Portage, WI Cross Country Skiing Trails and Maps

458 Reviews

Looking for the best Cross Country Skiing trails around Portage?

Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Portage, whether you're looking for an easy short cross country skiing trail or a long cross country skiing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a cross country skiing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.

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Activities
Length
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Type
19 Results
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type

400 State Trail

22.3 mi
State: WI
Crushed Stone

Elroy-Sparta State Trail

33.8 mi
State: WI
Crushed Stone

Glacial Drumlin State Trail (Route of the Badger)

52 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Gravel

Glacial River Trail

55.8 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Mascoutin Valley State Trail

21 mi
State: WI
Crushed Stone, Grass, Gravel

Southwest Commuter Path

5.6 mi
State: WI
Asphalt

Wolf Run Trail (WI)

2 mi
State: WI
Crushed Stone

Badger State Trail

40 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Hillsboro State Trail

4.3 mi
State: WI
Crushed Stone, Gravel

Military Ridge State Trail

39.1 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

North Mendota Trail

4.14 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Boardwalk

Omaha Trail

12.5 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Gravel

Wild Goose State Trail

34.4 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass

Bannerman Trail

7 mi
State: WI
Dirt, Grass, Sand

Northwestern Trail

2.8 mi
State: WI
Dirt, Grass, Gravel

Starkweather Creek Path

3.1 mi
State: WI
Asphalt

CamRock Trail

2.4 mi
State: WI
Crushed Stone

Ice Age Junction Trail

3.8 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Wingra Creek Path

1.9 mi
State: WI
Asphalt
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
Traveling the 400 State Trail is a numbers game. The trail’s name refers to the old Chicago and North Western Railway’s “No. 400” passenger train that zoomed through here between Chicago and St....
WI 22.3 mi Crushed Stone
Note: The three tunnels on the trail close from Nov. 1 to April 30 each year. Overview Three hand-dug tunnels along the Elroy-Sparta State Trail make utter darkness as much a part of the scenery...
WI 33.8 mi Crushed Stone
The 52-mile Glacial Drumlin State Trail between Cottage Grove and Waukesha provides a glimpse into the past when glaciers bore down on southeastern Wisconsin in the last Ice Age. Those gigantic sheets...
WI 52 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Gravel
The Glacial River Trail provides bikers, pedestrians, and in-line skaters with a 55.8-mile off-road/on-road rural route winding through farmland, prairie, wetlands, and woodlands as it passes through...
WI 55.8 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The Mascoutin Valley State Trail is divided into two segments along a former corridor of the Chicago and North Western Railway. The eastern section runs 10 miles between Fond du Lac and Rosendale. The...
WI 21 mi Crushed Stone, Grass, Gravel
All it takes is a short ride on Madison’s 5.6-mile South  west Commuter Path to understand the critical role it plays in getting people around town. Not only does it pass within a mile of the State...
WI 5.6 mi Asphalt
The Wolf Run Trail supports a wide variety of users on its two miles of crushed gravel, situated on the outskirts of Mazomanie in northwestern Dane County. Heading southeast from the charming...
WI 2 mi Crushed Stone
Rail-trail fans know that Wisconsin’s Elroy-Sparta State Trail is famous for its three tunnels. The Badger State Trail, which heads south from Madison to the Illinois state line (where it connects...
WI 40 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The 4.3-mile Hillsboro State Trail will make you feel instantly at home. Starting out easy with a crushed stone surface before turning to slightly more difficult loose gravel, this trail will take you...
WI 4.3 mi Crushed Stone, Gravel
NOTE: A State Trail Pass ($25 annually/$5 daily) is required for bicyclists and in-line skaters ages 16 and older. Snowmobilers must display either a Wisconsin registration or a snowmobile State Trail...
WI 39.1 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The North Mendota trail is a 12-ft wide asphalt trail that connects Waunakee and Governor Nelson State Park, on the shores of Lake Mendota. Starting at the northern trailhead in the village of...
WI 4.14 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk
The 12.5-mile Omaha Trail passes through a wonderland of towering buttes, mesas, and pinnacles that seem more at home in an arid desert than in fertile farmland. The steep sandstone formations, some...
WI 12.5 mi Asphalt, Gravel
The Wild Goose State Trail is a premier rail-trail, spanning approximately 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...
WI 34.4 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass
The Bannerman Trail is open but largely unimproved between the communities of Redgranite and Neshkoro on a former Chicago and North Western Railway corridor. The dirt, grass and sand surface might...
WI 7 mi Dirt, Grass, Sand
The Northwestern Trail begins near the public library in downtown Ripon, a charming small town in eastern Wisconsin. History buffs may want to head a few blocks south from this endpoint to explore the...
WI 2.8 mi Dirt, Grass, Gravel
The Starkweather Creek Path traces the waterway north from the Capital City State Trail through Madison’s eastern neighborhoods of Starkweather, Worthington Park, Eken Park and Carpenter-Ridgeway. The...
WI 3.1 mi Asphalt
The CamRock Trail travels 2.4 miles through its namesake CamRock Park in Cambridge, Wisconsin. CamRock Park, managed by Dane County Parks, offers a number of ammenities to trail users including...
WI 2.4 mi Crushed Stone
The Ice Age Junction Trails not only travels 3.8 miles across Dane County, WI, but also takes trail users millions of years back in time. While most of Wisconsin spent the Ice Age covered by...
WI 3.8 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The Wingra Creek Path—also known as the Wingra Bike Path—runs along the winding waterway in Madison. The trail provides a critical link from the neighborhoods south of downtown Madison to the Capital...
WI 1.9 mi Asphalt

Recent Trail Reviews

400 State Trail

Great Rail Trail!

May, 2024 by tannermumm

My dad and I started at the trail head at Reedsburg after getting some great tips and info from Sue at the restored rail depot by the parking lot. The ride out from Reedsburg passes through some busy streets and the first mile or two were a little slick after yesterday’s rain. But this trail just got better and better the farther we rode! The rail trail is primarily crushed pea gravel and after a few miles it dried up real nice and was very stable and reliable. From Reedsburg to La Valle we rode through a mixture of woodland filled with wildflowers (purple/white flox, white daisies and pink columbine) as well as lush marshland filled with water fowl, turtles and muskrats! My favorite parts were the sandstone bluffs that rose majestically over the marshlands and just beyond Le Valle the trail cuts straight through 20 foot high limestone. We ate in La Valle at Fishy’s Bar and grill which had some excellent burgers and fries. At Reedsburg we ate at Ronnie’s which also had great food. Overall I would highly recommend this trail!

Bannerman Trail

great walking trail

March, 2024 by seubertmarylynn

I access the trail at the highway 73 opening. It is beautiful & quiet. My dogs love it.

Military Ridge State Trail

Beautiful ride

November, 2023 by christyfry14

Rode from Mt. Horeb to Ridgeway and back. Beautiful countryside and the trail is great. All well kept. Can’t wait to go back!

Accordion

Badger State Trail

Beautiful trail

November, 2023 by christyfry14

I’ve ridden this trail several times. It’s well kept. Most of it is shady and fairly flat.

Great Sauk State Trail

Another Nice One

November, 2023 by the_masseuse

Super nice paved trail with lovely views! Only bummer is the trail is closed going into some park? at the end. Runs through a reservation land which is interesting. Has a cool sundial along the trail.

Pine River Trail

Nice Trail!

November, 2023 by the_masseuse

This trail is super nice I think. Has some pretty views the whole way too. Liked it so much I did it twice in October! Came back a 2nd time to see the colors in the rolling hills. I think Fall is the best time to bike this one.

Pine River Trail

Had an awesome day on the trail!

October, 2023 by christyfry14

My husband and rode from Lone Rock to Richland Center and back. The colors on the trees were beautiful! The trail was in good shape. It ranges from crushed limestone to paved. There is a small section that is a tiny bit rough, but we have fat tire bikes so it was no problem. It’s all pretty flat. We saw marshes, creeks, farmland, and wooded areas. There are several wooden bridges, all in great shape.

Elroy-Sparta State Trail

Tunnels make the trail 5 star

October, 2023 by mrmikesch

Rode this trail over two days. Camped at Tunnel Trail Campground just east of Wilton. Rode Wilton to Sparta. Two tunnels in the section. Very cool!! The trail surface was mostly OK, except where the trail maintenance tractor had driven on it when the trail was soft and left ruts from the tractor tires. The section from Wilton to a Elroy has one tunnel. Small descent after the tunnel and then flattens out on the way to Elroy. Least favorite part of this ride.

400 State Trail

Great Trail, consistent quality!

October, 2023 by kylepuntney

Great trail. I did the full 22mi and back. Started at the south end. Very easy to follow, very little interaction with traffic. A few bathroom breaks on the way. Almost perfectly flat from start to finish. (I was wishing for a hill or two at one point. Got a bit monotonous.) Clean, well maintained, no hazards. It’s NOT paved but felt paved most of the time. A couple of the bridges could use a bit of work, but I never felt unsafe on them. Very quiet! At times I felt like I was alone in the world! ¿¿¿¿¿

Military Ridge State Trail

Military ridge trail 9/8/23

September, 2023 by jglass52

The weather went from to hot to to cold. 68 degrees, cloudy, threatening rain. I rode a MB from Ridgeway to a little east of Blue Mounds around 10 miles then 10 miles back to Ridgeway. Would have gone further but the weather was questionable. The trail is a little up and down and found loose sand and gravel on the grades. Otherwise the trail was in great condition, downed trees were all cut back and moved off the trail. Lots of trail bridges in the Blue Mounds area. All of the towns had places for food and drinks. Barneveld had toilets and picnic tables for resting. I did find a picnic table 3 miles West of Barneveld, so I stopped and warmed up some soup.
I would like to return but start my ride at Verona and ride to Mt Horeb or Blue Mounds.
Wisconsin has fantastic trails and don't mind paying the $5 trail pass. I'm from Illinois

Mascoutin Valley State Trail

Meh Pt. 2

September, 2023 by the_masseuse

I forgot!! If you wanna ride the trail in its entirety.. the gap is about 8 miles

Mascoutin Valley State Trail

Meh..

September, 2023 by the_masseuse

A nice trail, well kept, just a little boring. I’m sure it’s time to shine is true fall with the leaves in full force. 0 bathrooms and tons of little black bugs atm.

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