Explore the best rated trails in Beaver Dam, WI. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Badger State Trail and Brown Deer Recreational Trail. With more than 42 trails covering 645 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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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...
The US Highway 12 Path offers a convenient, non-motorized alternative to traveling on the highway. The paved pathway begins in Middleton and heads northwest paralleling the roadway, separated from...
The Great Sauk State Trail spans nearly a dozen miles connecting the communities of Sauk City, Prairie du Sac, and Merrimac. Built along the former Union Pacific Railroad, the smoothly paved...
Although short, the West Allis Cross Town Connector represents an important start to a future link between three trails in Milwaukee County. Currently, the trail begins at a junction with the New...
Fond du Lac's Brooke Street Trail follows a former rail corridor from the community's southern reaches to an endpoint not far from scenic Lake Winnebago. The city's location relative to the lake,...
Broad blue skies strung with white cloud wisps; gem-green fields harboring cattails and butterflies; canopied glens giving way to cavernous quarries. It's all part of the ride on the Bugline...
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The Fox River Trail runs diagonally along its namesake waterway through Waukesha in southeastern Wisconsin (just outside of Milwaukee). A trailhead at the E.B. Shurts Environmental Education Center in...
In south-central Wisconsin, the Upper Yahara River Trail connects the communities of DeForest and Windsor along a beautiful wooded waterway. Buffered by neighborhoods, the trail offers residents an...
The Cannonball Path runs on a railbanked Union Pacific corridor from near downtown Madison to Fitchburg, a southern suburb. A majority of the paved trail is complete between Madison's...
The Pheasant Branch Conservancy Trail forms a loop within the scenic Pheasant Branch Conservancy, a natural area containing a marsh, meadows, forest and hills. The area is home to a vast array of...
In 1957, baseball legend Hank “The Hammer” Aaron led the Milwaukee Braves to the first of two consecutive World Series appearances and a championship over the usually dominant New York Yankees. In...
The paved New Berlin Recreation Trail runs straight as an east–west compass bearing for 7 miles through the western Milwaukee suburbs, from New Berlin to Waukesha. While it is void of trestles,...
The 53-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...
The Military Ridge State Trail finds the high ground as it rolls across 40 miles of idyllic farmland from the outskirts of Madison to the historic mining town of Dodgeville. It follows an American...
The Lake Country Recreation Trail runs from the western edge of Waukesha to Oconomowoc in Wisconsin’s Lake Country area. Most of the trail was built on a former Milwaukee-Watertown Interurban Railway...
The Brown Deer Recreational Trail runs through the Village of Brown Deer, a suburb of Milwaukee. The tree-line route parallels an active rail line through commercial and residential areas. Mid-way,...
Dane County's Lower Yahara River Trail offers an incredibly scenic experience in the Madison area. On its western end, the 2.5-mile paved pathway connects to the Capital City State Trail near the...
If you’re going to visit the historical communities that lie just west of Lake Michigan, why not use the former route of the venerable interurban railroad? The Ozaukee Interurban Trail stretches the...
The Capital City State Trail contributes to the impression that you’re never far from a bike path in the Madison area. The paved trail meanders for 17 miles from the suburb of Fitchburg in the...
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The Prairie Trail offers a paved route of nearly 7 miles along the eastern boundary of Fond du Lac, a mid-sized city befitting its French name which means “foot of the lake” as it hugs the southern...
The paved New Berlin Recreation Trail runs straight as an east–west compass bearing for 7 miles through the western Milwaukee suburbs, from New Berlin to Waukesha. While it is void of trestles,...
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...
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The Downtown Trail—also known as the River Trail and Riverwalk Trail—runs alongside the Fond du Lac River for nearly 2 miles in the heart of Fond du Lac. The vast majority of the trail is smooth...
Fond du Lac's Brooke Street Trail follows a former rail corridor from the community's southern reaches to an endpoint not far from scenic Lake Winnebago. The city's location relative to the lake,...
Blackhawk Path offers a convenient way to traverse Shorewood Hills, a western suburb of Madison nestled along Lake Mendota. Increasing its value as a commuting corridor are plans to extend the trail...
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The Old Plank Road Trail parallels State Route 23—a road originally built out of wooden planks in the 1800s—from the western edge of Sheboygan to the Village of Greenbush. The trail was one of the...
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...
The Brown Deer Recreational Trail runs through the Village of Brown Deer, a suburb of Milwaukee. The tree-line route parallels an active rail line through commercial and residential areas. Mid-way,...
In south-central Wisconsin, the Upper Yahara River Trail connects the communities of DeForest and Windsor along a beautiful wooded waterway. Buffered by neighborhoods, the trail offers residents an...
The Pheasant Branch Creek Corridor Trail follows a lush wooded creek through Middleton, a northwestern suburb of Wisconsin’s state capital. Its east end is anchored by the beautiful Pheasant Branch...
Meadowbrook Trail parallels Meadowbrook Road offering a useful and convenient off-road route through northwest Waukesha. It begins at a connection to Lake Country Recreation Trail, a 15-mile east-west...
The US Highway 12 Path offers a convenient, non-motorized alternative to traveling on the highway. The paved pathway begins in Middleton and heads northwest paralleling the roadway, separated from...
Madison’s Campus Drive Pedestrian and Bicycle Path is a short trail linking the city’s west side with the University of Wisconsin’s agricultural facilities. Both the heart of the university and the...
The Harbor View Trail occupies a former rail bed—now shared with overhead electric transmission wires—on the southern edge of Lakeside Park in Fond du Lac. The trail parallels Harbor View Drive for...
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The Lake to Lake Bike Trail takes you through the beautiful terrain of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. It is a newer, well-maintained trail, with a wide, crushed limestone roadbed. It is used daily...
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...
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...
The Eisenbahn State Trail gives a nod to Wisconsin’s German heritage in its name—Eisenbahn is German for “railway.” The strict translation, “iron road,” refers to the iron rails originally used as...
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...
The Capital City State Trail contributes to the impression that you’re never far from a bike path in the Madison area. The paved trail meanders for 17 miles from the suburb of Fitchburg in the...
The Cannonball Path runs on a railbanked Union Pacific corridor from near downtown Madison to Fitchburg, a southern suburb. A majority of the paved trail is complete between Madison's...
Fond du Lac's Brooke Street Trail follows a former rail corridor from the community's southern reaches to an endpoint not far from scenic Lake Winnebago. The city's location relative to the lake,...
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...
Madison’s Campus Drive Pedestrian and Bicycle Path is a short trail linking the city’s west side with the University of Wisconsin’s agricultural facilities. Both the heart of the university and the...
The Downtown Trail—also known as the River Trail and Riverwalk Trail—runs alongside the Fond du Lac River for nearly 2 miles in the heart of Fond du Lac. The vast majority of the trail is smooth...
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...
In south-central Wisconsin, the Upper Yahara River Trail connects the communities of DeForest and Windsor along a beautiful wooded waterway. Buffered by neighborhoods, the trail offers residents an...
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...
Broad blue skies strung with white cloud wisps; gem-green fields harboring cattails and butterflies; canopied glens giving way to cavernous quarries. It's all part of the ride on the Bugline...
Wisconsin’s Wiouwash State Trail is named for the four counties it passes through: Winnebago, Outagamie, Waupaca and Shawano. Currently, 41 miles of the rail-trail are open in two disconnected...
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...
The Old Plank Road Trail parallels State Route 23—a road originally built out of wooden planks in the 1800s—from the western edge of Sheboygan to the Village of Greenbush. The trail was one of the...
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...
The Capital City State Trail contributes to the impression that you’re never far from a bike path in the Madison area. The paved trail meanders for 17 miles from the suburb of Fitchburg in the...
The US Highway 12 Path offers a convenient, non-motorized alternative to traveling on the highway. The paved pathway begins in Middleton and heads northwest paralleling the roadway, separated from...
The Oak Leaf Trail is the jewel in the crown of Milwaukee County’s extensive trail system. The trail meanders for more than 120 miles in and around the city of Milwaukee on a changing terrain of flat...
Although short, the West Allis Cross Town Connector represents an important start to a future link between three trails in Milwaukee County. Currently, the trail begins at a junction with the New...
The Great Sauk State Trail spans nearly a dozen miles connecting the communities of Sauk City, Prairie du Sac, and Merrimac. Built along the former Union Pacific Railroad, the smoothly paved...
The Pheasant Branch Creek Corridor Trail follows a lush wooded creek through Middleton, a northwestern suburb of Wisconsin’s state capital. Its east end is anchored by the beautiful Pheasant Branch...
The Cushing Park Road Recreational Trail begins on the western outskirts of Delafield, a small community about 30 miles west of Milwaukee. From Delafield's Main Street, the trail heads south,...
Nice wide, smooth trail! One of my favorite in the area.
The areas around the trail especially in the three bridges park are quite bare currently.
I really wish that there were permanent "available/not locked" bathrooms along the trail itself besides at the urban ecology center and the seasonal port-o-potties during baseball season...Would be nice also if there was a light fixture on the bridge itself that is the exit of the three bridges park.
Otherwise this long trail that goes in different directions is pretty awesome. I've seen skunks and even frogs a few times last summer...
Nice trail along the river with grades and curves to keep it interesting. Popular with dog walkers. Only downside is the ever present noise from the expressway.
We rode on October 22, sunny 45-50 degrees. We started in Ripon from the little lot off of County E. The trail was in good condition and there were plenty of benches but no Port-o-Potties. The first part parallels County E so you cross some driveways, but it's no big deal. After a mile or so you leave the road and head into the Wisconsin farmlands. There's even a Winery that you can visit along the way....not sure what that would do to my ride :-) Beautiful ride with a stop at Berlin for lunch at a very nice and tasty Mexican restaurant.
Couple of caveats: There's a landfill along the way that will get your noses attention, and a shooting range both of which you circumvent just south of Berlin. Just hope the sportsman didn't visit the winery beforehand! :-)
Went for fall ride October 21, temperature 46 degrees - sunny
Started in Larson parked at a little park just off the trail. There was a Port-o-Potty(POP) there, but not sure it was for public use. The trail was in excellent condition with very few rough spots. There was a wet spot (just south of School rd) for about 100 yards...stay on the trail! We road side by side for > 98% of the time; very few people on the trail. The POP at Rt96 is, according to my wife, the nicest POP she's ever used. Its also just about half way between the towns. Went into town at Hortonville and ate at the little park on Black Otter Lake. Also checked out the old bank building(1916) and the Opera House (NOT the grand Ole type).
Had a great time, will do the Larson to Oshkosh leg some time, but the southernmost 3-4 miles are not as isolated and go into the town of Oshkosh near the lake. Even though the lake shore routing is nice (we checked it out), we like the out in the country feeling a little more.
We rode this trail in August, after discovering the trail around the city was closed. Turned out to be one of the highlights in our week long vacation of riding in the area. Walk, run, bike, etc. do not miss this very scenic experience. You won't be disappointed, I promise. Pa. Tandem Team (72 & 69 yrs. old)
About 1/2 of this trail is being repaved and some of it was puddled from the recent storms (see picture I loaded on this site for details). Wish there was someplace we would have known to look ahead of time we now know Dane county parks is the place to go for questions/updates. We bypassed “trail closed” signs where paving was was complete or not being worked on (ok’d by trail ranger) . Once paving is done it will be an even nicer trail to ride. Lake, forested, prairie, pretty easy ride with some minor uphill sections, lots of surrounding trails. Used google maps to get back home quicker.
My husband and I decided to take up biking and this was our first trail ride and we really enjoyed it. I have a small dog and she travels in a pet basket and she also really enjoy the three hour ride. Mostly gravel but well maintained.
A great trail, very pretty even on the in-city parts riding through the woods. There's plenty of shade and the paved surface is great for my recumbent trike. The trail is well marked and drivers were super courteous about stopping when I needed to cross. I stopped and had a nice swim at Menomonee Park
The old plant trail was good trail over all. Some areas on the western side had weeds growing. Very hilly! You notice it traveling west. Lots of rest stops
First let me start by saying the Oak Leaf trail is an excellent trail that circles Milwaukee county. I have been using this trail ever since it use to be called the '76' trail. Unfortunately, I haven't been on the south end in years. I recently decided to go south(starting at Greenfield park) with the intent to get to the newer of Milwaukee Counties parks, Bender park. When I got to Drexel at which point I would normally go straight east toward Grant Park I found I was able to continue South. Not having checked the trail map prior to my adventure I made the assumption that the ability to go further South of Drexel would somehow meander its way to Bender park. Unfortunately I was mistaken. Needless to say I managed to get to Bender park by going East on Ryan Rd./Hwy 100. I eventually got back on the Oak Leaf trail down near Grant park after heading North from Bender park through South Milwaukee on 5th Ave. Let me once again reiterate how awesome the Oak leaf trail is and how I should have checked the map prior to my excursion. As an avid biker I can only hope that at some point there will be an extension/offshoot of the Oak leaf trail that will allow bikers to safely get to that corner of Milwaukee county via trails.
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