Great River State Trail:
Wisconsin
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Description:
The Great River State Trail follows the shores of the Mississippi River in western Wisconsin. The trail meanders through 24.4 miles of river marsh, thick hardwood forests and bucolic farmland. It is a wonderful nature escape and a reflection of easy Midwestern life along the river and its many tributaries.

Starting from the northern trailhead in Marshland, the trail points you southeast along the river and immediately enters the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge. This is the first of three wildlife refuges on the route. The region is on the Mississippi flyway, so if you time your visit right, you'll be in the company of a vast assortment of waterfowl, wading birds and migratory songbirds. Pay attention to the signs for the Great River State Trail because the refuge provides a number of offshoot trails. As you exit the national refuge, you will briefly pass through Perrot State Park, a wildlife area with hiking, skiing and boating trails.

At mile 9.3 the small town of Trempealeau, with its several cafes and parks, provides a nice break point. The trail travels through peaceful wooded areas that provide shade on a warm summer day, then leads you over a series of bridges that span several small tributaries within the Upper Mississippi River Fish and Wildlife Refuge. There are wonderful wildlife viewing opportunities here and a dizzying array of small streams that all flow into the Mississippi just a few hundred yards off the trail.

Next up, at mile 14.5, is Lytles Landing. This park area provides parking and trail access, as well as a rusting steel train trestle over the Black River. Continuing south the trail cuts through miles of small neighborhoods and pockets of wooded areas. During spring and summer there is a beautiful selection of wildflowers nodding in the breezes along the trail.

Onalaska, at mile 22.5, is about 5 miles north of the industrial city of La Crosse and situated on a ridge overlooking the Mississippi and Black rivers. A bit of on-road travel in this bustling community requires attention. Follow trail signs for about 0.75 mile to the center of town, where restaurants, bike shops and resting spots will suit your fancy. To reach the trail's end at the very small town of Medary, you must carefully cross busy Route 35. If you plan to end your trip here, pay close attention: a seamless transition to the delightful La Crosse River State Trail could take you all the way to Sparta!

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Parking & Trail Access:
To reach the Marshland trailhead from I-90, take WI 35 Exit 3B and head north all the way to Marshland. Take a left on the unpaved Marshland Access Road immediately east of the railroad track-crossing and the WI 35/County Highway P junction at Marshland.

To reach the Medary trailhead from I-90, take WI 157 Exit 4, travel south for less than 1 mile and take a right on State Route 16. Take a left onto County Highway B and you will see parking for the trailhead approximately 0.5 mile down the road on the left.

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Reviews: [3 trail ratings]
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You won't see the river, but it's still a worthwhile ride
By kevinkaren in October, 2011
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.
Nice trail, but a bit "buggy"
By mblackheart in August, 2011
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.

Trip to Perrot Park
By rheffy in August, 2010
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.
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