By
asinca
in
5/22/2012 7:38:59 PM
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I haven't ridden this trail in several years so I decided to give it a try. I rode from the north end to the south. The north end is much improved since 2005 when I last rode it. The north end goes through some rough neighborhood areas. It used to be covered with gang signs. Hammond now seems to paint over them quickly as they pop up so the punks may have moved on. The maintenance on this part of the trail is much improved I actually saw two crews working on it in Hammond something I never saw before and I used to ride this trail weekly. When the trail reaches I-94 there is a nice tunnel under the road so getting pass the expressway is easy. The tunnel takes you to behind the Cabela's Sports. From the tunnel south it is pretty straight forward until you reach a pretty good incline. There is a rough gravel road there. Stay away from it it gets way rougher and dead ends. Go up the incline be careful it is rough loose gravel too. This is where the Erie Lackwanna connects to the Little Calumet Trail. The Little Calumet Trail runs west to Calumet Ave where it ends. There is another trail about six blocks further west. East from the incline will take you to the Wicker Park trail. It is suppose to loop the park but now because of road construction it doesn't. It is also suppose to take to to the underpass to get to the east side of US 41 but as of now that is all closed. If you don't go into Wicker Park the trail takes you to US 41. This has always been a dangerous place to cross US 41 but now because of the construction it has gone from dangerous to seriously suicidal. If you can get down US 41 about a block to the traffic light you can cross there. You have to ride through a small neighborhood . Cross US41 and then take the first right to get back to the trail. You can't really screw up here because there is only one way out of the neighborhood going east. Once you go over the railroad tracks you can turn north to get back to the Little Calumet Trail going east to Cline Avenue or south to where there are some high power lines running. A branch of the trail runs under the power lines until you reach a parking lot. If you go through the parking lot in the back you can get to the Little Calumet Trail there or turn north at the parking lot and catch the Little Calumet Trail in a couple of blocks. From that point the Little Calumet trail west takes you back to the Eire Lackawanna. From the power lines south the trail is pretty straight forward with just a couple of short branches so the locals can get to the trail. The construction has this trail totally screwed for the time being. But once it is done it will be a good solid ride. Riding as I have said gives you about a 29 mile ride. The trail is starting to show it age. Someone needs to tell the trail managers that driveway sealer is NOT asphalt patch. It does NOT fix a 1/2 inch wide crack. I would give the surface a B rating no big holes . Lack of signs and map postings is a big problem. Bring your own water or drinks as places to get some are few and far between. Hammond does not and Highland provides few drinking fountains. The Little Calumet part of the connection is scenic as I saw a deer and east of Kennedy Avenue there is a wet lands area with a lot of large wading bird, geese and raptors.
By
asinca
in
9/29/2010 10:11:57 PM
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I rode this trail from Cottage Grove to Lake Mills. It was fantastic. Lake Mills view from the trail is beautiful.Next year I'll ride the whole trail.
By
asinca
in
9/28/2010 10:41:54 PM
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Rode this trail two days ago from Rushford to Lanesboro. That was the longest stretch that was rideable due to heavy rains that cause many washouts. The Mississippi was about one foot over flood stage at nearby LaCrosse. One part of the trail was waist deep under water. The trail surface was pretty good but a couple of sinkholes under the trail have left small but growing holes. They need to address those holes and the others not quite through to the surface yet. At one point the trail was washed out for about 50 feet in three inches of deep mud. I got lucky and was able to stay on my bike only because someone drove through it with a car or pickup clearing a tire path for me to stay in. If you ride this trail be sure to go to Aroma Pies in Whalen. Their pie is homemade and wonderful. It is right on the trail. The folks in charge of this trail did get warnings online right away about the washouts so I knew about them but decided to ride since I was in the area. The damage is not severe so it should be easy to clean at least what I saw of it. But they better get at all those sinkholes. The white paint marking them was helpful but not a fix.
By
asinca
in
9/28/2010 10:16:32 PM
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I rode this trail a couple of days ago. From Reedsburg to Union Center. It is really nice. It is a rail trail so it is very level and straight as a gun shot. There was a lot of rain several days before I rode. The trail was dampish (a little slow under wheel)but not soggy anywhere. No standing puddles at all. The bridge planking is rough because of all the snowmobile use in the winter but not bad. There are great towns along the way like Elroy-Sparta before WalMart ruined Sparta. Lots of small local business all very welcoming all cyclists. I saw about 30 Blue Jays while riding.
By
asinca
in
6/9/2010 11:52:42 AM
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A real good short ride, surface in good shape. The previous tp about the YMCA is right on. Lots of places to stop, johns ,pay phones (yes they still exist), concession stands, picknick shelters I give it a solid A.
By
asinca
in
6/7/2010 11:48:29 PM
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I rode this trail from Monroe south connecting to the Jane Addams trail in Illinois. Not much to recommend here. The Jane Addams is in much better shape, wider, AND NO FEES. Basic trail maint could be alot better. Like trimming up overhanging trees and mowing the shoulders of the trail. The mowing would help reduce the bugs (very buggy) also weeds jut out into the trail alot. Also there was a big washout about 20 feet of the trail was effected clean across the trail. It was fixed sort of, well at least they didn't use duct tape. With all the trails in the area I would go elsewhere. Maybe it is better riding north it is better?
By
asinca
in
6/7/2010 11:29:45 PM
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Rode this trail today from the Badger State trail about half way to Freeport. It is a great place to ride. Plenty of places to eat and drink along the way. Oragneville has a nice trail access point with johns, picknick shelter etc. There is also a gas station minimart and town is right there. I got a good look at a bald eagle there circling around the prairie there very low and slow. I saw a deer also. The only thing is the chipmunks love to burrow in the trail. Worse than that some bigger rodents are also leaving large burrow openings along the way so watch out for them. All And all I would give this trail a solid A
By
asinca
in
6/5/2010 10:40:44 PM
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The trail is now 8.6 miles long. Over 5 miles of it paved. The crushed stone section is packed hard and in good shape except for the occasional rodent hole. The portion that is on road is on ultra low traffic roads. The northern section is really nice paved offroad town trail. Only the southern section does go right along route 26 and traffic noise is not to bad. You can stay at the Holiday Inn Express which is about 2 miles from the trail and the road to the trail has a wide bike lane. The northern half goes through a city park with nice gardens and statues. The ride from the hotel to the end of the trail and back to town will give you 20 miles or so. It is a good workout as this trail seems like it is slightly uphill in both directions , not steep but very long slight inclines. It will make you work. Fort Atkinson is a great place to stay. Hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and lots for those antique and boutique do dad stores for the ladies.. The river walk has bars and places to eat. The morning I rode it lots of people were fishing right in downtown. A+
By
asinca
in
6/1/2010 10:06:43 AM
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I rode this trail from Moline to East Moline and back. That part of the trail is very nice. It follows long the river and is scenic and has only a little industry along the way. North of Cordova to Fulton the trail is only a few feet away from the road with very fast traffic and trucks. Lots of noise,dirt etc. The part I rode was mainly through a town park and was paved well. There are restaurants etc. I would ride this trail again starting in Cordova and riding to Rock Island. In Moline it passes right next to a Radisson hotel it is a real nice hotel in the $140 per night range we stayed there.
By
asinca
in
6/1/2010 9:52:21 AM
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I rode this trail from the Visitor's center east to Tiskilway. Not a great trail by any means. I don't know where some of the posters get that the trail is entirely surfaced, IT IS NOT. On the day I rode It was extremely hot. There is absolutely no shade on the trail. If you don't bring supplies there are no towns along the trail unless you ride a couple of miles or more. One town is close but only the desparate would try to climb the hill to get to it. The only place I found the trail surfaced was for about 100 feet each side of the access points. I saw absolutely no wildlife except for Canada Geese. It rained the day before I rode and the trail was soft and had numereous washouts. I have ridden the I & M (Illinois)and C & O canal (Maryland) trails both are much better choices. The I & M is just east of the Hennepin trail. Save this trail for the cooler weather in the fall. Maybe the north/south section is better.
By
asinca
in
5/21/2010 8:44:02 PM
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A real nice short trail. Only one patch on the asphalt the entire 5 miles. Runs close to the road at spots but you would never know it. Not a travel destination for biking but if you are there for all the Lincoln stuff it is well worth it. Many franchise hotels and restaurants about 1.5 miles away.
By
asinca
in
8/19/2009 1:29:04 PM
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This trail is great to ride. The surface is smooth and well repaired. The trail is not your typical straight as a arrow rail trail which makes any ride more interesting. It has a nice mix of shade and sun without the tree tunnel so many trails have. There are some pretty good climbs on it. I would give it solid "A". It could be better marked in places. The part thats goes along the lake is really pretty. Mononah Terrace is a nice place to visit and take pictures.
By
asinca
in
7/28/2009 11:38:21 PM
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I rode this trail a couple of weeks ago. It is well worth it. Minocqua has many good hotels and places to eat. We stayed at the Best Western it is just blocks away from the trail and nice. I would give the trail an "A" overall. The surface is crushed granite unlike the trails in southern Wisconsin. It doesn't pack down as well as the limestone. So there are loose areas that can cause a cyclist to fall if you're are not careful. Some of the bridges have the planks running with the trail instead of across it. There are gaps in the planking that could catch a skinny road tire and cause a fall. The trail doesn't go through any other towns so you have to bring your own drinks and such unless you don't mind about 6 block rides off the trail to find something. If you carry your own supplies and use a large size tire you'll love this trail. I saw several wild turkeys and a bald eagle but no deer or bears. The number of people on the trail is light even near Minocqua.
By
asinca
in
7/19/2005 12:00:00 AM
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"I rode this trail in late June. It is almost completely new pavement, smooth and fast. The trail stays away from roads and is almost entirely shaded. AAAA+++++"
By
asinca
in
6/5/2005 12:00:00 AM
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This trail has a good surface and connects south to Erie-Lack trail easily. To the north the connection is dangerous on US41
By
asinca
in
6/5/2005 12:00:00 AM
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This trail lacks in basic maintenance. Lots of broken glass and overgrowth of trees on trail. Much vandalism many dogs off leash on trail.