ContentsUsing 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
22
Using the Guide
Wisconsin and biking weremade for each other! TheBadger State is recognizedas a national leader in recre-ational biking. An excellent road sys-tem, coupled with outstanding off-roadterrain, make Wisconsin a true bikingadventure for everyone.
The Wisconsin Biking Guide gath-ers a sampling of the wonderful bikingexperiences Wisconsin has to offer.Rides are divided into three categories,based on riding interest: on-road tours,mountain bike trails, and bike touringtrails.
Often, a geographic area offersmore than one type of ride. The mapon page 3 shows the location of tenon-road tours, ten mountain bike trails,and ten bike touring trails. Pick a desti-nation, then check out the many rideoptions along the way.
This is the seventh edition of theWisconsin Biking Guide. The thirtytrails and tours on these pages are apart of more than 100 in our on-linecollection. You can access the collec-tion and their accompanying maps atwww.travelwisconsin.com. (On thelanding page, click on “The GreatOutdoors,” then “Biking,” chooseyour favorite ride category.) You canalso click on “Maps & Guides” at thetop of the page and flip-through anelectronic version of the WisconsinBiking Guide. Or, you can key in oneof the “Other Tours” suggested in the“Just The Facts” listing for each ride inthis guide.
Map Legend
2.9
Interstate Highway
US Highway
State Highway
County Highway
Town Road (Paved)
Town Road (Gravel)
Bike Route: on State Highways
Bike Route: on County Highways
Bike Route: on Town Roads (Paved)
Bike Route: on Town Roads (Gravel)
Bike Touring Trail (Paved)
Bike Touring Trail (Unpaved)
Off-road: Easy
Off-road: Moderate
Off-road: Difficult
Off-road: Single-Track
Hiking Trail/Other Trail
ATV Trail
County Lines
Railroad
Park Boundary
Parking Lot
Mileage Indicators
Trailhead
Trailhead with Parking Lot
Trailhead with On-Street Parking
Parking Lot
All Services
Some Services
Tavern
Bicycle Service
Shelter
Point of Interest
Unincorporated Town
Incorporated Town
Telephone
Lodging
Public Campground
Private Campground
Food Service
Grocery
Showers
Water
Flush Toilet
Pit Toilet
Hiking Only Trail
Wayside Park
Playground
Historical Marker or Museum
Swimming
Underpass
State Park
County Park
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SAFETY FIRSTWhen riding, always act in the bestinterest of yourself and your compan-ions. Be sure to:■ Obey specific bicycle and general traf-
fic regulations.■ Use off-road riding etiquette, (see
IMBA trail rules on page 27).■ Show courtesy to all road or trail
users.■ Wear appropriate gear, including a
well-adjusted helmet.■ Maintain your bicycle in excellent
operating condition.■ Choose routes within the ability of
you and your companions.■ Carry sufficient food, drink, first aid
supplies, and tools.
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On-Road Tourssee page 4-25
Mountain Bike Trailssee page 26-47
Bike Touring Trailssee page 48-69
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5 6
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910
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23
4
56
7
8 910
1
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56 7
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1 Around the Horn Tour 6-72 Sand Lake Tour 8-93 Marinette-Peshtigo Tour 10-114 Cave Point Tour 12-135 Buena Vista Tour 14-156 Top of the World Tour 16-177 Prairie du Chien Tour 18-198 Merrimac Ferry Tour 20-219 Waterloo Tour 22-23
10 Lima Center Tour 24-25
1 Rock Lake CAMBA Trail 28-292 Nicolet Roche Trail 30-313 Peninsula State Park Trails 32-334 Lowes Creek Trail 34-355 Greenbush Trails 36-376 Devil’s Lake State Park Trails 38-397 Human Powered Trails 40-418 Cam-Rock Trails 42-439 Milwaukee Alpha Trail 44-45
10 John Muir & Emma Carlin Trails 46-47
1 Three Eagles Trail 50-512 Mariners-Rawley Point Trails 52-533 Elroy-Sparta State Trail 54-554 Pine River Trail 56-575 Military Ridge State Trail 58-59 6 Eisenbahn State Trail 60-617 Interurban Trail 62-638 Oak Leaf Trail 64-659 White River State Trail 66-67
10 Badger State Trail 68-69
Mountain Bike TrailsGive off-road riding a try. Pedaling natural terrain can be a challenging test or a pleasantroll through the woods. Ride to beautiful placesyou’d never see on the road. This sectionincludes trails for novices and experts; noweveryone can enjoy off-road adventure.
Bike Touring TrailsSample a Wisconsin original. By converting anabandoned rail bed into the Elroy-Sparta Trail,the state kicked-off a nationwide boom inmotor vehicle-free trails. They aren’t physicallydemanding; novices and families love them.
On-Road ToursEnjoy scenic routes that enhance the adventureof the open road. Quiet, lightly traveled roadsare used wherever possible. Most tours can beridden in a single day. Some are easy cruises,others take-on tough hills. All are exceptionalexperiences.
Pages
44
On-RoadBikeTours
DON
ABRA
MS
55
Bicycle speed is just right for tak-ing in all Wisconsin has to offer;fast enough to get you there,slow enough so you won’t missa thing.
Wisconsin’s secondary road system isamong the best in the nation. In this sec-tion, we’ve selected a variety of on-roadtours. We’ll take you down country laneswhere wild flowers grow to the edge ofthe pavement; through forests thatcanopy the roadway; along the sandyshores of the Great Lakes; and along thebanks of the St. Croix and WisconsinRivers.
Wisconsin’s extensive rural road sys-tem was born of necessity – as a meansto move product from farm to market.With the advent of divided highways andhigh-speed travel, many of these ruralbyways are nearly forgotten; perfect forrelaxing biking.
The map on this page locates andindexes all the on-road tours in this sec-tion. We’ve made a real effort to selectlightly-trafficked roads and scenic bywaysfor your enjoyment. But always keep inmind that safety in shared-roadway situ-ations depends on alertness, obeying therules of the road, and courtesy.
For more information about bicy-cling on Wisconsin roadways, considerpurchasing the Wisconsin State BikeMap, (details on the inside back cover ofthis guide).
Trailhead
Trailhead with On-Street Parking
Trailhead with Parking Lot
State Highway
Paved Town Road
County Highway
Recommended Route Paved
Recommended Route Gravel
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Pay attention to these on-roadbiking tips:
■ All the on-road tours followpublic roadways open toshared bicycle/motor vehicleuse.
■ Obey all general and bike-specific traffic regulations.
■ Wear a helmet and layered,comfortable bike clothing.
■ Make sure the route youselect is suited to the ability ofeveryone in your group.
■ Make sure your bike is inexcellent working order.
■ Bring water and bike tools.
On-Road Bike Tours Legend
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2 34
5 6
7 8 910
Pages
1 Around the Horn Tour 6-72 Sand Lake Tour 8-93 Marinette-Peshtigo Tour 10-114 Cave Point Tour 12-135 Buena Vista Tour 14-156 Top of the World Tour 16-177 Prairie du Chien Tour 18-198 Merrimac Ferry Tour 20-219 Waterloo Tour 22-2310 Lima Center Tour 24-25
For a complete listing of all map icons, see page 2.
66
Around the Horn TourBAYFIELD COUNTY1
JUST THE FACTSDISTANCE: 53 miles
DIFFICULTY: Very difficult, but a mod-erate out-and-back route is an option.
TRAILHEAD LOCATION: In Washburnat Thompson’s West End Park at theend of 8th Ave, .4 miles south of Hwy.13/Bayfield St.
ATTRACTIONS: Apostle IslandsNational Lakeshore, Big TopChautauqua, Madeline Island HistoricalMuseum, Bayfield Maritime Museum,Washburn Historical Museum,Madeline Island Ferry, Big Bay StatePark, boat tours, sea kayaking.
CAUTION: The entire route is on pub-lic roadways open to sharedbicycle/motor vehicle use. Be sure touse the paved shoulder on Hwy. 13between Cty. K and Washburn. Someslopes are long and steep; take care tocontrol your downhill speed.
LEGEND: For a complete listing of allmap icons, see page 2.
OTHER TOURS IN THIS REGION: Goto www.travelwisconsin.com. In thesearch box, key in Chequamegon BayTour, Chequamegon-Nicolet ForestTour, or Tiger Cat Tour.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Bayfield Chamber of Commerce800/447-4094, 715/779-3335www.bayfield.org
Bayfield County Tourism & Recreation800/472-6338, 715/373-6125www.travelbayfieldcounty.com
Madeline Island Chamber of Commerce888/475-3386, 715/747-2801www.madelineisland.com
Washburn Area Chamber of Commerce800/253-4495, 715/373-5017www.washburnchamber.com
Here’s a chance to test your legs on achallenging route “around thehorn” of the Bayfield Peninsula. Itpays off with a jackpot of sceneryand attractions at the very top of the state.
The course profile shows some toughhills on this ride. If you ‘round the hornclockwise, the last eight miles intoCornucopia are one of the best downhill runsanywhere; pedaling is purely optional onsome stretches. But, be prepared: there areno services available on the long haulsbetween Washburn and Cornucopia or on toRed Cliff.
If that payoff doesn’t seem worth theconsiderable effort of the long climb on Cty.C, you might consider a more modest 26-mile ride out-and-back on Hwy 13 betweenWashburn and Bayfield. There are plenty ofgreat views along that part of the route too.
The “Around the Horn” tour is from acollection of 19 great on-road routes present-ed in the Ashland & Bayfield County BicycleMap available from the area contacts listed.The map includes tours as short as 11 miles,some on easy terrain, to premier challengeslike this tour.
Summer fun in this neck of theNorthwoods is often defined by the perform-ance schedule of Big Top Chautauqua. Formore than two decades the “Carnegie Hallof tent shows” has brought a series ofnational headliners and original productionsto their blue canvas tent atop Mt. Ashwabay(performances June-LD+, 888/244-8368 orwww.bigtop.org).
No visit to the Bayfield Peninsula wouldbe complete without getting out on the lake.Boat tours and sea kayaking are popular andreadily available. A ride on the MadelineIsland Ferry to La Pointe with your bike, caror on foot is an easy way to take in thesights (operating Apr-Jan 15, 715/747-2051or www.madferry.com).
Just a few steps from the ferry dock isthe palisade of the reconstructed fur tradingpost that houses the Madeline IslandHistorical Museum (open daily MD-early Oct;10am-5pm; 866/944-7483 or www.wiscon-sinhistory.org/madelineisland). Six miles eastof La Pointe the quiet beauty of Big Bay StatePark beckons (715/747-6425 orwww.wiparks.net).
Back on the mainland in Bayfield youcan visit the Apostle Islands NationalLakeshore Visitor Center in the old countycourthouse (open daily May-Oct, 8am-5pm,715/779-3397 or www.nps.gov/apis/) and
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LittleSand Bay
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CornucopiaRedCliff
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Chequamegon Bay
Mt. AshwabayBig Top Chautaugua
Madeline IslandHistorical Museum
BayfieldMaritimeMuseum
WashburnHistoricalMuseum
Orchards
Siskiwit Falls
Thompson’s West End Park
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the Bayfield Maritime Museum (June, Sep &Oct daily, 10am-5pm; July & Aug 10am-7pm,715/779-9919 or www.bayfield.org).
The lore and legend of the area’s nativeOjibwe, French fur traders and missionaries,sailors, shipwrecks and lumberjacks is dis-played at the Washburn Historical Museum(Open daily, Apr-Aug 10am-4pm; Mon-Sat,
Sep-Dec 10am-2pm, 715/373-5591). Themuseum is located in a striking 19th Centurybank building built with locally quarriedsandstone, the same stone used in many ofNew York City’s famous brownstones.
At the end of the day you’ll agree thatthe beautiful Bayfield Peninsula is indeed ahorn of plenty.
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2Sand Lake Tour BARRON COUNTYJust because pedaling around SandLake is an easy ride, doesn’t mean it’sflat. There’s just enough elevation -nearly 100 feet – to keep the ridinginteresting and give your legs a work out.The Sand Lake Tour is one of four scenic andlightly trafficked routes shown on the BikeCumberland map that was produced by theHealthier Cumberland Coalition (see left).They also have another map that shows easy,shorter rides in-town.
As you pedal across the rolling land-scape west of Cumberland, you’ll catchglimpses of Beaver Dam Lake and Sand Lakethrough the trees. They were once channelsin the course of a mighty glacial river. Thelegacy of that old river is Cumberland’smoniker as “The Island City.” Most of thetown is situated on an island that once splitthe river into two channels. That ancient icesheet also left the surrounding land spottedwith lakes that give the town its “vacation-land” character. There are more than fiftylakes within a ten-mile radius ofCumberland. The town is right on the edgeof Wisconsin’s great Northwoods.
At the north end of the route you canride up to the Hilltop Retreat Restaurant, theonly service of any type you’ll find along theroute (open weekend evenings). This shortside trip is worthwhile anytime for the scenic
JUST THE FACTSDISTANCE: 23 miles. DIFFICULTY: Easy.TRAILHEAD LOCATION: AtCumberland Tourist Park & Beach threeblocks west of Hwy 63 on Lake St.
ATTRACTIONS: Lake, river and wood-land scenery.
CAUTION: The entire route is on pub-lic roads open to shared bicycle/motorvehicle use.
LEGEND: For a complete listing of allmap icons, see page 2.
OTHER TOURS IN THIS REGION:Go to www.travelwisconsin.com. Inthe search box, enter Chetek Tour orTiger Cat Tour.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Cumberland Chamber of Commerce 715/822-3378www.cumberland-wisconsin.com
Healthier Cumberland Coalitionwww.healthiercumberland.org (for Bike Cumberland map pdf file)
Moonrise over a Barron County Lake.
TOURISM PHOTO FILE
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LAKE ST
JEFFERY
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Little Lake
Little Sand Lake
Granite Lake
Spring Lake
Wildcat Lake
Scott Lake
North Lake
Kirby Lake
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views of the Sand Creek valley. Following thenumerical streets and avenues, as the townroads are named, is an adventure in itself.Don’t bother adding them up.
The humble rutabaga has becomeCumberland’s official symbol for its annualfestival held the weekend before Labor Day.Probably brought to the area by Scandinaviansettlers, the rutabaga is a kind of turnip.Rutabaga Fest is a community celebration; achance to have some summer fun with a hotpepper eating contest, children’s’ Olympics, acarnival, run/walk/race, and a Sunday parade.
In town, stately Victorian homes and animposing classical revival opera house that isnow an apartment house testify toCumberland’s prosperous early years. Theriver and great stands of pine made it anideal location for sawmills. The railroadarrived in 1878 and soon added to its impor-tance.
This once rough-and-tumble lumberingtown began to clean up its image a hundredyears ago. According to local lore, the town’stoughest saloonkeeper touted himself as the“King of Cumberland.” The town fathersimported a marshal who challenged thesaloonkeeper to a fistfight with the conditionthe loser left town. The saloonkeeper lostand he left.
Today, Cumberland is a thriving com-munity of 2,300 that combines industry withquality of life. Its full-service downtowncombines with area cafés, restaurants,antique shops, and motels to make your stayenjoyable. The city operates an eighteen-holegolf course with lounge and restaurant, aswimming beach at Tourist Park, and a camp-ground at Eagle Point with 23 sites, electrici-ty and showers.
Cumberland makes it easy in and out ofthe saddle.
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3Marinette-Peshtigo TourMARINETTE COUNTYHere’s an easy ride sandwichedbetween two interesting communi-ties and two rivers. Expansive viewsof Green Bay dotted with sailboats,pleasure boats and huge freighters add to anenjoyable day of riding. It’s just one of theroutes shown on the Marinette CountyOfficial Bicycle Routes Map which you canrequest from their tourism office. Other ridesshowcase the county’s fourteen scenic water-falls, bolstering Marinette County’s claim asthe “Waterfalls Capital of Wisconsin.”
Red Arrow Park at the outlet of theMenominee River is a pleasant place to startand finish your ride. A bike/ped path followsthe channel back into town. There, onStephenson Island, you can learn more aboutthe area’s past at the Marinette HistoricalMuseum (open MD-Sept Tue-Sat 10am-4:30pm, Sun & hol noon-4pm; 715/732-0831). Museum exhibits illuminate the area’sNative American history, early trading posts,lumbering, and maritime legacy. Nearby onBridge Street, stop at the WisconsinWelcome Center for more things to do andsee in the Badger State (open Apr-Oct daily8am-5pm; 715/732-4333).
You get three changes of scenery onthis ride. Pedaling south from Marinetteyou’ll catch big-water views of Green Bay.You’ll see that water levels have droppedrecently giving shoreline owners an extra fiftymeters of property. Turning inland, lakescenes turn to river scenes as the route fol-lows the Peshtigo River as it meandersthrough the roadside woods. Cutting acrosson Rader Road, the terrain changes yet againas you pass through easy rolling farmland.This route is the shortest loop of the annualMenominee River Century ride. The June out-ing has been pleasing cyclists for more thana quarter century with a formula of easypedaling and post-ride fun.
The Menominee River, the boundarybetween Wisconsin and Michigan, offers aclue to the form of the land before the lastglacial epoch. Today it empties into GreenBay. But in pre-glacial times geologistsbelieve it continued east. Look at the statemap and you can see that directly across thebay is the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal. It wasonce part of the river channel before hugeglacial ice sheets, split by the Door Peninsula,gouged out the bay and Lake Michigan.
A much more tragic history lesson lies atthe west end of the route. The city ofPeshtigo is forever linked to the worst forestfire in North America. It is little known, how-ever, because it occurred on the same day as
JUST THE FACTSDISTANCE: 30 miles. DIFFICULTY: Easy.TRAILHEAD LOCATIONS: Red ArrowPark, 2.5 miles east of Hwy 41.
ATTRACTIONS: Marinette HistoricalMuseum, Peshtigo Fire Museum, river,lake and farmland scenery.
CAUTION: The entire route is on pub-lic roads open to shared bicycle/motorvehicle use.
LEGEND: For a complete listing of allmap icons, see page 2.
OTHER TOURS IN THIS REGION:Go to www.travelwisconsin.com. In thesearch box, enter High Falls Tour orShore-to-Shore Tour. Or, in this guidesee the Cave Point Tour (pages 12-13).
FOR MORE INFORMATION:Marinette County Tourism Alliance800/236-6681www.marinettecounty.com
Marinette/Menominee Area Chamberof Commerce800/236-6681, 715/735-6681www.marinettechamber.com
Peshtigo Fire Museum.
GARY KNOWLES
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the great Chicago Fire. On October 8, 1971conditions were ideal for both conflagrations.A prolonged drought and a cyclonic wind-storm were key ingredients. In Chicago,buildings fueled the fire; in Peshtigo is was“slash” left by pervasive lumbering.
The Peshtigo firestorm raged throughparts of Upper Michigan, down to Green Bay
and over most of the lower part of the DoorCounty Peninsula. Millions of dollars worthof property and timberland were lost as wellas an estimated 1,200-2,400 lives; five to tentimes as many perished in Wisconsin as inChicago.
The fire was named for Peshtigo since itbore the greatest loss of life with as many as800 victims. An old church, the first rebuiltafter the fire, is now the Peshtigo FireMuseum (open daily MD-Oct 8 9am-5pm;715/582-3244). There are few artifacts fromthe fire as hardly anything survived. Theadjoining cemetery has a mass grave holdinghundreds of unidentified fire victims.
The actual origin of the fire is unknown,but if there was a culprit the equivalent ofMrs. O’Leary’s cow, it didn’t survive to tellthe tale.
White Pelicans on the shore of Green Bay.ALAN ORR
1122
4Cave Point Tour DOOR COUNTYJUST THE FACTSDISTANCE: 40 milesDIFFICULTY: EasyTRAILHEAD LOCATION: In SturgeonBay at Sunset Bay Park on County B (N.3rd Ave.).
ATTRACTIONS: Door CountyMaritime Museum, Door CountyHistorical Society, Miller Art Museum,Third Avenue Playhouse, Sturgeon BayShip Canal & Lighthouse, WhitefishDunes State Park, Cave Point CountyPark, Door Peninsula Winery.
CAUTION: The entire route is on pub-lic streets and roads open to sharedbicycle/motor vehicle use.
LEGEND: For a complete listing of allmap icons, see page 2.
OTHER TOURS IN THIS REGION: Goto www.travelwisconsin.com. In thesearch box, key in Shore to Shore Tour,Czech Heritage Tour, or Two RiversTour.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:Door County Chamber of Commerce800/527-3529, 920/743-4456www.doorcounty.com
There’s no place like Cave Point,especially when the wind is strongoff the lake. Then you’ll hear CavePoint before you actually see it. Itmay be a cloudless day, but a sound likethunder will filter through the woods as youpedal towards the point. Reaching the parkyou’ll understand the power of LakeMichigan as waves pound against the shoreshooting spray high above the bluff’s edge.Over eons, the waves have hollowed-outcaves in the point increasing both the hydro-dynamics and the noise level. You can feelthe rock shudder beneath your feet.
Cave Point County Park is one destina-tion on this pleasant tour of the lake-edgeforest and quiet farm roads of Door County.You won’t find better biking anywhere. And,you start and finish the tour in the fascinat-ing ship building city of Sturgeon Bay. You’llsee every type of vessel there from tugboats,to sleek sailing yachts, to huge ocean-goingships.
The trailhead at Sunset Bay Park is rightnext to Bay Shipbuilding Company, the onlyfacility on the Great Lakes that can handlegigantic 1,000-foot freighters. In fact, BayShipbuilding built many of these monstrousboats. The enormous steel crane in the ship-yard gives some idea of the scale of theoperation.
Located at the mid-point of the DoorCounty peninsula, the bay of Sturgeon Baywas once the channel of the MenomoneeRiver – before glacial ice sheets carved outGreen Bay and Lake Michigan. Check it outon a state map; you can easily see the align-ment. In 1882 a mile-long canal was cutfrom the bay to Lake Michigan saving shipsfrom the perilous journey around the tip ofthe peninsula called by the French, Porte desMorts – “Death’s Door” - the term whichgave the county its name. The tour routetakes you along the canal levee where astop at Overlook Trail will give you a greatview of the boats plying the channelbetween the lake and bay. Where the canalmeets the lake, the Coast Guard’s NorthPierhead Lighthouse is a wonderful photoopportunity.
Riding north, the route winds throughfragrant lakeside cedars before arriving atWhitefish Dunes State Park which invites youto spend some time off the bike on its three-mile, crescent-shaped sand beach. Justbeyond is Cave Point County Park. An excel-lent interpretive display will explain theforces that formed this wonder of nature.Cave Point County Park.
RJ & LINDA M
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Heading back to Sturgeon Bay you’llcross the scenic gently rolling farmland thatis still a big part of Door County’s prosperity.Evidence of this agricultural bounty can befound just a few miles off-route at the DoorPeninsula Winery where the product of localorchards is turned into wines and juices(open daily 9am-5pm; 800/551-5049,www.dcwine.com).
In Sturgeon Bay you can immerse your-self in the lore of the lake at the DoorCounty Maritime Museum. Learn aboutshipbuilding, see the history of the county’smany lighthouses, and even survey the har-bor through a submarine periscope (opendaily 10am-5pm year-round, MD-Oct 319am-6pm; 920/743-5958, www.dcmm.org).The museum is on the south side of the shipchannel and can be reached from the tourroute via the ped/bikeway along the eastside of the bridge.
The Door County Historical Museumtraces the county’s history from the PaleoIndians and early settlement to the present(open daily May-Oct 10am-4:30pm;920/743-5809). Nearby, the Miller ArtMuseum displays a permanent collection ofWisconsin art as well as changing exhibits(open Mon-Thur 10am-8pm, Fri & Sat 10am-5pm; 920/746-0707). For performing arts,local and professional performances arestaged year-round at the Third AvenuePlayhouse in Sturgeon Bay’s historic down-town (920/743-1760, www.thirdavenueplay-house.com).
Door County – a perfect blend of nauti-cal and nice.
1144
5Buena Vista Tour BUFFALO COUNTYThe view from Buena Vista Park isawesome. From atop the 550-footbluffs, the Mississippi River below isa broad ribbon of black. To the southit courses among islands of emerald green;to the north it pools still and dark behindLock & Dam No. 4. Hugging the bluff bot-tom, the city of Alma and a pair of railroadtracks race the river in either direction. Forman, machine and bird, this is one of thebusiest transportation corridors in the world.
The river valley here is part of the 261-mile Upper Mississippi Wildlife & Fish Refugethat stretches from Wabasha, Minnesota toRock Island, Illinois. Created in 1924 to pre-serve the great migratory flyway, it is used by40% of the waterfowl in the U.S. and nowencompasses more than 240,000 acres. Itwelcomes 2,700 bald eagles, harbors 167resident eagle nests, 5,000 great blueherons, and 15 egret colonies.
In the middle of town, Lock & Dam No.4 muscles the river. Viewed from the water’sedge, it’s an engineering marvel; from atopthe bluff, it’s downright majestic. Built in1934, the lock is 600 feet long by 110 feetwide. It raises and lowers river traffic sevenfeet. The dam is 6,867 feet long, including1,367 feet of moveable gate sections. Damkeepers use bikes to traverse the mile-and-a-quarter structure.
River traffic is a busy mix of pleasurecraft and working “tows” – multiple riverbarges tied together and pushed by fivethousand horsepower towboats. They windthrough the channel and squeeze into thelock, often unhitching half the barges to doit. Each barge holds 1500 tons, the equiva-lent of 15 railroad cars or 58 semi trailers.
On the paired tracks that parallel theriver, the Burlington Northern-Santa FeRailroad runs as many as 40 freight trains aday. The roadway running through town isHighway 35, the Great River Road, anincreasingly popular scenic highway. This is avery busy transportation corridor indeed. Asyou ride Hwy 35, stick to the paved shoulder.Remember, you’re the slowest thing outthere.
There’s no question that this route isone tough climb. Ride counterclockwise andyou’ll pay later with a knee-busting endingclimb back up to the park. Better to goclockwise and begin by enjoying the sweep-ing downhill curves into Alma where you’llappreciate good brakes. Then your legs willhave plenty of easy riding before the neces-sary, but gentler climb up the valley of Fimian
JUST THE FACTSDISTANCE: 19 miles. DIFFICULTY: Very difficult.TRAILHEAD LOCATION: Buena VistaPark, 2.5 miles east of Hwy 35 via Cty Eand Park Road.
ATTRACTIONS: Buena Vista Park,Alma Museum, Wings Over Alma, Lockand Dam No. 4, Upper MississippiWildlife & Fish Refuge, river, valley andfarmland scenery.
CAUTION: The entire route is on pub-lic roads open to shared bicycle/motorvehicle use. Be sure to use the pavedshoulder on Hwy 35. All descents areextremely steep; make sure your bikeis in safe working order and controlyour downhill speed.
LEGEND: For a complete listing of allmap icons, see page 2.
OTHER TOURS IN THIS REGION: Goto www.travelwisconsin.com. In thesearch box, enter Great River RoadNorth Tour, Great River Road SouthTour, or Black Hawk’s Retreat Tour.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Alma Chamber of Commerce608/685-4445www.almawisconsin.com
Buena Vista Park.
CAROL KNABE
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Creek. You may not think it’s so easy whenyou round the last curve and see what lookslike a wall. But conquer that and you’re infor easy rolling on top of Alma Ridge.
You’ll want to spend time exploring thecity of Alma. This is fairly easily done, as thetown is only two streets wide. Alma is tuckedso tight against the bluffs there’s only roomfor Main Street and, one block east and up,Second Street. Both are lined with the his-toric homes and buildings of this nineteenthcentury river town.
Access to Second Street is often via stair-ways rather than side streets. Perched upthere you’ll find the Alma Museum where youcan learn about the town’s colorful historyincluding its early Swiss settlers (open May-OctSat 1-3pm, Sun 1-4pm; 608/685-4013). Theywere pioneers who knew how to build on hill-sides. There’s even a walking trail from SecondStreet up to Buena Vista Park.
Just south of the locks, Wings OverAlma provides a 50-foot-high viewing deckin back of a storefront building (open daily10am-5pm; 608/685-3303www.wingsoveralma.org). The building is agallery for local artists. The deck is a greatspot to see an eagle swooping down to graba fish in its talons. Binoculars and spottingscopes are provided.
If the weather holds in late October orearly November, you’ll be treated to theannual tundra swan migration. Thousands ofthese great white birds congregate in BeefSlough where the Buffalo River joins theMississippi. There’s an observation deck atRieck’s Lake Park just north of town(www.almaswanwatch.org).
Yes, Alma’s a great place for birds. Asyou pedal up the neighboring bluffs, you’llwish you had wings too.
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6Top of the World Tour TREMPEALEAU COUNTYJUST THE FACTSDISTANCE: 23 milesDIFFICULTY: Very difficult, but a mod-erate out-and-back route is an option.
TRAILHEAD LOCATION: Municipalparking lot across from historicWhitehall Train Depot at the intersec-tion of Hwys. 53 & 121 in Whitehall.
ATTRACTIONS: St. Peter and PaulCatholic Church, Independence CityHall and Opera House, Perrot StatePark, Loc & Dam No. 6.
CAUTION: The entire route is on pub-lic roadways open to sharedbicycle/motor vehicle use. Be sure touse the paved shoulder on Hwy. 121.Some slopes are long and steep; takecare to control your downhill speed.
LEGEND: For a complete listing of allmap icons, see page 2.
OTHER TOURS IN THIS REGION: Goto www.travelwisconsin.com. In thesearch box, key in Peaceful KingdomRide, Great River Road South Tour orGreat River Road North Tour.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:Trempealeau County Tourism Council800/927-5339, 608/534-6615www.trempealeaucountytourism.com
Bicycle Club of Trempealeau County715/538-2311, ext 205.www.ridebctc.com
You’ll feel like you’re on top of theworld when you pedal this high-flyin’route in one of the most bicycling-friendly parts of the state. The routeis part of the course for an annual event ofthe same name held each August and part ofthe welcome mat Trempealeau County rollsout for bicyclists.
Trempealeau County is rural and folksy.Its largest town barely tops 2,000. So, whensomeone says “Hi, we’re glad you came”they really mean it. The county’s unique TrailSteward Program links hundreds of placesyou’re welcome to stop for water, fix amechanical problem, use a phone, or justtake a break. Marked by a blue circle/bike sil-houette Trail Steward sign, these sites are anice touch that says “welcome.”
In another nice touch, the Bicycle Clubof Trempealeau County has produced a sys-tem of 383 on-road miles in 14 loop toursthat showcase the best the county has tooffer. Appealing routes like “Ride with theEagles,” “The Peaceful Kingdom,” “Big SkyCountry,” and “The Daydream Trail” putplenty of bikes on car racks headed back toTrempealeau County. The route names onlyhint at how good your experience will be. Tohelp you choose a route, handy color-codedbar graphs show the amount of easy, moder-ate and difficult riding as well as mileage.
In a rural county like Trempealeau theattractions are mainly pastoral. Pleasant smalltowns augment the superb scenery. InWhitehall the old train depot is beingrestored as the cornerstone of its Main Streetrevival that now features a café/deli in theold bank building. At the south end of townthe Oak Park Inn, an incredible garden spotand Classic Revival mansion, is now a B&B.
While a quick glance at this course’sprofile makes it clear that it’s not an easyride, you can lower the bar a bit by ridingout-and-back between Whitehall andIndependence. That 14-mile round trip is apleasant roll through the flat bottomland ofthe Trempealeau River valley.
As in Whitehall, architectural gems are ahighlight of your ride through Independence.St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, noted forits glorious stained glass windows, has beena linchpin of the community’s Polish popula-tion for more than 100 years. The spectacu-lar City Hall and Opera House has beenrefurbished as a community center.
Following the loop south ofIndependence, it’s up, up and away as youclimb nearly 400 feet to Cty. N & D. The four
Coffee break, downtown Whitehall.
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miles you ride atop Square Bluff bring someof the best views anywhere; literally a newvista around every bend. Of course, thedescents are plenty of fun too. At the inter-section of Cty. N & D, Fagerness Churchstands out as a picturesque ridge-top bea-con.
Back in Whitehall, you’re only 38 milesfrom Trempealeau and the Mississippi River.There, Perrot State Park offers riversidecamping, fishing, boating and mountain bik-ing among the park’s scenic 500-foot bluffs
(608/534-6409 or www.wiparks.net). Intown, you can watch river traffic lock-through Lock & Dam No. 6. The observationplatform is a perfect vantage to see river tugspush rafts of 110-foot barges through thelock.
This “Top of the World” tour is typicalof the quality of the bicycling opportunitiesin Trempealeau County. If it’s your first ridehere, it won’t be your last. You’ll returnagain and again to this quintessentially bicy-cle-friendly part of the state.
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7Prairie du Chien Tour VERNON COUNTYJUST THE FACTSDISTANCE: 23 miles DIFFICULTY: Very difficult, but easyout-and-back riding is possible northand south of Prairie du Chien.
TRAILHEAD LOCATION: On FerioleIsland off of Washington St. a half-milewest of Hwy 35.
ATTRACTIONS: Villa Louis, MississippiRiver Sculpture Park, Fort CrawfordMuseum, Wyalusing State Park, excep-tional river and farmland scenery.
CAUTION: Almost the entire route ison public roads open to shared bicy-cle/motor vehicle use. Be sure to usethe bike path on the south side of Hwy18/35 and the paved shoulder to theeast. Some slopes are long and steep;take care to control your downhillspeed.
LEGEND: For a complete listing of allmap icons, see page 2.
OTHER TOURS IN THIS REGION:Go to www.travelwisconsin.com. In thesearch box, enter Great River RoadSouth, Black Hawk’s Retreat Tour, orWestby Amish Tour.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Prairie du Chien Area Chamber ofCommerce800/732-1673, 608/326-8555www.prairieduchien.org
Long before the invention of bicycles,trains or automobiles, Prairie du Chienwas a crossroads of travel in the heartof the continent. Located at the con-fluence of the Mississippi and WisconsinRivers, Prairie du Chien was a popular tradingor rendezvous spot for the Native Americanswho used the rivers as canoe highways. Allthe early French explorers – Marquette, Joliet,LaSalle and Perrot – passed here.
Several effigy mounds from the area’spre-European era are preserved in WyalusingState Park located just south of the cityacross the Wisconsin River. Wyalusing is oneof the state’s most popular parks with stun-ning, bluff side overlooks, 109 family camp-sites, and 2,600 acres of fun (608/996-2261,www.wiparks.net).
Founded in 1673, Prairie du Chien isWisconsin’s second oldest community. TheBritish ceded it to our new nation at its birth,some say due to a distorted map that madethe area stretching west to the Mississippilook much smaller than it actually was. TheBritish realized their mistake and returned tobuild Fort Shelby here during the War of1812. Americans attacked and burned thefort in 1814 in the only battle of the warfought in Wisconsin. In 1816, the US Armybuilt Fort Crawford on the ruins of FortShelby.
Both forts were built on St. FerioleIsland, the city’s most historic district. Theruins of both forts were leveled in 1843 toconstruct Villa Louis, the home of Wisconsin’sfirst millionaire fur trader, Hercules Dousman.Rebuilt in 1871, Villa Louis is today one ofthe premier Wisconsin State Historical Societysites (open daily May 5–Oct 31, 10am-5pmfor one-hour guided tours; 608/326-2721 orwww.wisconsinhistory.org/villalouis). Historicmilitary, carriage and fur trade rendezvous re-enactments are popular annual events on theVilla’s grounds. Nearby, the Mississippi RiverSculpture Park, which will eventually featuretwo-dozen life-size historic figures, displaysseveral bronze statues including a likeness ofSauk Chief Black Hawk.
The city is also home to the FortCrawford Museum (open daily May-Oct,10am-4pm; 608/326-6960). The museumtells the story of Dr. William Beaumont, whowas able to study the human digestiveprocess via an unhealed bullet hole in thestomach of a young voyageur. Also stationedat the fort were two future American presi-dents: Colonel Zachary Taylor would go on tobecome the 12th President of the UnitedStates while his son-in-law, Lieutenant
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Jefferson Davis, ended up being the first andonly President of the Confederate States dur-ing the Civil War.
Riding east from Prairie du Chien youcan take advantage of the paved bike pathon the south side of Hwy 18/35 before veer-ing up a side valley of the Wisconsin River onBouska Road. At the top of the climb you’llhave a fantastic view of the river valley to thesoutheast. You’ll plunge off the ridge intothe deep, narrow valley of Gran Grae Creekbefore an even steeper climb back up to the
bluff-top farmland on Wachuta Road. Theshort unpaved stretch on Wachuta Road isnearly dead flat and should pose no ridingproblem for any type of bike.
Contour farming, where the crops areplanted in horizontal bands to prevent ero-sion, takes advantage of the scarce tillableland here. It makes for scenic agrarian photo-ops as the ridges fall away in every directioninto steep forested valleys. After an initiallysteep descent on Limery Road you can relaxa bit and enjoy the view as an ever-wideningscene of the valley of America’s mightiestriver unfolds.
Riding around historic Prairie du Chien isnot only fun and scenic, it’s great exercisetoo. If your legs are up to it, there are moreroutes to choose from than those shownhere. The Crawford County Bicycle Mapincludes eight more loops from 14 to 44miles in length. You can download it atwww.crawfordcountywi.com. The county isknown for its incredible system of lightlytraveled, super-scenic back roads.
Wyalusing State Park.RJ &
LINDA MILLER
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8Merrimac Ferry Tour SAUK & COLUMBIA COUNTIESIf you’re ready to take on the toughcycling terrain on this tour you’ll berewarded with some of the most out-standing scenery in Wisconsin.
Do you think you can climb more thanhalf a mile on your bike? Ride all 45 miles ofthis tour and you’ll pedal up 2,944 verticalfeet. The 26-mile northern loop has the lion’sshare with 1,827 feet. That’s where you’llcross the Baraboo Range - the remnant coreof an ancient mountain - twice. Blessedly,one of the crossings will be through the gapat Devil’s Lake State Park where you’ll enjoysome of the best scenery east of the Rockies.Of course, what goes up must come down;there’s more than a half-mile of thrillingdownhill riding too.
The southern loop will be a bit easier onyour legs, but there’s not much flat road untilyou near the pleasant town of Lodi. Alongthe way you’ll have a great view of GibraltarRock, a sandstone monolith popular witharea climbers. You may even spot ant-likeclimbers working their way across the rock’sAmphitheater Wall or up the Rhombus Head.With a variety of eating options and a pleas-ant main street, Lodi makes a good rest stop.
You’ll cross the Wisconsin River aboardthe Merrimac Ferry, in operation since 1848.The ride is free. The ferryboat is the ColSacIII, named for the counties on either side ofthe river – Columbia and Sauk. While carsand trucks queue up and may have to waitseveral trips for the 5-minute crossing, thereis always room for bikes and pedestrians. Ifyou need a sugar boost, there’s an ice creamstand on either shore.
The real nasty grades are on the north-ern loop. If you ride it clockwise, you’ll face ahalf-mile climb as you leave Devil’s Lake on atwisting 8% slope. Circling the other direc-tion you’ll pedal up for 2.5 miles and climb650 feet at an average grade of more than5%. The first half-mile from the entrance toDevil’s Head Resort is a whopping 10% pitch.These are the sorts of grades you’d find inthe Alps.
A visit to Baraboo is a big part of ridingthe northern loop. Baraboo was the boyhoodhome of the Ringling Brothers – fiveWisconsin youngsters with circus in theirblood.
On the tour route you’ll pass CircusWorld Museum sited on land that was oncethe winter headquarters of the RinglingBrothers Circus. Today it celebrates Americancircus heritage with live Big Top performanc-es, animal acts, exhibits and memorabilia,
JUST THE FACTSDISTANCE: 45 miles total; 26 for thenorth loop, 19 for the south loop.
DIFFICULTY: Moderate to difficult.The northern loop has long, steepclimbs.
TRAILHEAD LOCATIONS: In Barabooat the Circus World Museum parkinglot on Water Street (Hwy. 113); and atthe Merrimac Ferry parking lot atHwys. 188 & 113.
ATTRACTIONS: Baraboo Rangescenery, Circus World Museum, AlRingling Theatre, International CraneFoundation, Devil’s Lake State Park,plus the many nearby amusements ofWisconsin Dells.
CAUTION: The entire route is on pub-lic streets and roads open to sharedbicycle/motor vehicle use. Riding theseparate bike trail along Hwy. 123south of Baraboo is advised.
LEGEND: For a complete listing of allmap icons, see page 2.
OTHER TOURS IN THIS REGION: Goto www.travelwisconsin.com. In thesearch box, key in Baraboo Range Touror Frank Lloyd Wright Heritage Tour.Or, in this guide check-out theWaterloo Tour (pages 22-23).
FOR MORE INFORMATION:Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce800/227-2266, 608/356-8333www.baraboo.com
Lodi Chamber of Commerce608/592-4412www.lodiwisconsin.com
The Merrimac Ferry.
RJ & LINDA M
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and a fabulous collection of 150 restored cir-cus wagons, (open MD-LD daily 9am-6pm;LD-MD Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm;866/693-1500,www.circusworldmuseum.com).
Downtown, the Al Ringling Theater wasonce the most opulent in the state. It’sunique oval interior hosts movies and a per-forming art series.
The International Crane Foundation
(open Apr 15-Oct 31, 9am-5pm daily;608/356-9462, www.savingcranes.org) is justnorth of Baraboo. On a guided tour (offeredMD-LD at 10am, 1 & 3pm) you can learnabout all fifteen species of these ancientbirds.
You may not soar like the cranes as youpedal the steep Baraboo bluffs, but ridingthese tough roads is a real feather in yourcycling cap.
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9Waterloo Tour DODGE COUNTYThis pleasant roll through the farmfields of Jefferson County combinesa great bike tour with the chance totour a great Wisconsin bike manu-facturer – TREK USA.
You can start from the parking lot ofcharming Commons Park in Lake Mills. Thisshaded village green with its gleaming whitebandstand is surrounded by small town busi-nesses, including interesting eateries.
Riding east of town you’ll soon come toAztalan State Park, one of Wisconsin’s mostsignificant archeological sites. Once thenorthernmost outpost of the MiddleMississipian Culture, Aztalan was a fortifiedvillage whose culture thrived from 1000 to1300AD. But by the time of Columbus, thesite was deserted leaving only its pyramid-shaped ceremonial mounds. While many ofits mysteries remain unsolved, recent studiesconclude that at least some of its peoplecame from the Cahokia area, a large moundcity near East St. Louis and the center of theculture.
Today Aztalan is a peaceful spot to takea rest from pedaling and enjoy a picniclunch. You can exercise your arms pumpingcool fresh water from an iron hand pump orclimb to the top of a restored diamond-shape pyramid, a great spot for kite flying.
Back on the tour, the gently rollingfarmland yields easily to your pedal strokes.Scenic roads lead you past picture-perfectfarms where cows and horses graze, throughmarshlands where waterfowl take wing, andby wood lots with glimpses of darting song-birds. Just east of Waterloo, along IslandChurch Road you see tiny St. WenceslasChurch, about as simple and picturesque aplace of worship as you could imagine.
Waterloo is the Wisconsin home ofTREK USA, manufacturer of the sleek racingbicycles that Lance Armstrong and theDiscovery Channel Team have ridden to victo-ry in the Tour de France. TREK has beenbuilding top-quality bikes in Waterloo since1976. If you visit on Wednesdays or Fridaysyou can tour the TREK plant (801 W.Madison Street, 920-478-4678); tours startat 10am.
West of town, the tour loops souththrough a thin slice of Dane County beforeturning southeast back to Lake Mills. Northof town, at Tyranena Park, you can swim inthe spring-fed waters of Rock Lake. The lakehides a local mystery; stories going back topioneer days tell of strange stone pyramidsbeneath its waters.
JUST THE FACTSDISTANCE: 33 milesDIFFICULTY: EasyTRAILHEAD LOCATIONS: In LakeMills at Commons Park at N. Main St.(Hwy. 89) & W. Madison St. (County B).
ATTRACTIONS: TREK USA bicycle fac-tory, Tyranena Brewery, Aztalan StatePark.
CAUTION: The entire route is on pub-lic roadways open to sharedbicycle/motor vehicle use. Be sure touse the paved shoulders on Hwy. 89and County B.
LEGEND: For a complete listing of allmap icons, see page 2.
OTHER TOURS IN THIS REGION: Goto www.travelwisconsin.com. In thesearch box, key in Kettle Moraine Tour,Sharon to Fontana Tour, FreedomHeritage Tour, Baraboo Range Tour,Frank Lloyd Wright Heritage Tour, orCovered Bridge Tour. Or, in this guidecheck-out the Merrimac Ferry Tour(pages 20-21).
FOR MORE INFORMATION:Lake Mills Area Chamber of Commerce920/648-3585www.lakemills.org
Waterloo is the home of Trek USA.
TREK USA
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In town, you can toast the end of yourride at the Tyranena Brewery. The brewery isopen for touring and tasting on a regularbasis (tasting Wed & Thurs 4:30-mid, Fri &Sat 3pm-mid, tours Sat at 1:30pm; 920/648-8699). On the first weekend of October, beerand bicycles blend on the TyranenaOktoberfest Bike Ride. Starting and finishingat the brewery, riders choose from three dif-ferent routes, all leading to the TREK factoryin Waterloo where they can tour the plantbefore returning to the brewery for theOktoberfest celebration, (see WisconsinBiking Events, page 72).
Where else but Wisconsin could youcombine a great road tour, a great bike man-ufacturer and a great beer?
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10Lima Center Tour JEFFERSON, ROCK & WALWORTH COUNTIESExplore quiet country roads in threecounties as you roll across the flatexpanse of a great outwash plain,skirt the edge of the Kettle MoraineState Forest, and wind through distinctivedrumlin fields. This tour is one of six rides of15 to 45 miles detailed in the WhitewaterArea Biking Map available from theWhitewater Tourism Council. The mapincludes route cue sheets, plus interestinginformation on local history and points ofinterest.
The Historic Train Depot at CravathLakefront Park is the starting point for thisand all of the Whitewater rides. The ornatedepot is home to the Whitewater HistoricalSociety that showcases the past of thisquaint community (open May-Oct, Thurs &Sun, hours vary; 262/473-6820). The settingon the edge of Cravath Lake is idyllic.
The picturesque town is a collection ofdistinctive cream brick homes and storefrontbuildings that testify to its nineteenth centuryprosperity. The first cross-state railroad, theMilwaukee & Mississippi, brought commerceand industry. Whitewater Normal School,founded as a teacher’s college but now theUniversity of Wisconsin-Whitewater, addedto the town’s prestige.
Heading south from Whitewater onClover Valley Road, you’ll roll across the near-ly flat outwash plain left from a flood ofmelting glacial ice. Ahead, the dark silhou-ette of the Kettle Moraine State Foreststretches across the horizon. Thirty miles longand encompassing more than 20,000 acres,
JUST THE FACTSDISTANCE: 33 miles.DIFFICULTY: Easy.TRAILHEAD LOCATION: ClavathLakefront Park at South 2nd St &Whitewater St, two blocks south ofMain Street (Bus Hwy 12) inWhitewater.
ATTRACTIONS: Kettle Moraine StateForest, Old World Wisconsin,Whitewater Historical Society, farmscenery.
CAUTION: The entire route is on pub-lic roads open to shared bicycle/motorvehicle use.
LEGEND: For a complete listing of allmap icons, see page 2.
OTHER TOURS IN THIS REGION:Go to www.travelwisconsin.com. In thesearch box, enter Kettle Moraine Tour,Freedom Heritage Tour or Sharon toFontana Tour. Or, in this guide checkout the Waterloo Tour (pages 22-23).
FOR MORE INFORMATION:Whitewater Tourism Council866/499-8687, 262/473-4005www.discoverwhitewater.org
Kettle Moraine State Forest – SouthernUnit262/594-6200www.wiparks.net
Autumn along a Walworth County road.
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the forest offers remarkable scenic and recre-ational opportunities. On your way thereyou’ll pass a flowing artesian well hand-dugto a depth of 55 feet in 1895 by AdamChanning. To this day, it gushes with cold,clear water.
At the end of Clover Valley Road you’llfollow the edge of Rice and WhitewaterLakes. Nearby is the state forest’s WhitewaterLake Recreational Area offering camping, pic-nic areas and a clean swimming beach.
On the other side of the KettleMoraine’s ridge is Old World Wisconsin, thelargest outdoor museum of historic rural lifein the nation. Here, more than sixty historicbuildings built by Wisconsin pioneers ofalmost every ethnic hue serve as a livingmuseum where crafts and skills of the pastcome alive (open daily May-Oct, hours vary;262/594-6300,www.wisconsinhistory.org/oww). The rusticoctagonal Clausing Barn serves as the VisitorCenter and a cafeteria.
Just as the terrain really starts to rollalong Kettle Moraine Drive, the route turnswest across gentler terrain to the crossroadsvillages of Utters Corners and Lima Center.Around these towns you’ll be treated toWisconsin farm scenery at its best.
As you approach Cold Spring, you’llwind your way through a drumlin field.Characterized by their teardrop-shape, thesehills are all oriented in the direction of theflow of Wisconsin’s last glacial ice sheet.Cold Spring has one major claim to fame. InJuly of 1832, future president AbrahamLincoln was a captain in the Illinois Militiathat had come north to pursue the Saukleader Blackhawk and his band. When hostil-ities ceased and it was time to go home,Lincoln had to walk the 200 miles back toIllinois. His horse had been stolen. The inci-dent is commemorated at Cold SpringCreamery Park.
When you visit, be sure to bring yourbike lock.
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Mountain BikeTrails
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People have pedaled the snow-mobile trails and lumber roads ofWisconsin since the mountainbike was invented a short threedecades ago. Now, well-marked andmaintained mountain bike trail systemsthroughout Wisconsin allow you toenjoy the beautiful outdoors in a traffic-free environment.
In this section, we’ve chosen a vari-ety of trails to ensure wonderful adven-tures for riders of every ability. You canexplore beautiful Northwoods lake coun-try; ride the roller coaster landscape ofthe Kettle Moraine State Forest; take-onthe challenge of hills and bluffs in thestate’s rugged “driftless” area; and getacquainted with fantastic northern trailsystems offering hundreds of miles offun.
Fat tires are always appropriate foroff-roading. Some trails will requireexcellent bike handling skills to deal withrocks, roots, loose surface, steep gradesand narrow trails. Others offer an easyroll. Find your comfort level, then enjoy!
The map on this page locates andindexes all the trails in this mountainbike trail section.
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1 Rock Lake CAMBA Trail 28-292 Nicolet Roche Trail 30-313 Peninsula State Park Trails 32-334 Lowes Creek Trail 34-355 Greenbush Trails 36-376 Devil’s Lake State Park Trails 38-397 Human Powered Trails 40-418 Cam-Rock Trails 42-439 Milwaukee Alpha Trail 44-4510 John Muir & Emma Carlin Trails 46-47
Mountain Bike Trails Legend
Trailhead
Trailhead Parking Lot
Trailhead On-Street Parking
Easy Off-Road Trail: Requires few off-road skills. Gear changing, braking, and theability to ride soft surfaces are necessary.
Moderate Off-Road Trail: Requires theability to change gears under pressure andcontrol speed by braking. Rougher surfaces.
Difficult Off-Road Trail: A real chal-lenge to physical riding ability. Gearchanges under great pressure; braking safe-ly on steep surfaces, handling a bike athigh speeds. Very rough surfaces.
Extreme Off-Road Trail: Requiresadvanced riding skills. Extremely rough sur-faces; very steep grades; requires physicalstrength and maximum bike handling skills.
Off-Road Trail Single-Track: All thecaveats above, plus a very narrow track.
On-Road or Paved Trail Segment:On-road sections are shared with motorvehicles.
Pay attention to these mountainbiking tips:
■ Always wear a helmet, eyeprotection, and ride with acompanion.
■ Call ahead to make surespecific trails are open.
■ Control your bike; don’t ride“over your head.”
■ Ride on open trails only;others may be illegal.
■ Always yield the trail; mosttrails are shared.
■ Never spook animals.
■ Leave no trace; be sensitive totrail surfaces.
For a complete listing of all map icons, see page 2.
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1Rock Lake CAMBA TrailBAYFIELD COUNTYJUST THE FACTSDISTANCE: 12.1 miles for entire loop,10.1 miles via the Emerson Cutoff, also6.6 Mile Cutoff & 5 Mile Cutoff.
DIFFICULTY: Moderate to extreme.The Hildebrand Lake Loop has themost extreme sections with some pur-pose-built rock gardens and a narrowplank bridge.
SURFACE TYPE: Hardpack forestfloor, rocks, roots, some soft surfaceand narrow passage.
SIGNAGE: Blue and white CAMBAtrail signs and frequent “you-are-here”map signs. Forest Service roads aremarked with small, low brown signswith yellow lettering.
TRAILHEAD LOCATION: 7.5 mileseast of Cable/Hwy. 63 on Cty. M.
ATTRACTIONS: The Cable NaturalHistory Museum, CAMBA mountainbike trail system, and theChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.
FEES: Daily or annual National Forestmotor vehicle parking fee is required.Donations or memberships for CAMBAaccepted.
NOTE: Ride on trails signed for moun-tain biking only. Cross-country ski trailsare now off limits to mountain bikingunless marked.
CAUTION: The trail is also used byhikers; always yield to pedestrians anddon’t spook animals.
LEGEND: For a complete listing of allmap icons, see page 2.
OTHER TRAILS IN THIS REGION: Goto www.travelwisconsin.com. In thesearch box, key in Chequamegon AreaTrails, CAMBA Single-Track Trails,CAMBA Namekagon Trail, or CopperFalls State Park Trails.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:Cable Area Chamber of Commerce715/798-3833; 800/533-7454www.cable4fun.com or www.cambat-rails.org
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest715/762-2461www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf/
Get ready for some of the best off-road riding the Northwoods has tooffer. Part of the Chequamegon AreaMountain Bike Association’s(CAMBA) 300-plus mile system of trails, theRock Lake Trails have been a favorite for adecade.
The forest is so dense that you oftenride in a tunnel of trees. The mix of pines,spruce, birch, oak and maple fill the air witha fragrance as pure as creation. When youburst into the open at Rock Lake, thepanorama will surely bring a “Wow!” toyour lips. In autumn, the changing colorsagainst the blue sky and lake are truly spec-tacular.
It’s a good spot to listen for the eeriecall of the loon. These ancient birds love pris-tine, isolated places. They survive throughtheir fishing ability and, unlike most birds,have dense bones that allow them to swimswiftly underwater. Mother loons can beseen carrying their little ones on their backs.Bald eagles are another fishing visitor to thelake. Expect to hear some loud squawkingfrom mother loon if one comes along.
The Rock Lake trail system was originallya cross-country ski trail that became popularwith mountain bikers in the 1980s; too pop-ular as it turned out. Never designed forwheeled vehicles, overuse soon caused ero-sion problems. Attempts to solve the rapidwater runoff with rubber water bars pro-duced mixed results and a less-pleasing ride.Then, a few years ago, CAMBA undertookan extensive project to create a single-tracktrail system that would replace the erosion-prone ski trail sections. These are the trailsyou now enjoy.
Single-track riding on the Rock Lake sys-tem varies from moderate to extreme. Formost riders it’s actually less demanding thanthe cross-country ski trails that often tookthe most direct ascents and descents – the“fall lines” the terrain offered. The new traildesign switches back on slopes at relativelylow grades making riding easier and keepingwater from building erosion-producingspeed.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty ofchallenge here. Rock Lake riding is full oftwists and turns, rocks, roots and frequentgrade changes. On the furthest loop aroundHildebrand Lake, the CAMBA trail design-demons chose to pitch some warp-10 diffi-culty at riders tough enough to get that far.As if there weren’t enough rocks in the origi-nal trail, designers strategically placed more
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stone to increase the difficulty. In placesyou’ll find multi-step drops, narrow passages,thread-thin side hill sections, and the crown-ing glory, a single-plank bridge at the lake’soutlet. Now that’s taking single-track ridingto the extreme.
The Cable area is known for its comfort-able resorts and fine restaurants. You’ll wantto allow some time to enjoy them. The CableNatural History Museum is an amazingresource to find in a tiny community (openTues-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 10am-2pm in sum-mer; 715/798-3890 orwww.cablemuseum.org). Their award-win-ning original exhibits will help you appreciatethe magnificent wilderness you just rodethrough.Cruisin’ the CAMBA Trails.
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2Nicolet Roche Trails LANGLADE COUNTYThere’s a bit of a French connection inthis part of the state. The Nicoletunit of the vast Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest is named forJean Nicolet, the French explorer acknowl-edged as the first European in Wisconsin.Fur trader Sieur Charles Michel de Langladeis the county’s namesake. Fitting then thatwhen LAMBA (Landglade Area MountainBicycling Association) members chose a namefor their new trail’s most distinguishing char-acteristic they decided on “roche,” theFrench word for rock.
The rocks you’ll find here are not justany stones, though there are plenty of thosetoo. Expect encounters with megaliths in ahalf-dozen trail sections. One section is evennamed MOAB – “Mother Of All Boulders”–what a treat! These huge boulders dot theforest floor and offer high skill, low conse-quence challenges. If you’re riding techniqueis not up to tackling these stone monstersthere are always obvious bypasses.
Beyond the boulder fields you’ll findmore fun riding with short steep sections tra-versing 20 to 50 feet of elevation. The ridinghere is a bit easier. Even though trail sectionnames like Beast, Gravity Cavity and PsychoPath suggest a certain amount of whimsy inchoosing titles, there may be more than a bitof truth in them as well. For beginners, orjust an easy warm-up, mountain biking isallowed on the Boulder Lake CampgroundTrail, a mile-and-a-half ride around a bog onthe soft forest floor and boardwalks.
The Nicolet lobe of the Chequamegon-Nicolet is gigantic. It encompasses more than660,000 acres. That’s more than 1,000square miles. It covers the most thinly popu-lated part of the state, perfect for gettingaway from it all. The nearest sizable town isAntigo, more than 20 miles to the west.There are services available at the tiny townsof Langlade and White Lake. In White Lakeyou can learn more about local history at theDepot Museum (open MD-LD Sat 9am-3pm,Sun noon-3pm; 715/882-8581).
More recent history has challengedLAMBA members and local residents. OnJune 7, 2007 an F4 tornado sliced throughthe forest. The satellite photos of the dam-age are amazing. They show a 35-mile long,half-mile wide slash running southwest tonortheast across the emerald green forest.It looks like a gigantic bowling ball rolledthrough, flattening everything. This “motherof all strikes” tracked right across the trail’scentral loop. The good news is the boulders
JUST THE FACTSDISTANCE: 14 miles total with 13miles of single-track.
DIFFICULTY: Moderate to difficult.SURFACE TYPE: Mostly loamy soil,some sand, rocks and roots.
SIGNAGE: Brown mountain bike sil-houette and “You are here” map signs.
TRAILHEAD LOCATIONS: On thesouth end at Boulder LakeCampground & Boat Landing 1.8 milesnortheast of Hwy 55 via Cty WW andForest Road 2116. On the north end onHwy 64, 3.3 miles east of Langlade.
ATTRACTIONS: Nicolet NationalForest, Depot Museum, paddlingopportunities.
FEES: None, but donations to LAMBAcan be made at Bear Paw Inn.
NOTE: Salvage logging in the blow-down area may be going on at times.Check with the Forest Service for possi-ble trail section closings.
CAUTION: The trails are two-way.When extreme obstacles are encoun-tered obvious bypasses exist. Hikersmay also use the trails; always yield topedestrians and don’t spook animals.
LEGEND: For a complete listing of allmap icons, see page 2.
OTHER TRAILS IN THIS REGION: Goto www.travelwisconsin.com. In thesearch box, enter Washburn LakeTrails, Reforestation Camp Trails, orEd’s Lake Trail.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Antigo/Langlade County Chamber ofCommerce888/526-4523, 715/623-4134www.antigochamber.com
Wolf River Territory TourismAssociation715/493-0922www.wolfriverterritory.com
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest715/362-1300www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf
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came through just fine and some niceoverviews are expected.
The tornado destroyed the nearby BearPaw Outdoor Adventure Resort, a popularrider hangout (715/882-3502, www.bearpa-woutdoors.com). The resort’s lodge, camp-ground, restaurant and store have beenrebuilt and opened for business in April2008. Bear Paw also caters to paddlersattracted to the Wolf River, known as one of
the best whitewater rivers in the Midwest.In the area, you’ll find a number of raft-
ing outfitters and other paddling schools. Ifeasy paddling is your thing, you can put inon placid Boulder Lake that is sheltered bythe forest and 100-foot-high bluffs. No mat-ter how much fun the biking is, it would bea shame to visit and not enjoy the water too.
Future LAMBA plans call for 10 to 15miles of new trail near Bear Paw. Rock on!
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3Peninsula State Park TrailsDOOR COUNTYWisconsin’s Door County has morestate parks than any other coun-ty in the nation. And, when itcomes to natural beauty,Peninsula State Park can match any park any-where. Fragrant white cedars line the shoreand bright Niagara Dolomite cliffs rise in thebackground to a forested bluff top. At 3,775acres the park is huge, as is its enchantment.Inland the hemlock, white birch, basswood,beach and oak forest is home to a profusionof wild critters and birds. An aroma that canonly be experienced in a midwestern uplandforest floats through the air.
A mountain bike is your ticket forexploring the easy riding trails that windthrough the quiet interior of the park. Mostof the trails are on old paths and roads thatallow you to enjoy the scenery as you pedal.Old stone fences mark the edges of earlypioneer efforts to farm the thin soil.
The 4.4-mile Sunset Trail offers anotheropportunity for easy pedaling and somegreat views of the bay. But don’t expect thesolitude of the mountain bike trails; theSunset Trail is very popular.
The challenge on the park’s mountainbike trails comes shortly after leaving theSunset Trail. A short, steep climb of 50 feetup the rocky edge of the limestone bedrocksets you up for miles of easy riding on well-marked trails. Another challenge comes onthe new single-track loop north of MiddleRoad. There the trail twists and undulatesover rocks and roots through dense stands ofhemlock, birch and oak.
The park’s trails are great for a workout, but a visit doesn’t have to be all pantingand gear grinding. There are lots of things todo off the bike. The 75-foot EagleObservation Tower is a breathtaking chanceto enjoy a panoramic view of the park, theislands in the bay and the harbor at Ephraim.Touring the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse exploresthe history of this 1868 beacon built to guidesailors to safe harbor (open Sat & Sun onlyMay 19-Jun 10, 10am-4pm; then daily June12-Oct 22, 10am-4:30pm; guided tours everyhour and half-hour). In the park theAmerican Folklore Theatre presents profes-sional musical theater under the stars (per-formances mid-June to mid-Oct; 920/854-6117 or www.folkloretheatre.com).
A few miles south of Fish Creek thePeninsula Players have performed originaland classic plays in the Theatre in the Gardensince 1935 - the oldest professional residentsummer theater in the country (performances
JUST THE FACTSDISTANCE: 12.5 miles total includingthe .3-mile out-and-back section onthe Sunset Trail between the parkoffice trailhead and the mountain biketrail.
DIFFICULTY: Mostly easy on the widertrails with a few rocky stretches, easyor moderate on the single-track sec-tion.
SURFACE TYPE: Hard pack forestfloor with some rocks and roots.
SIGNAGE: Well marked with green &white bike silhouette signs. White &red no biking signs on hiking trails.Periodic “you are here” maps.
TRAILHEAD LOCATIONS: At theSunset Trail parking lot across ShoreRoad from the Park Office; and a sec-ond trailhead one-quarter mile northof Hwy. 42 on Highland Road.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS: Eagle BluffLighthouse Museum, EagleObservation Tower, Peninsula PlayersTheatre in a Garden, AmericanFolklore Theatre, Historic Noble House,Anderson Barn Museum, AndersonStore Museum, Pioneer School House.
FEES: A daily or annual State ParkVehicle Admission sticker is required,as well as a daily or annual State TrailPass.
NOTE: Fines apply for riding on hik-ing-only trails.
CAUTION: Hikers also use the trail;always yield to pedestrians and don’tspook animals.
LEGEND: For a complete listing of allmap icons, see page 2.
OTHER TRAILS IN THIS REGION: Goto www.travelwisconsin.com. In thesearch box, key in Potawatomi Trail orReforestation Camp Trails.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:Door County Chamber of Commerce800/527-3529, 920/743-4456www.doorcounty.com
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mid-June to mid-Oct; 920/868-3287 orwww.peninsulaplayers.com).
Fish Creek and Ephraim are treasuretroves for art lovers. The two villages havemore than a dozen galleries between themand host several summer music festivals.Food - bicycling fuel - is part of the ambiencetoo with everything from ice cream shops tofine dining. A stroll through these communi-ties is a great way to soak it all up; the highvolume of tourist-season motor vehicle trafficand the quaint character of the streets mayconvince you to lock your bike and enjoy awalking tour.
In Fish Creek you can visit Historic NobleHouse, an 1875 restored Victorian home ofone of the village’s founders (open daily mid-May to mid-Oct 11am-4pm; 920/868-2091).
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Ephraim has its share of historic sitestoo. The Anderson Barn Museum displaysthe past with artifacts, photos and stories aswell as a hands-on children’s exhibit titled “AYear in the Life of Ephraim.” At theAnderson Store Museum visitors can tour an1858 general store. On hilly Moravia Streetyou can visit Pioneer School House used from1880 to 1949. These three attractions are allopen 10:30am-4pm mid-June through thesummer season.
Peninsula State Park and Door County -sure to draw you back again and again.
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4Lowes Creek Trail EAU CLAIRE COUNTYJUST THE FACTSDISTANCE: 9 miles of single-track and5 miles of X-C ski trails.
DIFFICULTY: Easy to difficult.SURFACE TYPE: Mostly hardpackwith some sand, roots, rocks, logobstacles and narrow wooden bridges.
SIGNAGE: Black & white signs withtrail names.
TRAILHEAD LOCATION: At LowesCreek County Park just south of EauClaire. From the I-94 & Hwy 93 inter-change, travel south on Hwy 93 twomiles to Cty II, west one mile to LowesCreek Road, then north 1.5 miles tothe park.
ATTRACTIONS: Carson Park,Chippewa Valley Museum, ChippewaValley Railroad, Carson Park Stadium,James Newman Clark Bird Museum,woods and steam scenery.
FEES: Daily or annual county parkparking fee.
NOTE: Hikers also use the trails;always yield to pedestrians.
CAUTION: All single-track is two waywith the exception of a few steep sec-tions.
LEGEND: For a complete listing of allmap icons, see page 2.
OTHER TRAILS IN THIS REGION:Go to www.travelwisconsin.com. Inthe search box, enter Black River StateForest Trails or Levis Mound Trails.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Chippewa Valley Convention & VisitorsBureau888/523-3866, 715/831-2345www.chippewavalley.net
Eau Claire County Parks and ForestsDept.715/839-4783www.co.eau-claire.wi.us
Chippewa Off Road Bike Association(CORBA)715/839-7178www.chippewaoffroad.org
Riders always come away with smilesafter biking the trails at LowesCreek. With its miles of cross-coun-try ski trails, this pleasant little 250-acre county park has long been a great placeto pedal a mountain bike. In recent years it’sgotten even better with the creation of funand challenging single-track trails for all abili-ties.
Local mountain bikers got together andformed CORBA (Chippewa Off Road BikeAssociation) and with the support of thecounty parks department clocked nearly1,000 hours in the last several years buildingtrails to IMBA (International MountainBicycling Association) standards. COBRAmight have been a more descriptive name fortheir group the way the trails snake around.But when you cram this many miles into sucha small footprint, there’s bound to be a lot oftwists and turns.
The payoff has been kudos from visitorsnear and far. Riders like the true, fast-ridingsingle-track in the heavily wooded area.Narrow turns and tight up-and-down pitchesadd to the challenge. The “cluster” arrange-ment of the trail sections and two-way travelallow riders to vary their experience almostinfinitely. You can almost completely avoidthe double-track cross-country ski trails, oruse them to take a break from the concen-tration needed on the single-track.
There’s only fifty feet of elevation reliefin the park. The CORBA trail builders mademaximum use of every foot by winding trailsup and down the valley side and creatingside cut sections and off-camber turns.Riders rave about the “flow” of the trails andthe technical skills involved in pedaling here.A beginner skills area is in the works next tothe parking lot.
The Lowes Creek trails have been fea-tured as the top system in the state by anational mountain bike magazine. The annu-al Chippewa Valley Firecracker race, heldhere on the weekend nearest July 4th, drawsthe highest attendance of any WORS(Wisconsin Off-Road Series) event, (see page72).
Another great thing about riding atLowes Creek is that all the fun and attrac-tions of Eau Claire are just a short distanceaway. Lowes Creek Road overpasses I-94and takes you right there. You’re not farfrom Carson Park with its beautiful limestonebaseball stadium. Hank Aaron began his pro-fessional career on a minor league team atthe park. A statue out front honors him.
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Also in Carson Park, the ChippewaValley Museum (open daily, hours vary;715/834-7871 or www.cvmuseum.com) andthe Paul Bunyan Camp (open daily Apr thruSept 10am-4:30pm; 715/835-6200 orwww.paulbunyancamp.org) showcase theNative American, European and logging her-itage of the area. The statues of Paul Bunyanand Babe the Blue Ox are popular photoopportunities. On summer Sundays theChippewa Valley Railroad hauls kids onminiature steam train rides.
The UW-Eau Claire is also on the southside of the city. There you can visit the JamesNewman Clark Bird Museum (open Mon-Fri8am-5pm, Sat 8am-noon; 715/836-3523,www.uwec.edu/biology). This remarkable cir-cular museum displays more than 500 birdspecies.
The riding at Lowes Creek is hard tomatch, but with Eau Claire’s amenities at itsdoorstep, there’s a lot more to do when youvisit than pedal your bike. No wonder every-one’s smiling.
Paul Bunyan Logging Camp, Eau Claire.
TOURISM PHOTO FILE
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5Greenbush Trails SHEBOYGAN COUNTYJUST THE FACTSDISTANCE: Currently 4 miles of sin-gle-track are in place (Loops 1 & 2) andan additional 5 miles are being con-structed (Loops 3 & 4).
DIFFICULTY: Easy to very difficult.SURFACE TYPE: Mostly hardpackwith some rocks, roots and log obsta-cles.
SIGNAGE: Is pending completion ofthe trail system.
TRAILHEAD LOCATIONS: On week-ends, you can use the parking area atthe group campground shelter 2.5miles south of Greenbush via Cty T &Kettle Moraine Drive; or use the picnicarea 0.5 mile further at anytime.
ATTRACTIONS: Northern Unit of theKettle Moraine State Forest, the WadeHouse, Plymouth Historical Society,John Michael Kohler Arts Center, forestscenery and interesting towns.
FEES: Daily or annual State Trail Passis required for riders 16 and older.Self-pay stations are located at trail-head parking lots.
NOTE: Riding on the existing 8 milesof cross country ski trails is currentlylegal, but discouraged and will be pro-hibited when all the single-track is inplace.
CAUTION: The trail loops are intend-ed for one-way travel. They cross theIce Age Trail used by hikers, and ahorse trail. Always yield to pedestriansand don’t spook animals.
LEGEND: For a complete listing of allmap icons, see page 2.
OTHER TRAILS IN THIS REGION: Goto www.travelwisconsin.com. In thesearch box, enter Hartman Creek StatePark Trails or Calumet Park Trails.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:Plymouth Chamber ofCommerce/Visitor Information Center888/693-8263, 920/893-0079www.plymouthwisconsin.com
Sheboygan County Convention &Visitors Bureau920/457-9495www.sheboygan.org
Kettle Moraine State Forest, NorthernUnit262/626-2116www.wiparks.net
The Northern Unit of Wisconsin’sKettle Moraine State Forest haseveryt
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