Explore the best rated trails in Menomonie, WI. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Gandy Dancer Trail - Southern Section and Duncan Creek Trail. With more than 23 trails covering 488 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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Opened in the summer of 2017, the Point Douglas Regional Trail offers a picturesque link along the Mississippi River between Prescott, WI, and Hastings, MN, on a former railroad called the Peanut...
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The Brown’s Creek State Trail, which opened in October 2014, is a 5.9-mile addition to Minnesota’s extensive Willard Munger State Trail system. The rail-trail stretches from the St. Croix riverfront...
The Afton to Lakeland Trail links its namesake towns on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River. The trail runs between Quinlan Avenue North/Eighth Street at Crocker Park in Lakeland and Pike Avenue...
The Hudson to Lakeland/Afton Trail begins at Buckeye Street in Hudson, Wisconsin, not far from the eastern bank of the St. Croix River. The paved trail parallels 2nd Street, heading south through...
The Junction Trail is a paved hike-and-bike path in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The trail sits in a converted Union Pacific railbed and travels through natural, residential and industrial areas as it heads...
The Eau Claire Rail-Trail is a paved, mile-long route from Roosevelt Elementary School to the High Bridge over the Chippewa River in the city’s northwest neighborhoods. The former railroad bridge,...
The 47-mile Gandy Dancer State Trail: Southern Section, between St. Croix Falls and Danbury, commemorates gandy dancers, those hardworking section crews who manually restored the railroad tracks in...
The Goodhue Pioneer State Trail is a work in progress as part of a planned 47-mile trail linking the cities of Red Wing, Goodhue, Zumbrota, Mazeppa, Bellechester, and Pine Island along an inactive...
The Vermillion River Regional Greenway offers a beautiful, paved loop in the riverfront city of Hastings, which lies on the banks of the Mississippi in southeastern Minnesota. Highlights of the...
Although only stretching a half mile, the paved Red Wing Riverfront Trail, which opened in 2016, offers an important connection between two parks along the Mississippi River in the charming community...
The Cannon Valley Trail, which became a National Recreation Trail in 2018, links the southeastern Minnesota communities of Red Wing, Welch, and Cannon Falls along the former route of the Chicago Great...
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This Mississippi River Regional Trail running through eastern Dakota County is a segment of a larger regional trail system that is itself part of the National Park Service’s Mississippi National River...
One of Wisconsin’s earliest rail-trail conversions, the 14.5-mile Red Cedar State Trail is built on the former corridor of the Red Cedar Junction railway, which served Knapp, Stout & Co. in the...
Chippewa Falls’ Duncan Creek Trail—also known as the Duncan Creek Parkway Trail—is a scenic loop around the city. While the vast majority of the trail is off-road, some portions are actually signed...
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The Gateway State Trail is an 18.3-mile-long segment of the Willard Munger State Trail that offers an urban link to the countryside. The western end of this paved trail begins on the north end of...
The 30.4-mile Chippewa River State Trail kicks off at the confluence of the Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers in downtown Eau Claire’s Phoenix Park, where visitors can access a walking labyrinth,...
The Old Abe State Trail rolls for 28 miles along a paved surface from Eau Claire to Cornell. A 3-mile gap (which will one day be closed) between Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls splits the trail into...
The Cannon Valley Trail, which became a National Recreation Trail in 2018, links the southeastern Minnesota communities of Red Wing, Welch, and Cannon Falls along the former route of the Chicago Great...
The Hudson to Lakeland/Afton Trail begins at Buckeye Street in Hudson, Wisconsin, not far from the eastern bank of the St. Croix River. The paved trail parallels 2nd Street, heading south through...
The Buffalo River State Trail connects the towns of Fairchild and Mondovi along US 10 in scenic central Wisconsin. Although the rail-trail closely follows the Buffalo River, the winding waterway is...
The Wildwood Trail follows a former railroad right-of-way once owned by the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway Company. The trail runs between Woodville and Spring Valley and is open to...
The Old Abe State Trail rolls for 28 miles along a paved surface from Eau Claire to Cornell. A 3-mile gap (which will one day be closed) between Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls splits the trail into...
The Wild Rivers State Trail runs for 104 miles through Douglas, Washburn and Barron counties in northwest Wisconsin along an old railroad route between Superior and Rice Lake. The surface is compacted...
The 47-mile Gandy Dancer State Trail: Southern Section, between St. Croix Falls and Danbury, commemorates gandy dancers, those hardworking section crews who manually restored the railroad tracks in...
One of Wisconsin’s earliest rail-trail conversions, the 14.5-mile Red Cedar State Trail is built on the former corridor of the Red Cedar Junction railway, which served Knapp, Stout & Co. in the...
Opened in the summer of 2017, the Point Douglas Regional Trail offers a picturesque link along the Mississippi River between Prescott, WI, and Hastings, MN, on a former railroad called the Peanut...
From Rice Lake to Park Falls, the Tuscobia State Trail travels 74 miles through the Flambeau State Forest and Chequamegon National Forest in northern Wisconsin. Enjoy the rugged wilderness of the Blue...
The Goodhue Pioneer State Trail is a work in progress as part of a planned 47-mile trail linking the cities of Red Wing, Goodhue, Zumbrota, Mazeppa, Bellechester, and Pine Island along an inactive...
The Junction Trail is a paved hike-and-bike path in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The trail sits in a converted Union Pacific railbed and travels through natural, residential and industrial areas as it heads...
The Afton to Lakeland Trail links its namesake towns on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River. The trail runs between Quinlan Avenue North/Eighth Street at Crocker Park in Lakeland and Pike Avenue...
Although only stretching a half mile, the paved Red Wing Riverfront Trail, which opened in 2016, offers an important connection between two parks along the Mississippi River in the charming community...
The Stower Seven Lakes State Trail runs for nearly 14 miles along an old railroad corridor between Amery and Dresser, passing through the towns of Deronda, Wanderoos and Nye. In Amery, the trail...
The Vermillion River Regional Greenway offers a beautiful, paved loop in the riverfront city of Hastings, which lies on the banks of the Mississippi in southeastern Minnesota. Highlights of the...
The Eau Claire Rail-Trail is a paved, mile-long route from Roosevelt Elementary School to the High Bridge over the Chippewa River in the city’s northwest neighborhoods. The former railroad bridge,...
Chippewa Falls’ Duncan Creek Trail—also known as the Duncan Creek Parkway Trail—is a scenic loop around the city. While the vast majority of the trail is off-road, some portions are actually signed...
The Cattail State Trail runs for nearly 18 miles along an old railroad corridor between the communities of Amery and Almena, passing through the village of Turtle Lake in between. The trail traverses...
The Gateway State Trail is an 18.3-mile-long segment of the Willard Munger State Trail that offers an urban link to the countryside. The western end of this paved trail begins on the north end of...
The 47-mile Gandy Dancer State Trail: Southern Section, between St. Croix Falls and Danbury, commemorates gandy dancers, those hardworking section crews who manually restored the railroad tracks in...
The Wildwood Trail follows a former railroad right-of-way once owned by the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway Company. The trail runs between Woodville and Spring Valley and is open to...
The Old Abe State Trail rolls for 28 miles along a paved surface from Eau Claire to Cornell. A 3-mile gap (which will one day be closed) between Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls splits the trail into...
The Wild Rivers State Trail runs for 104 miles through Douglas, Washburn and Barron counties in northwest Wisconsin along an old railroad route between Superior and Rice Lake. The surface is compacted...
The Vermillion River Regional Greenway offers a beautiful, paved loop in the riverfront city of Hastings, which lies on the banks of the Mississippi in southeastern Minnesota. Highlights of the...
One of Wisconsin’s earliest rail-trail conversions, the 14.5-mile Red Cedar State Trail is built on the former corridor of the Red Cedar Junction railway, which served Knapp, Stout & Co. in the...
This Mississippi River Regional Trail running through eastern Dakota County is a segment of a larger regional trail system that is itself part of the National Park Service’s Mississippi National River...
The Goodhue Pioneer State Trail is a work in progress as part of a planned 47-mile trail linking the cities of Red Wing, Goodhue, Zumbrota, Mazeppa, Bellechester, and Pine Island along an inactive...
From Rice Lake to Park Falls, the Tuscobia State Trail travels 74 miles through the Flambeau State Forest and Chequamegon National Forest in northern Wisconsin. Enjoy the rugged wilderness of the Blue...
The Hudson to Lakeland/Afton Trail begins at Buckeye Street in Hudson, Wisconsin, not far from the eastern bank of the St. Croix River. The paved trail parallels 2nd Street, heading south through...
The Cattail State Trail runs for nearly 18 miles along an old railroad corridor between the communities of Amery and Almena, passing through the village of Turtle Lake in between. The trail traverses...
The Afton to Lakeland Trail links its namesake towns on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River. The trail runs between Quinlan Avenue North/Eighth Street at Crocker Park in Lakeland and Pike Avenue...
Although only stretching a half mile, the paved Red Wing Riverfront Trail, which opened in 2016, offers an important connection between two parks along the Mississippi River in the charming community...
The Brown’s Creek State Trail, which opened in October 2014, is a 5.9-mile addition to Minnesota’s extensive Willard Munger State Trail system. The rail-trail stretches from the St. Croix riverfront...
The Gateway State Trail is an 18.3-mile-long segment of the Willard Munger State Trail that offers an urban link to the countryside. The western end of this paved trail begins on the north end of...
The Buffalo River State Trail connects the towns of Fairchild and Mondovi along US 10 in scenic central Wisconsin. Although the rail-trail closely follows the Buffalo River, the winding waterway is...
The Cannon Valley Trail, which became a National Recreation Trail in 2018, links the southeastern Minnesota communities of Red Wing, Welch, and Cannon Falls along the former route of the Chicago Great...
The Junction Trail is a paved hike-and-bike path in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The trail sits in a converted Union Pacific railbed and travels through natural, residential and industrial areas as it heads...
The Stower Seven Lakes State Trail runs for nearly 14 miles along an old railroad corridor between Amery and Dresser, passing through the towns of Deronda, Wanderoos and Nye. In Amery, the trail...
The 30.4-mile Chippewa River State Trail kicks off at the confluence of the Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers in downtown Eau Claire’s Phoenix Park, where visitors can access a walking labyrinth,...
Agree with other reviewers. This is a poorly marked trail. Put some signs up showing where to go! We started downtown and that didn’t work. Maybe if you start at the falls you will have better luck.
We started in Durand and rode north about 10 miles. We were disappointed that we didn’t see the river at all for 7.5 miles and then we were beside it for a mile at most. So that end of the trail is a ways from the river, FYI, but it’s still very pretty. The trail is very smooth asphalt for the first six miles, right up to the junction with the Red Cedar Trail. After that is was rideable but more bumpy. If you do this section, do yourself a favor and take the ten minutes to ride up the Red Cedar Trail about a quarter mile and check out the great trestle ridge that spans the Chippewa River.
Great trail for biking but watch for hidden driveways.
My young son and I biked this trail and it was a great ride.
It starts at the old Zephr train site and veers through the hills north of Stillwater.
The trail's incline is super deceptive. We biked about 5-6 miles out and thought we were going pretty slow, but we were slowly going up the hills in the area. On the way back it took us about half the time as we flew down the hills. We barely had to pedal most of it until we got back to the old train site.
During your ride/walk/run, there's plenty of spots to stop to take in the scenery as there's lots of creeks and foliage. The trail felt busy for a Sunday morning, but people are respective. This trail is definitely worth your time.
Great sunshine, lots of greenery providing shade, relatively flat on a smooth surface…. A perfect day and a fantastic ride. I just wish there would have been more views of the water from behind the trees.
Parked by the beach in Brunet State Park, used the flush toilets, and did the short state park loop before heading onto the Old Abe Trail (about 1.4m). Biked from the 0 to the mile 5 marker, turned around, and enjoyed ice cream in Cornell. Excellent paved trail that was mostly shaded and had very few hills. Our 7 and 9yo kids enjoyed it! Beautiful views of the water on the northern parts of our ride. Will definitely be back.
Great walk. A lot of inline skating & bikes, but beautiful weather today for walking.
One of my fav trails!!! Follows the river, through a wildlife area, ends at a cool bridge with a connection to the Chippewa river trail. Total lack of human noise for most of this trail!!!!! It is in great shape Friday.
We rode the section of the trail from the north side of Chippewa Falls up to Cornell. It's a pleasant, tree-lined ride with ample wildflowers to stop and admire this time of year, including one site with Michigan Lillies. Does with fawns are out in the mornings before it gets too warm. The trail follows Wissota Lake and Old Abe Lake on the way north, so some nice water scenery, and an old abandoned steel truss road bridge borders the trail, but is closed even to bicyclists. A similar bridge on the Great Miami Trail north of Dayton has been painted blue and opened to access by cyclists and the general public. With multi-colored art adorning it, it has earned the moniker "Peace Bridge." Just a thought...
The trail in the north sections of Chippewa Falls appears to have been poured in sections with joints in between that are quite rough, despite being filled periodically with tar. Once out in the country, the 'joint design' goes away the the trail is smooth as glass. Racing back to beat a thunderstorm, we were able to peddle as fast as we wanted without worrying about road hazards.
The town of Cornell is a good destination: food choices plus a park with restrooms and water and the giant leaning tower of pulp wood stacking. Quite remarkable to see it looming before you as you come up the trail! A good day can be had on this trail.
This trail seems to be a patchwork of different park and city trails that were stitched together to make a loop around the city of Hastings. Consequently it's very difficult to stay on the trail. I don't have a handlebar holder for my phone, so had to keep stopping to check my phone and find which way to go. There were many instances when the trail suddenly crossed the road or reached a fork with no indication of which path to take to stay on the loop.
Additionally, at many points along the path the asphalt is in poor shape with large cracks and weeds coming up. Trees and brush along the trail haven't been trimmed so you'll need to beware low hanging branches. The sections that go through the residential areas cross many roads where you'll need to yield to traffic.
On the plus side, there are some interesting sites along the way, including a lock and dam, a beautiful city park along the Mississippi and a path running along a steep river gorge.
Better trail markers would have increased my rating to 3 or 4 stars.
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