My TrailLink

Pine River Trail
Nice surface, needs signage

We rode this trail on a nice summer day during a long dry spell. Finding the trail in Lone Rock with our GPS wasn't a problem, but there ought to be some signage from US 14 to get people to the trailhead. The Lone Rock trailhead is several blocks south of US 14 via SR 130, then west on Richland St to the dead end. There are no facilities there and it isn't really made for parking, but there is a park on the west side of SR 130, and a big park with full facilities a couple blocks south on Exchange St. We parked there and rode to the trail by taking Maple St north, and carrying our bikes over the railroad tracks to make the connection.

At the north end in Richland Center we rode about a half mile behond the zero mile point and didn't find the park/trailhead. We turned around when the trail began to take the sidewalk alongside busy Highway 14. Altogether it was about 15.5 miles one-way from where we parked to where we turned around.

The trail surface is very well-packed fine stone which worked just fine with the narrower tires of my road bike. There are many areas where short grass is growing up through the trail but it didn't affect the riding conditions. Theere are a dozen or so bridges along the trail, many of them in need of repair. Several times I had to dodge warped boards sticking up from a bridge surface. Coming into Richland Center was a pretty brief section of larger, looser stone before the asphalt began. There were not too many road crossings, mainly over quiet streets.

The trail is predominantly rural and away from traffic except for 3.5 miles from the outskirts of Lone Rock to near Gotham, and the last couple of miles coming into Richland Center. I expected more views of the eponymous river, but other than one bridge crossing the only water we saw were irrigation ditches and the Sextonville bog.

There is a highway rest area with full facilities on the opposite side of US 14 about 3 miles from Lone Rock for those who are willing to cross a busy highway, and picnic tables and a porta-potty in Twin Bluffs, about 9 miles from the Lone Rock end. There was a picnic table without other facilities near our turnaround point in Richland Center.

Allegheny Highlands Trail of Maryland - Great Allegheny Passage
Steady climb with a terrific payoff at the top

We rode on a hot, humid Memorial Day from Cumberland through Frostburg, on to the Big Savage tunnel and then the small crossroads of Deal, PA, 50 miles round-trip. The surface is in excellent shape with only a few very short stretches of loose gravel. I rode it on my road bike with 700x23 tires with a little bit of tread, but it would have been fine with narrower slicks.

On a map of the route from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC this climb looks to be monstrous. Actually the grade going uphill is not very severe, but it is relentless! Only one brief downhill in over 23 miles to the subcontinental divide separating the Great Lakes and Atlantic basins.

We had no problems riding through the tunnels, which were wide and easy to see in, unlike at home in Wisconsin where every tunnel seems to be curved (so you can't see the other end) and lined with flat black rock that absorbs every bit of light.

There is a row of concrete barriers at the state line, presumably to keep Pennsylvania ATVs from crossing into Maryland, a helipad and a big "Crossing the Mason-Dixon Line" sign. The surface in Pennsylvania was just as good as Maryland. Deal, PA had a picnic table and porta-potty, as did a few other places along the way, but there was no water anywhere along the trail. We had several bottles in a pack on my bike, and refilled afterward at the C&O Canal visitor center in Cumberland.

Temperatures were noticeably cooler at the higher elevations, and the downhill ride back to Cumberland was easy and fast. I hope to come back some day and ride the more of the route in Pennsylvania.

Glacial Drumlin State Trail
Enjoyable Trail

I live near Dousman and ride this trail about once a week. The paved 13-mile section is in perfect shape, with a very gentle incline as you go from Waukesha to Wales. It's popular on weekends but not too crowded, and even the fastest riders are usually considerate of other users; something that's becoming quite unusual in urban settings these days.

The trail levels off and the crowds thin out as you proceed west to Dousman. You have now left the suburban sprawl (not that it was often visible from the trail anyway) and are riding from small town to small town. There's a good bike shop right on the trail here and restaurants within a couple blocks.

The unpaved part of the trail from Dousman to the on-road connector is showing its age, with some washouts and holes to dodge, and a few bridges in need of replacement. Still, I have no trouble riding a road bike with 700x28 tires; a hybrid with 35s would be more than sufficient for anyone. Portions of the trail are improved every year, including regrading a section near the short tunnel just west of Highway D which used to get flooded every spring and some resurfacing and bridge replacement near Sullivan.

There's a rest area in Sullivan which seems to open very late in the spring and closes early in the fall, but that's about it west of Dousman. There's also a nice rest stop on the trail in Wales, but nothing at the eastern end of the trail in Waukesha.

I have not ridden the section west of Jefferson in a few years; it always seemed to be a bit rougher than the eastern half. I do recall a parking area with rest rooms at the Cottage Grove end.

Great River State Trail
You won't see the river, but it's still a worthwhile ride

We rode this trail on a Sunday in late October. I was surprised there were so few people using the trail. We parked at the north end at the entrance to the wildlife refuge on West Prairie Road. The trail maps show the refuge’s scenic drive as part of the trail but we did not ride that portion. The bike-only trail beginning at this parking area has the best surface I’ve ever seen on an unpaved trail; hard-packed stone smoother than many paved road I’ve ridden except for a short stretch of sandier (but still quite solid) surface near the Onalaska end. I had a road bike with the widest tires that will fit (700x35) but I wouldn’t hesitate to ride this trail with skinny slicks. There are rest areas spaced at about 5 mile intervals along the trail, but no facilities at the refuge parking lot.

Go into this ride with the understanding that in spite of the name you are going to get only 1 brief view of the Mississippi, looking north near the Onalaska end. With that out of the way, enjoy the trees and farm fields, wetlands and many bridges. The on-road segment in Onalaska is pretty well marked, but when going south don’t miss reconnecting to the trail on the right after crossing highway 35 at the stoplight. From here it’s an easy ride to the Medary trailhead which joins this trail with the La Crosse River State Trail.

A note about trail distances: Mile markers start at zero on the north side of Onalaska; it’s almost 3 miles from there to the Medary trailhead. The mile markers quickly become spotty then disappear, then reappear mid-trail only to die out again, and finally reappear near the northern end, with an extra 1.2 miles suddenly added on. I measured 22 miles from the refuge parking lot to Medary.

Old Abe Trail
Pavement a little rough but I'd go back

We rode this trail round-trip on a cool but sunny fall day. The mileage from 97th St to the end of the off-road trail within Brunet Island State Park is 18 miles, not 19.5.

The 97th Av. trailhead has no facilities, but there is a porta-potty at the edge of the golf course just south of the parking area on the way to the Lake Wissota bridge.

There is a continuation of the trail south of the bridge heading into Chippewa Falls. We rode 2 miles then turned around as the trail just paralleled a highway.

The whole trail is a very easy ride on a road bike with narrow tires. The first 4 miles of trail north of 97th Av was very smooth but there is no view of the river until you reach the town of Anson park, just west of the trail. There are rest rooms and picnic tables here and 2 miles further north at Jim Falls. On the north side of Jim Falls begins 10 miles of trail with many stretches of rough pavement. I had to watch out for frost heaves and potholes (a few of them are marked with paint), but it was still no issue for the skinny tires and would not dissuade me from riding this trail again.

About a mile past the Cobban bridge you leave the river again. The pavement improves as you get to Cornell, which has a marked trailhead within site of the river again and a city park with visitor center and rest rooms (closed for the season). The trail continues with a short on-road segment on the shoulder of a lightly traveled road, then parallels that road into Brunet Island State Park, ending suddenly at the RV dump station.