a little spendy. There's no shortage of food options and you all know how to use google.

Route names and descriptions:
--Odder Otter Adventure - the whole route
--Odder Otter Lite - dead ends and sketchy gravel removed for big bikes or less experienced riders
--Odder Otter Automotive - for passenger vehicles with no trees to scratch paint or rocks to smash oil pans

.gpx files click here

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[imsunflower]

WOW can't wait to try this. I think a camping trip is in store for me to get to the Alex area, then enjoy the next day riding your route!. Thanks Kory.