Building a MTB Destination: Rockwell RV & Adventure Park and the Next Era of Riding in Mankato, Minnesota

A former quarry near Mankato is being turned into a new kind of adventure park—part campground, part climbing and water playground, and anchored by free mountain bike trails built straight into the rock. Learn more about this project, what to expect in 2026, and how to support it.

To learn more, visit Rockwell RV & Adventure Park.

The Rockwell RV & Adventure Park project is currently in the planning and permitting stages. Portions of trail construction have been completed for demonstration and fundraising purposes, but full development and further construction is pending approval. Not yet open to the public.

What Is Rockwell RV & Adventure Park (and why it matters)

Rockwell RV & Adventure Park is an adventure destination taking shape inside a century-old limestone quarry outside Mankato, Minnesota. For riders, the headline is free-to-ride mountain bike trails carved directly into quarry benches and limestone blocks, with purpose-built features that lean into the site’s industrial past.

The vision is simple but massive: a place where you can spend a day riding rock-forward singletrack, camp among the quarry, and still have plenty for non-riders to do on the water and around the park.

A Quarry With a Second Life

The site spans roughly a hundred acres that have been mined in one form or another for more than a century. Limestone came out for insulation and mortar; later, frack sand was pulled from beneath the stone.

Mining has winded down and instead of grading it smooth and walking away, the team behind Rockwell RV & Adventure Park wants to reuse the rugged topography, exposed rock faces, and deep blue water to create something the region doesn’t have: durable, weather-tolerant trails with a sense of place. Drop into the pit and it feels different: bigger views, more rock, and an entirely new canvas for southern Minnesota.

The Mountain Bike Plan: Connected Areas of Rock & Dirt

Trails will be free to ride and built in connected areas that link the quarry floor, rock benches, and nearby wooded parcels. Think of it as one network with distinct characters: rock-forward lines on quarry stone, and flowing singletrack through trees and natural outcrops where the terrain shifts. The intent is to connect these pieces so you can pedal a continuous loop, move from slabby rock into shaded dirt, and back again, all without a car.

Durability is a huge design goal. The quarry base sheds water fast, which should put more ride days on the calendar compared with Mankato’s existing flood-prone trails.

Signature Trail Features You Won’t See Anywhere Else

From the start, the plan has been to build with the quarry’s bones. That means limestone blockwork shaping lines and landings, terraces that step along the high wall, and features that reuse old industrial hardware. Three full-size rail cars are set to anchor a rideable train-track experience in the woods.

A retired excavator will be set as an elevated rollover that loops from the arm to a lower bench. Historic stiff-leg quarry cranes are being eyed to support a short bridge section. Even the short demo trail, about a thousand feet built this spring, shows what’s possible, with limestone features and flowing lines that preview the look and feel of the full system.

The aim is flow and safety first, with the “wow” coming from texture, sightlines, and the fact that you’re literally riding the quarry.

Beyond Bikes: The Adventure Park Pieces

Rockwell is meant to be more than a trailhead. The plan wraps an RV campground with activity hubs that make it easy to spend a weekend on site. An aqua park will put a floating obstacle course on quarry water. A cable park adds laps for wakeboarders and skiers. A climbing wall rounds out the vertical play.

The non-bike pieces won’t overshadow the trail network, but they make this a spot where a mixed group can all find something they love.

What’s Next

Two levers determine pace from here: permitting and fundraising. The team has already cleared a major zoning hurdle by establishing a pathway for commercial recreation in previously mined areas, and early environmental work has helped frame the opportunity. As dollars come in, phases of connected trail will open, with foundational mileage prioritized first and the larger, more intricate “history features” following as funding allows.

Community, Momentum, and the Long Game

Local riders and businesses see the upside. A recent community event drew strong interest and a challenge pledge to kick things off, and the project has the attention of regional partners who understand what a destination-quality network can do for visitation. There’s room to grow, too. Adjacent lands could come into play over time, and a future link to the paved trail through town would let riders pedal from downtown and Nicollet Bike & Ski straight to the quarry.

For now, the story is simple: a once-industrial landscape is being rewritten as a ride-in, ride-out playground, built on rock, shaped by locals, and designed to feel unlike anything else in the region.