Explore the best rated trails in Menomonie, WI. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Eau Claire Rail-Trail and Wildwood Trail. With more than 25 trails covering 500 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.
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
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 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.
Wonderful scenery! Plenty of parking on the Wisconsin side with clean bathrooms.
Great trail to bike or walk!
Needs a complete overlay and it would be great.
The trail from Cannon to Welch is OK, but the trail from Red Wing to Welch is quite cracked and bumpy. Needs a complete overlay and it would be awesome.
If you start from the Stillwater end, this is the perfect challenging ride. The grade is all uphill on the way to the Gateway. My husband pulled the two littles in the Burley, and I kept pace with our six year old. There is a park at the 3 mile point, which is great for a tired kiddo. Once you hit the Gateway, when everyone is tired, it’s really nice to have the return ride all downhill. The bluffs and ravines are beautiful. The sound of running water accompanies you through the first part of the ride, if you don’t have head phones. I am looking forward to doing it at least once more this year, with the fall leaves and the Burkey on my tail this time.
I have to confess I didn't do much research ahead of time for trail conditions and usage. So I was a bit surprised when I discovered it was a atv/utv trail. I started in Fairchild and everything looked promising. A nice firm trail surface, little to no traffic, beautiful landscape...until I hit the quick sand. Well, that's what it felt like on my gravel bike. Maybe 5 miles into my ride the trail went from nice hard packed to loose sand where I could not pedal. I bailed onto the adjacent paved road and considered quitting for the day. However the road I jumped onto paralleled the trail so I decided to explore a little. This worked out very well as I continued West on the paved country road until I hit a trail crossing where I was happy to discover the trail was back to a firm surface. I stayed on the trail all the way to Strum (20 miles?) where I turned back and started making stops at the local food and drink establishments I had passed along the way.
Overall the trail was mostly firm and great for my gravel bike. A couple sections in the open heat were dry and loose but rideable. I noticed many a paved country road that paralleled the trail so there were options out. The motorized users I encountered were all very polite and slowed down when passing.
Some of my Favorite stops included: Northwoods Brewpub in Osseo, the Tin Tiki at Trails End near Price and Blooms Country Inn in Price.
3 Stars for excellent conditions at times. A unique adventure on a well maintained surface. One local told me they grade and care fore trail system quite regularly so you don't see giant mud holes or bumpy washboard sections. And I can verify that.
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
As a nearby resident I’ve been walking and biking this trail for many years. Overall the trail is in very good shape and has been maintained fairly well. There are some sections along the Chippewa River Crossing that are a little bit rough. However if you know the side roads you can easily get around these points. There are some areas where you will need to be part of traffic so you need to be careful with those. Otherwise a well thought out a nice loop.
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