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.

I rode this trail during the last weekend of July. Generally, it is a nice trail, not too bumpy, not too crowded and fairly shaded in most areas. The only bad part of this trail is that for about 5 miles or so right in the middle of trail, it was infested with all manners of biting insects. It was four days ago and I am still itching. I was sweating alot and I got bit up pretty badly. This was near the swampy/boggy area on the trail. Just beware.

Stopped in the first gas station/convenience store right off the trail in Trempealeau. Nice place with reasonable prices.

This trail connects with the La Crosse River trail if a rider keeps going south and east from Onalaska.
Ultimately you could keep riding all the way to Sparta and beyond.

Despite some difficulty finding the trail head we started our trip in Onalaska and traveled to Perrot Park. We enjoyed a picnic lunch there, chatted with the rangers, climbed up Brady's Bluff for spectatular views of Mississippi. The trail itself is mostly through the marsh with lots of bridges and wildlife (we saw two cranes strolling on the trail) along the way.

July 17, 2009
My wife and myself are working up our distance and can now easily bike about 25 - 30 miles at a clip. We entered the trail at the parking area on County Road OT in Holman and did the 10 miles to Trempealeau and then returned. We needed to complete a quick ride as we had to check out of the motel and I wanted to take a good hot shower before hitting the road for home (Laporte, Indiana). We rode the Elroy-Sparta Trail the previous two days.

The Prairie Inn & Suites, a very nice motel (clean and new) and very reasonably priced, is only about 1/2 mile from the trail, just off of County Road OT. There is a McDonalds, Subway and gas station next to the motel. We will make it our "Base of Operations" next time we visit the area.

This trail is very secluded and really gets you back into nature. We enjoyed the easy ride, with very gradual uphill grades. The scenery along the marshes and river is beautiful. I whispered to my wife to slow down and be quiet, as there was a deer up on the trail ahead .... it turned out to be a very large crane. We approached it very slowly and then dismounted and it remained on the trail, walking along in front of us for about 100 feet, until we had to startle it and get back on the bikes and head back to Holman.

Along the bike trail, just before entering the Perrot State Park, is the Lock and Dam #6 in Trempealeau. It is a must see if you've never seen a string of barges pass through a lock. There are clean restrooms and it is very well landscaped and maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers ... our tax dollars at work.
The Historic Trempealeau Hotel Restaurant and Saloon is just next to the Locks and has pretty good food at reasonable prices. The vegetarian walnut based meat substitute lasagna was good.

We can't wait to return in the fall to see the trees changing color and to hike in the Perrot Sate Park.
The bike trail runs through the park, past the campground and near one of the highest peaks in the area. It's hiking trail offers a great view of the Mississippi River and the breathtaking shoreline of Minnesota.
..... Steve & Ann

"This trail traverses through deep woods and meadows crossing many wood plank bridges including the lengthy iron trestle bridge over the black river.
If you plan on staying overnight the Pleasant Knoll motel in Trempealeau is a nice place to stay with reasonable rates.
There's a trailhead about a mile outside Trempealeau on the south end of town along Hwy. 35. This is where I started my ride from with my Scorpion Fx trike. There are rest room facilities here, and one other time when you reach the black trestle.
This trail is exceptionally easy to ride on it's crushed limestone, with virtually no grades encountered. However, it can be noisy at times since it parallels a pair of railroad tracts. I encountered numerous trains going in both directions which broke the silence.
I began my ride going south to onalaska. I think the south end provides the best scenery with it's deep cool woods, and lush meadows alive with butterflies and grass hoppers. you'll cross over numerous creeks and waterways before you arrive in Onalaska as well as the small village of Midway which is about 5 miles north of Onalaska.
As you go north from the trailhead you'll find yourself crossing many roadways to get through Trempealeau. Once clear from the residential area of town the trail once again finds it's way through lush forest. All though, this end of the trail supports more open areas that are less spectacular scenery wise.
Once at the northern end you'll reach Marshland which is basically the Trempealeau Wildlife Preserve. This is where you'll find the parking area for the northern trailhead.
From here, the trail takes you into the preserve on a 3 1/2 mile loop on gravel roads shared with cars. About half way around, the trail branches off to the right onto another loop road, which passes between a swamp. This road is strictly for bikes, and no cars allowed. I found the gravel roads through the preserve to be an additional six miles, and that was without doing the complete secondary loop. The gravel roads through the preserve are hilly, and can be quite taxing on your legs. I found myself pumping extremely hard with the trike, and some fish tailing Occurring going up hills on the gravel.

All in all I found this to be one of my favorite trails, and drove six hours the following week to do it again."

"This is a very easy trail to ride. The surface is hard packed and almost level. Although the Mississippi River is not visible along most of the trail, the wetland scenery is great, and lots of wildlife can be viewed. This would be a great family ride."

This trail has always been a great one to ride since I first rode it in 1989. The wetland scenery from the Black River Bridge (mp 8) to Trempealeau is spectacular. I recommend a side trip through Perrot State Park which features tree lined bluff and great views of the Mississippi River.

Riding along the Mississippi River is an amazing experience just because of how huge it is and how much it connects you to nature. The gravel road through the wildlife refuge is interesting and there is a pair of binoculars at the river's edge there for watching large birds across the huge expanse and freight trains hugging the bluffs on the far side.

Overall it was a fantastic trip.

"We started our cross-state trek at Winona MN and camped at Perrot SP. This trail has some of the nicest river scenery I've experienced, especially near the Black River. The trailhead at Marshland isn't obvious, doubly so in the dark; find the parking area E. of the RR crossing for the NWR; the trail starts here."

This beautiful trail along the Mississippi River is well packed and the scenery is breathtaking. The River provides a changing panorama all year. Autumn makes for a gorgeous color-rama.

The Trempealeau Hotel is a must stop for great food. Try the Walnut balls or burger.

The slight down hill from Trempealeau back to Lacrosse eases the return journey.