My husband and I have been going to this area at least once every summer since 1998. We usually camp at the Old Barn Resort outside of Preston with our three boys these days. From the campground it's a short trip into Lanesboro and beyond. Nice easy trail to ride with children, although on weekends later in the day it can be quite busy on stretches. We like to leave early in the morning and have breakfast in Lanesboro when we visit. For a more challenging ride you can head towards Preston and on to Harmony. Both are beautiful rides and we always enjoy our time in the towns. Plenty of restaurants, B&B's and campgrounds to fit a variety of tastes, especially for the small towns around the trail. A good summer outing.

Rode from Lanesboro to Rushford weekend of Oct. 16, 2010. Some of the trees were past peek but it was still beautiful. Trail was in great condition. Pretty flat. Trees most of the way. Plenty of amenities along the route. Most of the campgrounds around the area are pretty nice. We stayed at Eagle Cliff it was really pretty settled between two cliffs next to the river. No problem getting to the trail from there.

In Lanesboro the only real good eats were at Root on the River. Also ate at Chat and Chew, Peddle Pushers and it wasn't anything to get excited about. The Aroma Pie Shop in Whalen is excellent and a great reward for a long ride. When you get to Rushford I would suggest riding west into town to eat. Once you cross the bridge to the south is the Feed Mill Cafe, a great historic building that was recently renovated into a sandwich shop. Serves soup and sandwiches and desserts. If you have ATT phone service you will get NO signal in this area.

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.

This past summer we spent a couple of days in Lanesboro and biked both directions from Lanesboro. This trail is one of the most scenic I have visited. The communities along the trail have several businesses that cater to cyclists and other trail users. Lots of good places to eat and rest along the way. Several bed and breakfasts in and around Lanesboro make it a great place to stay. The Root River is also great for kayaking, with rentals right in Lanesboro.

I have family that lives near Lanesboro and I look forward to riding the Root River Trail when we visit. The trail is very flat, has some remnants of the old days. Going south to Fountain, there are some challenging climbs, but it is worth it to visit the largest sinkhole in the United States(just outside Fountain.

We rode this again in June '09, this time camping with our pop-up trailer at "Hwy 250 Campground". the campground is right on the trail & very close to Lanesboro, so it's very convenient. the absentee owner isn't around much & there is no office to register at. it is totally disorganized. he didn't even collect our money, so we left ours with the neighboring camper. our picnic table was very wobbly & unstable. the bathrooms are marginal but o.k. if it does get noisy or you have any other problem, I doubt whether you'll be able to get any help from mgmt. cell phones don't work well here, so good luck. next time we'll try another campground. BTW, there were NO mosquitos bothering us only noisy neighbors. Try to avoid Fri & Sat nights.

As far as the trail goes, it's very scenic with it's rolling hills, bluffs, flat stretches, bridges, creeks, cute small towns, etc. There are hills on the last 6 miles of both ends; I got off easy as my wife rode only part of the trail, then became my SAG support as she checked out the antique shops & gardens. so I mostly rode the trail one-way, rather than out & back.

If you get a chance, buy some bakery goods from the Amish (at farmers markets or their bakery near Preston); they are heavenly and these people are so nice & humble. I'd rather interact this way than going on an "Amish Tour". There's lots to do besides biking, too. This is one of the best trails in the state & probably the nation; highly recommended.

I Rode this trail in June of 2008, and you couldn't have asked for a nicer day. This trail is asphalt with fairly flat terrain the full 42 miles, and intersects with the Harmony-Preston Trail at a point the locals call the junction. The town of Preston is approximately 5 miles from the junction where the two trails meet. If you bike to the North of the junction approximately 6 miles you'll go up a steep hill to the town of Fountain. It takes allot of leg strength to make it to the top, but you can virtually coast the whole distance back making your effort worthwhile.. The best place to stay the night would probably be a Bed & Breakfast in Lanesboro, but if your looking for something a little more economical there's the Trail End motel in Preston with it's attached snack and gift shop. Lanesboro is a quaint historic town worth exploring, and for a quick break, stop at the Picnic Basket Sandwich Shop right next to the trail. There's a fenced in terrace with tables to enjoy your lunch outdoors on a warm sunny afternoon. Just down from the Picnic Basket is the local bike shop where you can have repairs done, or if your so inclined, you can rent the most unusual bikes there like the four wheeler with the canopy top that holds six. As you head south along the trail another 5 miles you'll enter the village of Whalen where stopping at the "Worlds Famous Pies" shop is a must to sample a slice from one of there homemade pies and a cold glass of lemonade, or coffee if you desire, to wash it down with. If you decided to bypass the pie shop, and are looking for an excellent eatery, you'll find Judy's Cafe in Peterson approximately 9 miles South of whalen, and a block west of the trail before you enter the downtown area.

This trail has something for everyone with it's scenic views of the Root River, wooden plank bridges, Crossing an historic railroad trestle as you depart Lanesborro, and passing between the limestone bluffs on a hot day is just a little something extra to enjoy . Be careful if you decide to step off the trail to go exploring. I came across a rattlesnake sunning it's self on the edge of the trail. I found this trail to be the most scenic from the junction to Peterson. A few miles before Rushford the trail opens up into grasslands with very little shade, and to close to the highway for my taste.


Dennis Adam,
Sheboygan, WI

Intrepid bikers can ride from end-point to end-point, but that reportedly involves significant hill work. For an easier trip and the full tourist experience, rent a room in Lanesboro and ride in a different direction each day. The middle parts of the trails around Lanesboro are rolling and pretty, but not terribly challenging. We rode from Lanesboro to Preston and back the first day (21 miles round trip) and the other direction the second day (no particular destination). It's a beautiful trail, paved all the way and mostly in good shape. The trail is quiet, largely shaded and very attractive as it wends its way across scenic bridges and along the river.

Lanesboro is a delightful town that has embraced the tourist trade while still holding on to its own small town identity. You can't throw a stone without hitting a beautiful, historic Bed and Breakfast. The main street is always hopping with restaurants, beer gardens, live music and theater even on a Sunday evening. Preston, by contrast, is pretty dull. There is just one sandwich shop (which wasn't open on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon!). However, there is a biker pit stop at the trail head with parking, rest rooms and snacks for sale.

The main drawback to this trail is its popularity. Try to go on a week day during high season, especially if you hope to get a last-minute reservation in a B&B. The Lanesboro website is highly recommended; best site I've ever seen for locating available lodging.

" 26 Aug 06, after some heavy rain I was introduced to this trail.
In spite of the rain the trail was excellent.
"

"Our neighborhood bike group spent the 4th holiday in Preston and on the trail. We had a great time and the trail was in excellent shape. We rode the trail from Preston to Whalen, Fountain and harmoney. The section to Harmony had several trees down on the trail but was still passable.

Besides the trail we also enjoyed shopping in the towns. We had excellent meals in Preston and Lansboro.

The biggest distraction was the highway construction around Preston."

"We rode this trail again in August, with 8-year-old Nathaniel, traveling up to 52.5 miles in a day. Lance Armstrong watch out? In addition to repeating the nice section between Houston and Whalan as a one-day round trip this time, we also rode the round trip from Whalan to Fountain. It involved a 500+ foot gradual climb (at 4% grade) that began several miles beyond Lanesboro. Most of the climb is shaded, which was very welcome. Nathaniel kept toying with us on the climb - passing us, dropping back, and passing us again. I averaged 8-9 mph while pulling 4-year-old Jennifer in the bike cart. Nathaniel had no problem passing us at 16 mph.

After the climb, we were determined to find ice cream in Fountain, so we explored and found it. Go across the parking lot, cross the main road, and take the side street to the next block and turn left. Go down a few blocks and the Village Square is on your left, with nice ice cream. Also, just before Fountain are two sink holes with explanatory signs about the geology. The kids loved it.

If you have time, the first few miles of the Harmony-Preston Valley Trail are very pretty, with cliffs on one side and the river on the other. Past that, it's mostly farmland, some woods, and a heck of a steep, stepwise climb - a guaranteed workout.

-Tom Baughman; Algonquin, IL"

This trail has been extended 11 miles from Rushford to Houston. It's a gorgeous ride with a beautiful trailhead and nature center in Houston.

"We ride this trail often because it offers so many possibilities. It has many scenic spots, variety in terrain, and connections to other fine trails. Lanesboro is a great place to base in--lots of accommodations, quaint historic sights, and good eating. We typically spend several days biking out along this trail or its connecting links, returning to Lanesboro each night. We have also panniered the full length of the trail, but if you don't tent, this takes some planning with advanced reservations (not a lot of accommodations on the east end)."

"This is a very nice trail, which we did in late August 2001. Much of the trail has shade, with only some hot stretches (most notably, the few miles east of Houston and the few miles east of Rushford). The wooded sides of the deep valley are beautiful, with some limestone cliffs. We passed through many wooded areas, and had many views of the Root River, with wooded bluffs in the background. The asphalt is in good condition, particularly the new stretch between Houston and Rushford. Road crossings are few and far between, a welcome difference from bike paths in the Chicago area. Most of the trail is away from the busy road and very peaceful. The trail was not crowded. Most of the towns along the way have great ice cream shops, with the shop by the path in Rushford giving the most generous serving size. If you have kids, a park about 1 mi. north of the path in Rushford has a nice playground. You can ride the sidewalk on the western side of busy Rt. 43 and cross when you get to the park (right across a bridge with a sidewalk only on the western side). Going from Houston to Rushford, just before the ""steep section,"" the trail appears turn right onto a road, but the ""road"" is really the bike path. On the way back, the left turn onto the path is unmarked, so keep your eyes open. Some signs both ways would help at this spot. The ""steep"" section gains about 120 ft. in about 1/4 mi. In this section we (with our 6-yr-old on his mountain bike and me pulling our 2-yr-old in a bike cart) did about 6-8 mph uphill and a fun 19-23 mph downhill. Other than this steep section and the 4% grade west of Lanesboro, the trail is mostly level, with little ups and downs. Of the campgrounds on the trail map, we saw only the one at Lanesboro, which was at a nearby city park to the south. The tent sites are by a lake, probably not good for toddlers. The others must be off-trail. We stayed at Beaver Creek Valley State Park to the south, which has nice tent-only campsites. Unbridged stream crossings may make this a problem in the spring, as the road to the campsites may not be passable. On the Root River Trail, our 6-yr-old did up to 30 mile trips in a day, averaging about 10 mph - he commonly goes that far - Lance Armstrong watch out?

Tom Baughman
Algonquin, IL"