Wild Goose State Trail:
Wisconsin
Trail Map
  • Get Personalized Driving Directions!
  • Find Trail Side Shops with Google Search!
  • See Users’ Geocoded Photos!
  • Get a Print-Friendly Map and Get Outdoors!
Description:
The Wild Goose State Trail is a premier rail-trail, spanning nearly 35 miles in Dodge and Fond du Lac counties. If you are looking for a peaceful and beautiful place to visit, this trail has it all. Almost the entire trail is tree-covered, very flat, and well maintained. The "wild" in the trail name is apt, as wildlife is in abundance. If you are traveling by bike you will want to concentrate on the trail surface: chipmunks frequently scramble across the path. Throughout the trail there are multiple highway and farm access roads to cross-all well marked, but use caution.

Starting from the southern endpoint, Clyman Junction, travel through wooded areas and farmland. A horse path parallels the trail for 7.5 miles from Clyman Junction to Minnesota Junction.

Several industrial buildings mark your arrival in Juneau, where you'll find a typical small town with a few restaurants and bars to visit. The trail becomes a bit tricky to follow as it passes through a grassy lot and then resumes. Rule of thumb: Go straight when the trail seems to disappear and you will find it again shortly.

Outside of Juneau the trail quickly returns to farmland. Although the trail skirts the western edge of the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge and Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area, you will not actually see the marsh. You may, however, see some of its feathered inhabitants: The marsh is home to herons, egrets, and hawks, to name a few. A tenth of a mile before you reach Highway 49, look for the sign marking the short path to the Marsh Haven Nature Center. Covering 32,000 acres, the Horicon Marsh is one of America's most important wetlands. Tour the marsh on guided or self-directed canoe or kayak tours, and don't miss the spring and fall migratory season, when it is estimated that more than 500,000 birds pass through.

Crossing in to Fond du Lac County for its final 14.5-mile stretch, the trail again becomes rural, flat, and scenic. Trees provide continuous shelter as the trail takes you into the community of Fond du Lac and ends next to a parking lot at a railroad crossing. Fond du Lac is blessed with beautiful water vistas. Make sure to stop by Lakeside Park at the edge of Lake Winnebago for a picnic after your trail visit and sit right at water's edge near the lighthouse.

When the snow flies, skis and snowmobiles (December through March only) hit the trail, followed by the spring migration of birds wintering over in Horican Marsh. Summertime's expansive green fields and dense tree canopies give way to spectacular fall foliage. Any time of year is a good time to visit the Wild Goose State Trail.

... Click to read more
Parking & Trail Access:
To reach Clyman Junction from Milwaukee, take State Route 41 north to State Route 60 west through Hartford. Continue on 60 west past Road M in Clyman Junction. The trail entrance will be on your right; parking is available.
To reach Clyman Junction from the north, follow State Hwy. 26 south through Juneau. Four miles south of Juneau, turn left on 60. The trail entrance is approximately 1.5 miles on left.
The Fond du Lac trailhead is accessible from Highway 15 north. In Fond du Lac, turn right at the light onto Rolling Meadows Drive. After passing a golf course on the right, go approximately a quarter mile. You'll find the trailhead, with parking, right before the railroad crossing on your right.
There are parking lots at both trail endpoints at Rolling Meadow Road in Fond Du Lac and off State Route 60 in Clyman Junction. The trail cuts through the city of Juneau; there is ample parking in the community. There are official trail parking areas off State Route 33, Road B in Burnett, and at the Marsh Haven Nature Center entrance off HighwayHwy. 49.
... Click to read more
... Click to read more
Reviews: [0 trail ratings]
[View all reviews for this trail]
[register/login to Submit a Review of this Trail]
Exercise caution during hunting
By winative in September, 2009
We rode the trail from Clyman Junction to Burnett on 9/19/09. A few miles in, we noticed hunters in their blaze orange in the field on the west side of the trail. Not thinking much of it we continued. On our return trip, a blast was fired over our heads and buckshot and leaves rained down on us. Again, we saw the hunters clearly and don't understand how they could not know a bike trail was there. This was not at the rifle range which was a couple miles south. That range was plenty busy with lots of gunfire, but it was behind a cement wall. Aside from that, the trail south from Juneau was wonderful. Very secluded and scenic!
water course
By nfondy in June, 2009
The trail in Fond du lac many ditches that have filled in over the years and they are flooding the trail. One section by Highbridge Road north of Oakfield has been very bad for years. Also between Willow Road and the Hwy 151 tunnel ditches have fill in and can be muddy. They think putting down more stone will raise the trail and stop the trail flooding?
Trail going North dead ends about 2 miles South of highway 49
By rew269 in August, 2008
In August, 2008 I planned to bicycle from the Juneau city park (very nice park) to Marsh Nature Center located on highway 49. A couple of miles before reaching highway 49 the trail dead ended. One can see where the trail once continued but now that continuation has grass growing 3 feet high and a sign says "trail closed". I turned around and returned to Juneau. On my return to Juneau a local told me that I could have bypassed the closed trail section by using county roads. It is unfortunate that there was no sign where the trail ended to tell how to bypass using the county roads. This is a nice trail but in need of some maintenance to clear the short grass growing on the trail mileage I rode.

Ron White
Flat Rock, NC
Browse Trails by Activity: