Explore the best rated trails in Birchwood, WI, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Wild Rivers State Trail and Shell Lake Trail . With more than 10 trails covering 422 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.
We rode from Hinkley to Duluth one day, stayed in Duluth 2 nights then returned back to Hinkley. This trail is very pretty and we appreciated the 2 areas with park pavilions next to the trail that included electricity and bathroom options.
We started in Almena on a gorgeous Tuesday in September. We were on a two up ATV. Went to Amery and back. Then did part of the extension in Barron Co to the 40 acre ATV Playground. Nice conditions on trail and groomed alongside. Pleasant varied scenery with several bridges. Lakes, rivers, bogs, woods, farmland. Can definitely understand why it is named Cattail trail! We stopped for a lunch in Turtle Lake at the Hotel Bar & Grill. Nice place right off the trail.
We listened to previous reviews and picked "the cream of the crop" for our ride -- heading north out of Jim Falls to Cornell. Beautiful ride along the river and plenty of tree canopy. Trail in great shape. At Cornell, we decided to bike into Brunet State Park for a nice ride around the small island. We got back to Jim Falls and kept going, for a daily ride of about 33 miles. Highly recommend a tour of the Leinenkugel Brewery in Chippewa Falls, overnight lodging at the amazing Otter Creek Inn in Altoona, and dinner at Mona Lisa in Eau Claire -- the pizza and pasta were outstanding, and a great dinner after a great ride!
This was a pretty rough trail when we rode it on our recumbent trikes. It seemed designed for snowmobiles and walkers. I hope it has been graded better. I would not ride it again in the condition it was in. Particularly with so many better trails not far way by Stillwater, MN.
My sister and I loved this trail. All black top. And a very cute town to explore
We went on this trail for about 7 miles one way and back. There are a couple of places you can stop to use the restroom. It does require a trail use fee of $5 per bicycle. Walking it is free. The trail is crushed stone and easy to bike on with a gravel bike. Not for a road bike obviously but other bikes should be fine on it.
We went on this trail for biking. It was very difficult to maneuver due to the looser gravel. It seems it would be fine for walking or UTV/ATV but other than that, we had a hard time with our bikes. We have hybrid and mountain bikes. We ended up getting off of the path and going onto the roads because it was just too loose of gravel. There was also a point we went through a bridge and it was all water and muck so walking would be difficult in that area. Beautiful scenery on the path, but we couldn’t appreciate it because our eyes had to be glued to the path.
I’m not sure why it says it has a break in the trail because it doesn’t.. The “break in trail” is quite rough though.. Where the trail starts in Eau Claire is pretty cool. Where the trail ends is cool too, being in the state park. I got on the trail right from my campsite!
Wisconsin Bike Trip Report - Cycle Seven Rails to Trails in Five Days: In August 2022, our group of 11 went on a self-guided partially supported bike ride covering seven Rails to Trails in Central Wisconsin near La Crosse, Sparta and Eau Claire. Turned out to be an amazing trip with great weather, except the last day during which it rained. Great variety of environments and trails, including some short bridges and long tunnels, shaded woodlands and bright prairie. Attached is a pdf detailing the logistics and planning we carried out to make the trip happen. TrailLink.com has great description of each individual trail. Over five days of riding we covered:
1. Elroy-Sparta State Trail
2. Great River State Trail
3. La Crosse River State Trail
4. 400 State Trail
5. Red Cedar State Trail
6. Chippewa River State Trail
7. Old Abe State Trail
For a 5 page pdf summary document of our trip with maps and logistics, see: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mk5DYWU-LirXlXT9_B3R6ZbDn4Iautr_/view?usp=sharing
The Gandy Dancer Trail is non-motorized from St. Croix Falls to Danbury. No summer ATV/UTV use is permitted south of Danbury. The trail description says they are allowed north of Siren. That is false.
A very good and scenic route to follow. If you’re starting down at the far end in Chippewa it is a little bit boring to start until you get north of the lake. Once north of the lake things get very scenic and beautiful especially between Jim Falls and Cornell. The trail is very well-maintained, however you do need to pay to use it. If you’re walking the trail is free, however bicycles must pay a five dollar daily use fee. You can also purchase a year-round pass at local stores. Overall an excellent trail it’s flat for the most part but still excellent exercise
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