Find the top rated birding trails in Eau Claire, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
I started in Menomonie and cycled the entire trail to the end and it was a great trail. The views of the river from the trail were wonderful. The mosquitoes were out in force, but it wasn't problematic as long as I was moving on my bike. I was on the trail after a big rainstorm the night prior, and while there was light debris on the trail, I was still impressed that it wasn't too bad at all. The rest stop in Downsville was a nice rest stop and the picnic tables placed along the trails made for great places to rest. The bridge that crosses the Chippewa River at the end was amazing!
Unfortunately this trail is way too sandy. Having biked from Eleva to Osseo, this part of the trail, so I make the assumption of the rest is not for bike riding. It is however a beautiful trail, just not an enjoyable bike riding experience, more like a trudging through sand, it seems to be used by ATVs, which for them is a great trail !
Pretty fun little loop. There are some great views of the Chippewa River and some woods on the northeastern part of the loop. Also some interesting things to see in Chippewa Falls on the western part. Pavement is a bit rough at times and some sections aren't super well marked, but still a fun place to skate or bike.
Rode this rail on a very windy day. It was scenic and had some good places to stop and eat our packed lunch. Early part of the trail offers some shade but the latter half is pretty uncovered and has no wind breaks. It was wonderfully paved and ran along some great views of the river. We also got to see the only existing log piler.
First part of the trail is paved then suddenly it is gravel-like but they used crushed river rock held together with what appeared to be an asphalt mix.
An enjoyable ride and very historic. Many bumps (it is early spring) and lots of after rain tree debris. Still, really no issues.
We ended our ride with an evening spent in downtown Eau Claire. The city of bridges.... Stayed at the Eau Claire Best Western Plus, which was right off the interstate and wonderful. 1/2 mile from the trail!
Rode this great trail from Cornell to Chippewa Falls and back. Great scenery especially along the river between Cornell and Jim Falls. I was under the assumption that this trail linked up to the Eau Claire section but trail markings end on the outskirts of Chippewa Falls. There are facilities in Jim Falls via the Hometown gas station. Went to Leinenkugel Brewery Visitor's Center hoping for lunch, but they only serve beer and pretzels. We look forward to riding again, especially in autumn!
Very nice trail for a hot summer day. Very shady and cool. The trail is very well maintained with a smooth gravel surface. Pretty much a straight run through deep woods with not a lot of scenery. While not spectacular, very quiet and pleasant. The ride south from Woodville is slightly more downhill than riding north from the southern trail end. Parking on the south end is non existent except for beside a country road. Plenty of parking in Woodville near the trail head, although not right at trail head.
This is a great off road crushed gravel trail, peaceful and quiet. For directions to the trail we followed what is really the end of the trail and there was no parking except on the side of the road. We road to Woodville which is the main trailhead but still not too much room to park. This was a good training trail as there is rolling hills to break the monotony of the flats. What keeps the review from getting 5 stars was lack of signage and parking. I’ll go back again.
Estimatehub's 2017 review is very accurate and makes many good detailed points in ways this beautiful trail should be improved. The Old Abe State Trail could use more signage reference points as this is a long trail and people traveling do not reference points as to where stuff is. There are NO BATHROOMS, WATER FOUNTAINS or TIRE PUMPS at the trailheads in Chippewa Falls, Jim Falls or Cornell as they consisted of a posted map, bench with a little sun protection and a parking lot....nothing special or unique at all. It's amazing to think that the state spent so much money on a nicely paved path and so little to welcome or comfort travelers. Much of the trail has 3 and 4G cellular coverage. You must ride through Brunet Island State Park at the Cornell end of the trail as it is breath taking and provides quality miles. There is a short connecting route to Lake Wissota State Park for additional mileage if one chooses. The Old Abe is a road biker's dream as it is very smooth, except for a few unexpected big bumps between miles 2 and 4. The trail was clear of any debris and had very few low hanging branches...hats off to the crew that maintain this trail. Thirty-three of the forty round trip miles I road on on July 25 were in the rain, many of which were poring, and the trail was safe and a great ride...no regrets.
I echo all of the previous reviews. Absolutely breathtaking views on my fat bike of both the Red Cedar and Chippewa Rivers. Trail conditions were overall great however keep your eyes open for unexpected gopher holes. The path is fairly wide at all points. Some of the people on road bikes mentioned they had a bumpy ride. I started at Meridean on the CRST, biked up to Menomonie (nice trailhead welcoming center), back down the RCST, proceeded to Durand and then back to Meridean for a total of 51 miles. There were nice logical scenic spots to take a break along the way with clean restrooms, water and tire pumps. There were deer along several spots along the trail. While on my ride, a DNR worker with a polite disposition was busily performing maintenance on a culvert on the trail...good to see. BE SURE TO PACK BUG SPRAY if you plan on stopping for more than 10-15 seconds on the lower end of the trail. Definite 5* must ride, scenic and peaceful trail.
Fabulous trail—beautiful and peaceful. But my wife and I suffered our second worst bug attack of our 50 years—mosquitos and and deer flies. Bring spray and be ready to ride quickly with no breaks.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Map Search
