Explore the best rated trails in Whitewater, WI, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Ice House Trail and Kenosha County Bike Trail . With more than 114 trails covering 1027 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.
Completed my final leg of this trail by riding from London to Cottage Grove today. Trail conditions were very good, however the bridges can use some maintenance. All have matting across them to assist in preventing flats, however watch your approach, there can be some serious bumps getting onto & off the bridges. Having ridden the entire trail now, eastern portion several times; it’s just my opinion that the western portion would be my recommendation. East of Douseman the trail is paved, however much of it is in need of maintenance to remedy cracks.
First time on this trail on a beautiful October day. I was impressed with the scenery and variety of alternate trails along the way that included hiking and mountain bike trails. While I accessed the trail from the southern trailhead, there are two alternate access points between Cambridge and Rockdale along highway B, containing picnic tables and facilities. Well done Dodge Co. park system.
If you are looking for a quiet, flat, and peaceful ride, then this is trail for you. The route takes you deep into the woods, out in the open prairie or farmland, and through a few small towns. The trail is mostly a crushed gravel road with a grass median. The sides of the trail and the median were nicely mowed. The were no mile markers and there were a couple of long stretches with no road crossings. Since my ride was in the fall with temperatures in the 50's, there were no mosquitoes.
The four areas with fallen trees noted by the previous review were all cleared.
There was underground utility work being done on the west side of the trail over the entire length of the it from Highway 60 to Fond du Lac. The use of small cranes with track systems for the utility work had literally made an impression on the trail surface. Most areas were patched up reasonably well, but the section between Waupun and Burnett was poorly patched resulting in an unacceptable bumpy ride.
I also encountered one too many wrist-jarring chipmunk holes that were randomly dispersed throughout most of the ride.
There were enough bathroom facilities, but there were absolutely no water sources, so bring a good supply of drinking water.
The trail starts unassumingly in a residential neighborhood to the north and winds its way through Carthage College before bursting out of a canopy of trees into a spectacular, unobstructive view of Lake Michigan. The trail hugs the coast and meanders through a series of gorgeous parks. Just when your senses have almost reached their limit, you find yourself riding along Harbor Park filled with an assortment of sculptures, museums, and marinas. The Park is electric!
This was the most enjoyable ride I have ever taken. I will be back!
There are two cautionary notes, however.
1. The city roads between Poerio Park West and upper Alford Park are in horrible condition. Maybe avoid this northern section altogether.
2. The trail that goes south from the 50th Street bridge as you enter the Harbor is actually a staircase. I missed it the first time, but realized it on my return. There is a very steep embankment with a thin bike path next to the stairs, if you want to risk it.
The 10-foot wide asphalt surface is still in good shape. The trail hugs the road at the north end, but eventually disappears behind suburban backyards under a wonderful canopy of trees. There are a few pesky road crossings, but not bad. The trail is short, but flat and easy to ride. This is a great connector to the Kenosha County Bike Trail or the Kenosha Pike Bike Trail.
I rode the entire Sugar River Trail starting in New Glarus and ending in Brodhead totaling around 44 miles round trip. I found the trail to be in very good condition, mostly flat and finely crushed gravel with no major imperfections. The trail is mostly shaded and provided a wide variety of scenery from farmlands to quiet streams. There are a few road crossings but I encountered very few cars my entire trip.
The highlight of the Sugar River Trail are it's endpoints, both Brodhead and especially New Glarus are wonderful towns filled with charm and many options to dine at. I especially recommend staying in New Glarus at it makes accessing the Sugar River Trail as easy as a short ride if you stay in town.
9/12/26 Rode the newly opened interconnecting portion linking Watertown to Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. We started at the westerly trailhead of the Lake Country Trail in Oconomowoc, then rode west across the new portion all the way to the Watertown westerly Jefferson County Interurban Trailhead. This trail has one bench along the route and no facilities except at the trailhead in Watertown, which are very nice, and no parking points along the route except at the west and east trailheads. The route itself is nicely pave, wide and maintained; however straight as an arrow and the scenery is essentially all agriculture, which for the area is to be expected. Our round trip mileage was 27 miles on our odometers. One note for anyone bridging the gap between the easterly end of the Jefferson trail and the westerly trailhead of the Lake Country Trail; there's approximately a 1/2 mile road portion bridging the two locations which could be marked better. The other improvement might be mile markers, or a least road identification signs at crossings along the way. At the end of the ride though it was a pleasant trip, and an addition to the many trails we've traveled across Wisconsin.
This recently completed trail now runs all the way between Watertown and Oconomowoc! Eleven plus miles of really nice asphalt, passing thru farm fields and crossing the Rock River -- it is a treat. I rode a full round trip twice in the last weeks, and it was great. Check out the great Mexican dishes at Taqueria Maria's in Watertown, just a mile or two past the Watertown trailhead. Try it out!
I almost forgot to include this in my previous review:
If you do not like hills, DO NOT do either section of this trail.
Both the North and South sections used asphalt and crushed stone surfaces. Care must be taken when riding on the crushed stone. The trail is nearly 12 foot wide and it is neatly groomed, however, the stone is just loose enough to keep bicycle speeds down. The rider who tests their speed traveling downhill and around the blind curves will surely tumble. The age of the asphalt in both sections varies from "newer" to "desperately in need of repair." The southern section actually has a warning sign just south of Fairfield Park.
The last two miles of the northern section in Round Lake Beach is loaded with perpendicular cracks in the asphalt causing a jarring ride even at slow speeds.
One must be cautious at the street crossings although some of the busier roads have traffic lights with designated pedestrian cross walks. The signage was ok, but could have been better.
The trail is almost entirely crushed stone, except for the 1/2 mile of asphalt in New Glarus and the 1 mile of road in Brodhead. In fact, the term "crushed stone" is quite generous, since the trail is mostly two tire tracks with a grass median. Bottom line, the trail surface was solid even after a light rainfall and the grass on both sides of the trail as well as the median were neatly mowed. There was a nice mix of marsh, forest and open prairie. There was a mile marker on the west or south side of the trail every mile. The ride was very peaceful and quiet, except for an auction I heard while taking a break at the Albany trailhead. It was a nice change of pace to the ambient serenity. There were a few road crossings, but the country roads were rarely traveled. Both Broadhead and New Glarus were excellent anchors for this trail. There was lots to explore in both cities!
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