Find the top rated walking trails in Eau Claire, whether you're looking for an easy short walking trail or a long walking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a walking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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 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 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,...
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...
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 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 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 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...
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...
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 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 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 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 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 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...
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...
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 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 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 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 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 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...
We had a great hike twice on this trail between Menomonie and Downsville. its an easy hike on a well kept trail. it was a great opportunity to get outside and still social distance. we saw and passed a lot of people.
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 !
This is a great trail experience, A paved trail that hugs the Chippewa River for most of the trail. When not hugging the river it travels through a tunnel of tress and some open fields. We found most of the trail was shaded. Many scenic views of the river and the tree covered areas are just as scenic. Wonderful trail and we will return in fall.
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.
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