In a metro area full of beautiful places to run, year-round no route beats the Mississippi River Road. It's beautiful, it's historic, and it's never crowded. Best of all, the trail is long enough to provide changing scenery to athletes who tire of the same old, same old. The six-mile loop from Minnehaha Park, across the Lake Street Bridge, and back along the river is lined with pretty riverfront houses and, for those needing a shot of caffeine or a trip to the bathroom, it can include a pit stop at Dunn Bros. on East Lake Street. Or start at the north end of the river on the Minneapolis side and run over the Plymouth bridge, across Nicollet Island, and back over the Stone Arch Bridge and you'll pass old Mill City, the new Guthrie, and the gorgeous, towering condos of the riverfront. Between the Stone Arch Bridge and Lake Street, the path is a mix of hills and homes, always beautiful, particularly in the snow.