Explore the best rated trails in Waterford, WI, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Wild Goose State Trail and New Berlin Recreation Trail . With more than 95 trails covering 966 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.
My buddy and I rode the trail from Big Hill Park to downtown Janesville yesterday. What a great ride. About 60% of the trail is shaded. The blacktop three miles or so from Janesville is heavily cracked and rough but not too bad. The first 9mi it’s a very smooth trail. We’ll be doing this one again.
This is the portion that is most scenic. Part of the trail from Burlington to Rochester was closed
We came to Milwaukee specifically to ride this trail. Over the course of three days I put a little over 100 miles on my bike, which did include some backtracking. I'd say we rode maybe 60% of the trail. The majority of what we rode was gorgeous and incredibly well maintained. In particular, the lakeshore section from South Shore park to Grant Park was incredible. The Whitnall Park/Root River route on the western edge of the Oak Leaf loop was also a wonderful ride. We rode from riverside park out to Glendale; if you do this portion make sure to ride up into the Arboretum, it was amazing. (And you will find restrooms there). On a less positive note , the East/west route that bisects the Oak Leaf Loop was barely a trail, more o
It’s a beautiful trail … well maintained! Quite a bit of shade for the most part we started In Fond du Lac off rolling meadows rd. Biked to the Horicon Marsh loop. I would recommend stopped at Katy’s Log Cabin in Oakfield for a good bloody and/or a great lunch !
I’ve been walking and cycling this trail for most of my life and it’s always a wonderful experience, such beautiful scenery along the river. It’s by far my favorite trail in the Chicagoland area.
I did this trail on bike 2 years ago and I hated it, signage is terrible, at one point after Golf road, you literally come to an end and have to carry your bike over train tracks and active train tracks. No signs of any sort. You go through a campground that confuses you even more. I won’t do it again. To ridiculous.
I started on the West yellow loop. Two routes, either pavement which is terrible or lose gravel which is dangerous. The East side of Quentin is beautiful. New pavement and a nice meadow environment. Short though.
Since the tornado in May 2025 there is two miles of trees down not far from Juneau. It is impassable. I rerouted from prospect onto Hwy 26 to Swan Rd.
I enjoyed the south half but the part through the city was not well or marked at all. Route would be vastly improved with some signage.
Section between poplar grove and route 76 is getting worse by the day, the chipmunks are taking over and the sharp granite railroad balast is cutting into our tires. No money in illinois budget to repair bicycle trails, the only people enjoying the trail are on those motorized fat tire bikes.
Rode this a year or two ago, and although it was a bit rough, it was enjoyable. Now, not so much. The asphalt trail from the east trailhead to Capron has been replaced with "crushed stone". The crushed stone has baseball sized chunks of asphalt and rock mixed in with it, and 50% of the rest are chunks bigger than an inch across. Barely passable on a gravel bike, if you find the right rut on the path. No way a road bike is making it down this stretch. Once you get to Capron, it's back to asphalt for a short bit, then it changes to gravel / crushed limestone. Some of the bridge crossing can be bone jarring, but not overwhelming. It changes back to asphalt outside of Poplar Grove, and continues all the way through to Caledonia. Some potholes can be pretty harsh, but not terrible. At some point between Poplar Grove and Caledonia, it turns back to gravel for a stretch. Although not my favorite, this was done well enough for our gravel bikes. We usually do this trail either from the east trailhead to Caledonia, or Caledonia into Roscoe, as there's a rest stop & parking in Caledonia. If you park on the street in Capron, and skip the first 2 miles, you'll be a lot better off. Although there's no water / bathrooms in Capron, there's a Casey's just down the street from the trail.
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