Mountain Bike Trails
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Contents Using the Guide 2-3 On-Road Tours 4-25 Mountain Bike Trails 26-47 Bike Touring Trails 48-69 More Wisconsin Biking Trails 70-71 Wisconsin Bike Events 72-IBC Using the Guide Map Legend 94 Interstate Highway isconsin and biking were 51 US Highway made for each other! The 68 State Highway Badger State is recognized G County Highway as a national leader in recre- W Town Road (Paved) ational biking. An excellent road sys- tem, coupled with outstanding off-road Town Road (Gravel) terrain, make Wisconsin a true biking Bike Route: on State Highways adventure for everyone. Bike Route: on County Highways The Wisconsin Biking Guide gath- Bike Route: on Town Roads (Paved) ers a sampling of the wonderful biking Bike Route: on Town Roads (Gravel) experiences Wisconsin has to offer. Bike Touring Trail (Paved) Rides are divided into three categories, based on riding interest: on-road tours, Bike Touring Trail (Unpaved) mountain bike trails, and bike touring Off-road: Easy trails. Off-road: Moderate Often, a geographic area offers Off-road: Difficult more than one type of ride. The map Off-road: Single-Track on page 3 shows the location of ten on-road tours, ten mountain bike trails, Hiking Trail/Other Trail and ten bike touring trails. Pick a desti- ATV Trail nation, then check out the many ride County Lines options along the way. Railroad This is the seventh edition of the Park Boundary Wisconsin Biking Guide. The thirty Parking Lot trails and tours on these pages are a 2.9 part of more than 100 in our on-line Mileage Indicators collection. You can access the collec- Trailhead tion and their accompanying maps at Trailhead with Parking Lot www.travelwisconsin.com. (On the Trailhead with On-Street Parking landing page, click on “The Great Parking Lot Outdoors,” then “Biking,” choose your favorite ride category.) You can All Services also click on “Maps & Guides” at the Some Services top of the page and flip-through an Tavern electronic version of the Wisconsin Bicycle Service Biking Guide. Or, you can key in one Shelter of the “Other Tours” suggested in the Point of Interest “Just The Facts” listing for each ride in this guide. Unincorporated Town Incorporated Town Telephone Lodging SAFETY FIRST Public Campground When riding, always act in the best Private Campground interest of yourself and your compan- Food Service ions. Be sure to: Grocery ■ Obey specific bicycle and general traf- fic regulations. Showers ■ Use off-road riding etiquette, (see Water IMBA trail rules on page 27). Flush Toilet ■ Show courtesy to all road or trail Pit Toilet users. Hiking Only Trail ■ Wear appropriate gear, including a well-adjusted helmet. Wayside Park ■ Maintain your bicycle in excellent Playground operating condition. Historical Marker or Museum ■ Choose routes within the ability of Swimming you and your companions. Underpass ■ Carry sufficient food, drink, first aid supplies, and tools. State Park County Park 2 Pages 1 Around the Horn Tour 6-7 2 Sand Lake Tour 8-9 On-Road Tours 3 Marinette-Peshtigo Tour 10-11 Enjoy scenic routes that enhance the adventure 4 Cave Point Tour 12-13 of the open road. Quiet, lightly traveled roads 5 Buena Vista Tour 14-15 are used wherever possible. Most tours can be 6 Top of the World Tour 16-17 ridden in a single day. Some are easy cruises, 7 Prairie du Chien Tour 18-19 others take-on tough hills. All are exceptional 8 Merrimac Ferry Tour 20-21 9 Waterloo Tour 22-23 experiences. 10 Lima Center Tour 24-25 1 Rock Lake CAMBA Trail 28-29 Mountain Bike Trails 2 Nicolet Roche Trail 30-31 3 Peninsula State Park Trails 32-33 Give off-road riding a try. Pedaling natural 4 Lowes Creek Trail 34-35 terrain can be a challenging test or a pleasant 5 Greenbush Trails 36-37 roll through the woods. Ride to beautiful places 6 Devil’s Lake State Park Trails 38-39 you’d never see on the road. This section 7 Human Powered Trails 40-41 includes trails for novices and experts; now 8 Cam-Rock Trails 42-43 everyone can enjoy off-road adventure. 9 Milwaukee Alpha Trail 44-45 10 John Muir & Emma Carlin Trails 46-47 1 Three Eagles Trail 50-51 Bike Touring Trails 2 Mariners-Rawley Point Trails 52-53 3 Elroy-Sparta State Trail 54-55 Sample a Wisconsin original. By converting an 4 Pine River Trail 56-57 abandoned rail bed into the Elroy-Sparta Trail, 5 Military Ridge State Trail 58-59 the state kicked-off a nationwide boom in 6 Eisenbahn State Trail 60-61 motor vehicle-free trails. They aren’t physically 7 Interurban Trail 62-63 demanding; novices and families love them. 8 Oak Leaf Trail 64-65 9 White River State Trail 66-67 10 Badger State Trail 68-69 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 6 2 7 3 5 6 On-Road Tours 4 8 6 7 see page 4-25 Mountain Bike Trails 7 5 8 9 9 see page 26-47 10 8 Bike Touring Trails 10 10 see page 48-69 9 3 On-Road BikeTours DON ABRAMS 4 icycle speed is just right for tak- ing in all Wisconsin has to offer; fast enough to get you there, 1 Bslow enough so you won’t miss a thing. Wisconsin’s secondary road system is among the best in the nation. In this sec- tion, we’ve selected a variety of on-road 2 tours. We’ll take you down country lanes 3 where wild flowers grow to the edge of 4 the pavement; through forests that canopy the roadway; along the sandy 5 shores of the Great Lakes; and along the 6 banks of the St. Croix and Wisconsin Rivers. Wisconsin’s extensive rural road sys- 7 8 tem was born of necessity – as a means 9 to move product from farm to market. With the advent of divided highways and 10 high-speed travel, many of these rural Pages byways are nearly forgotten; perfect for 1 Around the Horn Tour 6-7 relaxing biking. The map on this page locates and 2 Sand Lake Tour 8-9 indexes all the on-road tours in this sec- 3 Marinette-Peshtigo Tour 10-11 tion. We’ve made a real effort to select 4 Cave Point Tour 12-13 lightly-trafficked roads and scenic byways 5 Buena Vista Tour 14-15 for your enjoyment. But always keep in 6 Top of the World Tour 16-17 mind that safety in shared-roadway situ- 7 Prairie du Chien Tour 18-19 ations depends on alertness, obeying the rules of the road, and courtesy. 8 Merrimac Ferry Tour 20-21 For more information about bicy- 9 Waterloo Tour 22-23 cling on Wisconsin roadways, consider 10 Lima Center Tour 24-25 purchasing the Wisconsin State Bike Map, (details on the inside back cover of this guide). Pay attention to these on-road biking tips: ■ All the on-road tours follow public roadways open to On-Road Bike Tours Legend shared bicycle/motor vehicle use. ■ Trailhead Obey all general and bike- Trailhead with Parking Lot specific traffic regulations. Trailhead with On-Street Parking ■ Wear a helmet and layered, 68 State Highway comfortable bike clothing. G County Highway ■ Make sure the route you Paved Town Road select is suited to the ability of Recommended Route Paved everyone in your group. Recommended Route Gravel ■ Make sure your bike is in excellent working order. For a complete listing of all map icons, see page 2. ■ Bring water and bike tools. 5 Around the Horn Tour 1 BAYFIELD COUNTY JUST THE FACTS ere’s a chance to test your legs on a challenging route “around the DISTANCE: 53 miles horn” of the Bayfield Peninsula. It DIFFICULTY: Very difficult, but a mod- Hpays off with a jackpot of scenery erate out-and-back route is an option. and attractions at the very top of the state. The course profile shows some tough TRAILHEAD LOCATION: In Washburn hills on this ride. If you ‘round the horn at Thompson’s West End Park at the clockwise, the last eight miles into end of 8th Ave, .4 miles south of Hwy. Cornucopia are one of the best downhill runs 13/Bayfield St. anywhere; pedaling is purely optional on ATTRACTIONS: Apostle Islands some stretches. But, be prepared: there are National Lakeshore, Big Top no services available on the long hauls Chautauqua, Madeline Island Historical between Washburn and Cornucopia or on to Museum, Bayfield Maritime Museum, Red Cliff. Washburn Historical Museum, If that payoff doesn’t seem worth the Madeline Island Ferry, Big Bay State considerable effort of the long climb on Cty. Park, boat tours, sea kayaking. C, you might consider a more modest 26- mile ride out-and-back on Hwy 13 between CAUTION: The entire route is on pub- Washburn and Bayfield. There are plenty of lic roadways open to shared great views along that part of the route too. bicycle/motor vehicle use. Be sure to The “Around the Horn” tour is from a use the paved shoulder on Hwy. 13 collection of 19 great on-road routes present- between Cty. K and Washburn. Some ed in the Ashland & Bayfield County Bicycle slopes are long and steep; take care to Map available from the area contacts listed. control your downhill speed. The map includes tours as short as 11 miles, LEGEND: For a complete listing of all some on easy terrain, to premier challenges map icons, see page 2.