MN Practice Tracks

PrettyRicky
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Saint Paul, MN, USA
PrettyRicky
Edited Date/Time 10/22/2022 7:34pm
Hello everyone,

This is my first post on the site, however I've been a long time lurker. A little background about me. I raced D23 in MN from 93-2003 and had just been bumped up to A class when I'd joined the Military and went away for 5 years. I'm now 32 and living back in MN and after a 10 year hiatus I've decided to get back into the sport I loved so much in my youth.
I live in the twin cities and know of the D23 tracks and schedules but still had a few questions I hope some of you could possibly answer.

A - Does Cambridge ever hold open practice? They don't have a website from what I can tell and I've not been able to find any info about their open practices if they ever hold any.

B - Do any of you know of any riding spots around the cities or private practice tracks I may be welcome at? I'm dying to ride as I've got everything ready to go for my comeback tour.

Any info is appreciated and others in the area who wanna ride would be welcome as I don't have any riding buddies down here as I grew up in Northern MN.

Thanks in advance!
Richard
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Markopolo400
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Markopolo400 3/19/2015 5:02pm
3/19/2015 5:02pm
I just moved down to the cities after living in northern MN for a while, I'm looking for riding buddies too lol
TalkinMoto 3/21/2015 7:41am
3/21/2015 7:41am
Hey PrettyRicky,
Give my buddy Jason's facebook page a follow.....https://www.facebook.com/groups/northlandmx/ but trying to get people to post where they are riding and all that fun stuff. I know Meadow Valley is opening up with weekend, Staples is running Sunday! #talkinmoto
Tpog496
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Tpog496 4/14/2015 2:44pm
4/14/2015 2:44pm
Cambridge does not have practice. The first race there is on May 10th second race is 5/24 and the weekend after.
Craig_Lambrecht 7/12/2016 9:49pm
7/12/2016 9:49pm
Meadow Valley is a solid track. I'm on vacation in MN from Phoenix. I"m riding MV again this Sunday and hopefully next as well. Then back to the heat for me.

The Shop

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Nate_Z
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Prior Lake, MN, USA
Nate_Z 10/10/2022 5:51pm
10/10/2022 5:51pm Edited Date/Time 10/10/2022 5:52pm
Bringing this one back...will be relocating back to the cities over the next few months and likely in the south metro. Any good private practice areas to ride? I'm into moto or singletrack and have some young daughters on 110's that are just getting into riding. Willing to help or pitch if needed. I know all of the public places and those are fun, just hoping for something close by.
FilthyGrungy 10/10/2022 5:59pm
10/10/2022 5:59pm
Keep your eyes open for the spring Theilman ride
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T-Fish
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T-Fish 10/10/2022 7:29pm
10/10/2022 7:29pm Edited Date/Time 10/10/2022 7:30pm
Nate_Z wrote:
Bringing this one back...will be relocating back to the cities over the next few months and likely in the south metro. Any good private practice areas...
Bringing this one back...will be relocating back to the cities over the next few months and likely in the south metro. Any good private practice areas to ride? I'm into moto or singletrack and have some young daughters on 110's that are just getting into riding. Willing to help or pitch if needed. I know all of the public places and those are fun, just hoping for something close by.
Meadow Valley is right up your alley. The regular track is great, and they also have a peewee track that kids love! They also have a decent trail system to ride as well. I’ve personally never been on the trail system, but I’ve heard it’s decent.
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Nate_Z
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Nate_Z 10/10/2022 7:43pm
10/10/2022 7:43pm
Thanks guys! We’re big fans of both the Theilman trail ride and Meadow Valley. Just hoping to find something a bit closer to home as well!
Markopolo400
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Markopolo400 10/12/2022 7:59am
10/12/2022 7:59am
I'm on the east side of the metro. WheelerMX is maybe 1.5hrs from St. Paul into Wisconsin.

Bummer that Arkansaw MX closed, that place was sweet.
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mshea397
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mshea397 10/12/2022 6:45pm
10/12/2022 6:45pm
Meadow Valley is awesome. I used to do the single track, but am more into pounding laps lately. The team there does a great job.
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Nate_Z
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Nate_Z 10/12/2022 8:55pm
10/12/2022 8:55pm
Markopolo400 wrote:
I'm on the east side of the metro. WheelerMX is maybe 1.5hrs from St. Paul into Wisconsin.

Bummer that Arkansaw MX closed, that place was sweet.
Have you hear anything if they will open Arkansaw back up? That is an awesome place to ride but sucks to see it just sit there
T-Fish
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T-Fish 10/12/2022 9:36pm
10/12/2022 9:36pm
The owner of MV bought it (not sure if it was an outright purchase or land contract) a couple of years ago, but now has nobody to maintain and prep the track. I have no idea what’s going on with the property now.
FilthyGrungy 10/13/2022 2:47pm
10/13/2022 2:47pm
Arkansaw was awesome. From what I gather, the MV owner was part owner of the reopened Arkansaw and the other owner was doing all the track work and was losing $. Not sure what happened since.
PulpMxCommenter 10/13/2022 3:24pm
10/13/2022 3:24pm
FilthyGrungy wrote:
Arkansaw was awesome. From what I gather, the MV owner was part owner of the reopened Arkansaw and the other owner was doing all the track...
Arkansaw was awesome. From what I gather, the MV owner was part owner of the reopened Arkansaw and the other owner was doing all the track work and was losing $. Not sure what happened since.
I could be wrong, so please don’t quote me on what I’m about to type. And I have no clue what the financial situation looked like at Ark.

I don’t think the previous owner had much of anything to do with the track after MV bought into it. I was fairly well acquainted with the guy doing the prep at Ark after the MV buy in and this what I understand about the situation.

MV owner was trucking their equipment back and forth between Ark and MV. I also understood that the water system at Ark was not owned by MV, but the guy doing the prep work. Ark was more or less a one man show and it just got to be a lot for the guy. MV owner was spending the weekend going back and forth between the tracks, burning fuel in the truck and equipment at a rapid pace. So it just wasn’t working out well in terms of the people involved and the time they were spending on it.

All the while, track prep guy had a solid gig going on working on bikes (engines, suspension, general maintenance, etc.). And MV was really booming in terms of rider turnout and land usage there.

Kind of seemed like, from the outside observer, that it just wasn’t the time for Ark to thrive. Gotta remember that Ark is in bumf**k no where too. Not that MV isn’t…but MV is closer to more population that Ark.

Again, what I understand to be true may not be 100% true. Just what I heard while kicking around at those two places. No clue if the guy doing the prep was the other owner or what.


wiedeman
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wiedeman 10/13/2022 7:35pm
10/13/2022 7:35pm
Arkansaw mx is currently for sale. I just saw it the other day on a realtor site. Huge bummer. All the pictures show the track overgrown and looks like most the place is falling apart.

It sucks that Wheeler MX is a dump as well. There is more riding to do around here in the winter than there is in the summer.

If you're willing to travel a little bit you can go to the BP Moto Ranch, open on Wednesdays only, but I think they are closed for the season. Its a fun, high level track.

Theres also Against the grain mc (on insta) in Ellsworth/Prescott, they said they were going to try to do some ride days this year but never heard of any.

In November, the Cedar Lake Arena opens up. Its about an hour drive from the cities but well worth it. Great indoor track and always a lot of fun if you don't mind being a little cold. Unfortunately, its like $50 to ride there for the day.
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dinger212
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dinger212 10/13/2022 8:20pm
10/13/2022 8:20pm
I’ve been wondering the same things as above as I’m fairly new to the cities as well. I’ve been making a living at Meadow Valley now that Arkansaw MX is closed. Other options would be ideal. BP Moto Ranch says it isn’t open to the public?
T-Fish
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T-Fish 10/13/2022 8:45pm
10/13/2022 8:45pm Edited Date/Time 10/13/2022 8:46pm
FilthyGrungy wrote:
Arkansaw was awesome. From what I gather, the MV owner was part owner of the reopened Arkansaw and the other owner was doing all the track...
Arkansaw was awesome. From what I gather, the MV owner was part owner of the reopened Arkansaw and the other owner was doing all the track work and was losing $. Not sure what happened since.
PulpMxCommenter wrote:
I could be wrong, so please don’t quote me on what I’m about to type. And I have no clue what the financial situation looked like...
I could be wrong, so please don’t quote me on what I’m about to type. And I have no clue what the financial situation looked like at Ark.

I don’t think the previous owner had much of anything to do with the track after MV bought into it. I was fairly well acquainted with the guy doing the prep at Ark after the MV buy in and this what I understand about the situation.

MV owner was trucking their equipment back and forth between Ark and MV. I also understood that the water system at Ark was not owned by MV, but the guy doing the prep work. Ark was more or less a one man show and it just got to be a lot for the guy. MV owner was spending the weekend going back and forth between the tracks, burning fuel in the truck and equipment at a rapid pace. So it just wasn’t working out well in terms of the people involved and the time they were spending on it.

All the while, track prep guy had a solid gig going on working on bikes (engines, suspension, general maintenance, etc.). And MV was really booming in terms of rider turnout and land usage there.

Kind of seemed like, from the outside observer, that it just wasn’t the time for Ark to thrive. Gotta remember that Ark is in bumf**k no where too. Not that MV isn’t…but MV is closer to more population that Ark.

Again, what I understand to be true may not be 100% true. Just what I heard while kicking around at those two places. No clue if the guy doing the prep was the other owner or what.


When you talk about the owner prior to MV, are you referring to ML or the R family?
PulpMxCommenter 10/14/2022 4:15am
10/14/2022 4:15am
FilthyGrungy wrote:
Arkansaw was awesome. From what I gather, the MV owner was part owner of the reopened Arkansaw and the other owner was doing all the track...
Arkansaw was awesome. From what I gather, the MV owner was part owner of the reopened Arkansaw and the other owner was doing all the track work and was losing $. Not sure what happened since.
PulpMxCommenter wrote:
I could be wrong, so please don’t quote me on what I’m about to type. And I have no clue what the financial situation looked like...
I could be wrong, so please don’t quote me on what I’m about to type. And I have no clue what the financial situation looked like at Ark.

I don’t think the previous owner had much of anything to do with the track after MV bought into it. I was fairly well acquainted with the guy doing the prep at Ark after the MV buy in and this what I understand about the situation.

MV owner was trucking their equipment back and forth between Ark and MV. I also understood that the water system at Ark was not owned by MV, but the guy doing the prep work. Ark was more or less a one man show and it just got to be a lot for the guy. MV owner was spending the weekend going back and forth between the tracks, burning fuel in the truck and equipment at a rapid pace. So it just wasn’t working out well in terms of the people involved and the time they were spending on it.

All the while, track prep guy had a solid gig going on working on bikes (engines, suspension, general maintenance, etc.). And MV was really booming in terms of rider turnout and land usage there.

Kind of seemed like, from the outside observer, that it just wasn’t the time for Ark to thrive. Gotta remember that Ark is in bumf**k no where too. Not that MV isn’t…but MV is closer to more population that Ark.

Again, what I understand to be true may not be 100% true. Just what I heard while kicking around at those two places. No clue if the guy doing the prep was the other owner or what.


T-Fish wrote:
When you talk about the owner prior to MV, are you referring to ML or the R family?
I was told the prior owners or co-owners name at one time, but I truthfully do not remember it.

Pit Row

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FilthyGrungy 10/17/2022 12:06pm
10/17/2022 12:06pm
What a shame. Would be a ridiculous place for a moto enthusiast to buy for a homestead. Give me a 20k trailer house and that property, and starlink and I’ll be set
3
dl117
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Cambridge, MN, USA
dl117 10/17/2022 12:16pm
10/17/2022 12:16pm
That sucks it will never be back, haven't ridden there in a while, but those pics bring back fond memories.
T-Fish
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T-Fish 10/17/2022 12:27pm
10/17/2022 12:27pm
PulpMxCommenter wrote:
I could be wrong, so please don’t quote me on what I’m about to type. And I have no clue what the financial situation looked like...
I could be wrong, so please don’t quote me on what I’m about to type. And I have no clue what the financial situation looked like at Ark.

I don’t think the previous owner had much of anything to do with the track after MV bought into it. I was fairly well acquainted with the guy doing the prep at Ark after the MV buy in and this what I understand about the situation.

MV owner was trucking their equipment back and forth between Ark and MV. I also understood that the water system at Ark was not owned by MV, but the guy doing the prep work. Ark was more or less a one man show and it just got to be a lot for the guy. MV owner was spending the weekend going back and forth between the tracks, burning fuel in the truck and equipment at a rapid pace. So it just wasn’t working out well in terms of the people involved and the time they were spending on it.

All the while, track prep guy had a solid gig going on working on bikes (engines, suspension, general maintenance, etc.). And MV was really booming in terms of rider turnout and land usage there.

Kind of seemed like, from the outside observer, that it just wasn’t the time for Ark to thrive. Gotta remember that Ark is in bumf**k no where too. Not that MV isn’t…but MV is closer to more population that Ark.

Again, what I understand to be true may not be 100% true. Just what I heard while kicking around at those two places. No clue if the guy doing the prep was the other owner or what.


T-Fish wrote:
When you talk about the owner prior to MV, are you referring to ML or the R family?
PulpMxCommenter wrote:
I was told the prior owners or co-owners name at one time, but I truthfully do not remember it.
The original owners were the Richardson family. Great people that cared and put on a great event! They “sold” it to Mike Lowe (he’s on here somewhere) on a land contract. There is a lot that went on with that mess, and the owner of MV bought it from the Richardson family.

The watering system was underground if I remember right (or was it above ground PVC?), aside from the fire hoses. I would assume, but I don’t know for sure, those were sold with the track. The tractor that Lowe totaled belonged to the Richardson family, but he bought it after he wrecked it.

Jordan Schlosser was the guy doing the prep. To my knowledge, he just ran the equipment and maintained the track for a little bit. He wasn’t an owner, I do know that much. The guy doing the track work for the last several years had some inner demons and committed suicide in the cabin above the track. He was a very nice guy as well.

Arkansaw MX was a super fun track and I have a lot of memories there. Best of all, the Richardson family is great and will be lifelong friends.
1
PulpMxCommenter 10/17/2022 12:46pm
10/17/2022 12:46pm
T-Fish wrote:
When you talk about the owner prior to MV, are you referring to ML or the R family?
PulpMxCommenter wrote:
I was told the prior owners or co-owners name at one time, but I truthfully do not remember it.
T-Fish wrote:
The original owners were the Richardson family. Great people that cared and put on a great event! They “sold” it to Mike Lowe (he’s on here...
The original owners were the Richardson family. Great people that cared and put on a great event! They “sold” it to Mike Lowe (he’s on here somewhere) on a land contract. There is a lot that went on with that mess, and the owner of MV bought it from the Richardson family.

The watering system was underground if I remember right (or was it above ground PVC?), aside from the fire hoses. I would assume, but I don’t know for sure, those were sold with the track. The tractor that Lowe totaled belonged to the Richardson family, but he bought it after he wrecked it.

Jordan Schlosser was the guy doing the prep. To my knowledge, he just ran the equipment and maintained the track for a little bit. He wasn’t an owner, I do know that much. The guy doing the track work for the last several years had some inner demons and committed suicide in the cabin above the track. He was a very nice guy as well.

Arkansaw MX was a super fun track and I have a lot of memories there. Best of all, the Richardson family is great and will be lifelong friends.
Thank you for filling in the gaps and adding some more context to it all. Damn shame the place couldn’t last.

And yes, Jordan was the guy I would talk to and was acquainted with. I didn’t think he had any ties in regards to ownership but wasn’t sure. From what I understood, there was watering infrastructure there underground, and there was infrastructure he added. Whether that was pipe, pumps, hoses…I’m not sure.
AgentOrange 10/17/2022 6:08pm
10/17/2022 6:08pm
Thought those porta-potties were the dumbest thing ever. Mini riders were getting stuck, spinning their tires on the 2x4s, then being flagged to go around.
I guess I can look back and laugh now. One thing that will always stand out in my dirt bike riding life is, riding through a porta-potty. Haha
1
FilthyGrungy 10/18/2022 5:29am
10/18/2022 5:29am
They were supposed to be on to protect the power cord running to the shed at the entrance, but moved down to scoring which actually worked well for dropping the speeds through. The 50’s didn’t have to go through them but I saw a couple of the top kids make passes by taking the crapper line.

Glad you can have a chuckle in hindsight years later. Most likely the only time that will happen in racing. Might be the only memory of the race years from now
Markopolo400
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Markopolo400 10/18/2022 8:58am
10/18/2022 8:58am
Also fond memory was the GP race Ark put on at the end of 2015. Two 30min motos J Day style on a really unique layout of the track and the woods. I remember Jerry Robin shredding on a 125 that day.
1
rob.boucher.547 10/18/2022 11:35am
10/18/2022 11:35am
The Best Track, place to ride close to the metro is
BCMX park
Main track is great
mini track is fantastic
9 mile off road single track on west side by mini track
is fun
This is the old Cambridge mx track from the 70's
that I raced on in 77, only the start is on the southwest side
Great owners
practice every wednesday unless noted
and practice on various saturdays before the race weekend
7
wiedeman
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wiedeman 10/18/2022 3:32pm
10/18/2022 3:32pm
dinger212 wrote:
I’ve been wondering the same things as above as I’m fairly new to the cities as well. I’ve been making a living at Meadow Valley now...
I’ve been wondering the same things as above as I’m fairly new to the cities as well. I’ve been making a living at Meadow Valley now that Arkansaw MX is closed. Other options would be ideal. BP Moto Ranch says it isn’t open to the public?
bp moto ranch is technically private, but I messaged them a few months ago and they said I could ride as long as I was fast enough... which I wasn't. Its a national level track for sure. Plenty of sky jumps and ruts deeper than your pegs every Wednesday before open practice even starts. There's a couple good videos on it. Don't go there if you don't consider yourself a B or better rider.

Cambridge is a great track. I have only rode there once but really enjoyed it. Its pure sand but a blast, unless it is really wet. They have practice this weekend and possibly one more after that (weather permitting)

Cedar Lake just posted their schedule and their first practice day is Nov 5th, and then its every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after that until spring. I would 100% recommend going there.

Markopolo400
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Markopolo400 10/19/2022 10:29am
10/19/2022 10:29am
Good call on BCMX, love that place. I might head there this weekend if the weather is as nice as they are calling for!

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