Find the top rated hike trails in Kennan, whether you're looking for an easy short hike trail or a long hike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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I rode the entire trail in late May 2025 from Phoenix Park in Eau Claire north to Brunet Island State park and back. Just north of Eau Claire there are quite a few tarred cracks running across the trail for a mile or two of not so pleasant riding. Just south of Cornell there are some well marked frost heaves that are easily negotiated. Overall great trail that I rate 4.9999 stars. Traveling cyclist Facebook
We rode this trail in a couple of segments over 2 days. The first stint was from the trailhead just east of St. Germaine, parked on the street, 40 miles r/t. 2nd day started from the Trailhead at M & N, headed towards west, another 40 Mile day. The trail was very scenic and passed through Sayner and Boulder Junction. We got a bit turned around at Boulder Junction and headed north for 2.5 miles but doubled back and kept headed west. Well maintained trail and amenities. Highly recommended.
So we stayed in Boulder Junction at the Big Bear Hideaway which I would highly recommend. What a wonderful place and in the middle of the bike path depending on how much of it you want to ride. We rode to Mercer day 1 which was about 25 miles one way and a wonderful ride, and the St. Germain on day 2 which is about the same distance one way. If you want to see beautiful country, wonderfully manicured trails and lots of places to stop and take a minute to take it all in or get a snack or just check out a body of water, this a great trail to do that. First time on this bike path and it will not be the last. Can’t wait to come again just for the beautiful scenery that is along the path.
We rode from Boulder Junction to Sayner. We had ice cream, which was delicious, and rode back to Boulder Junction. It was absolutely one of the best paved bike trail ever!!! Most of the trail is in the woods and we passed several beautiful lakes. The trail was not very busy. We started at 1:45. The ladies in the visitor center in Boulder Junction were very, very helpful.
Awesome trails and camping! Was able to explore the northern part of the NHAL state forest. Crystal, Sandy Beach, and Starrett Lakes we camped at. Bike camped and was able to roll up day of n get sites. Crystal is one of the biggest and nosiest. The trail is super fun with rolling hills. The towns in between are very neat, ice cream in abundance lol. Couldn’t have had a better time.
I rode the trail from Mercer to Manitowish Waters. The trail was fine and I loved cycling through the forest. My only issue is there was no signage indicating the end of the segment or how/where to continue on to the next segment. The trail just stopped. I saw a sign to my right which said "bicycles stay right and ride single file" and assuming it was the trail I took it. About a mile later I figured out it was not the trail and doubled back, called my sister to pick me up and abandoned my ride. Hopefully the remaining segments will be more clearly marked and I can continue the trail without issue.
We listened to previous reviews and picked "the cream of the crop" for our ride -- heading north out of Jim Falls to Cornell. Beautiful ride along the river and plenty of tree canopy. Trail in great shape. At Cornell, we decided to bike into Brunet State Park for a nice ride around the small island. We got back to Jim Falls and kept going, for a daily ride of about 33 miles. Highly recommend a tour of the Leinenkugel Brewery in Chippewa Falls, overnight lodging at the amazing Otter Creek Inn in Altoona, and dinner at Mona Lisa in Eau Claire -- the pizza and pasta were outstanding, and a great dinner after a great ride!
I rode this trail once to complete the last section of the 52 miles of the Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System. The 2 1/2 mile section that is right next to the Manitowish Waters trail is excellent. From the Town Hall on Hwy 51,go west and cross the Manitowish river, then cross Co. Hwy 51. Follow the trail until you come out at Angler's bar. This section is filled with woods and a bridge and is so fun to ride through. It shouldn't be missed, it is beautiful. I would pass on the rest of the trail as you head west. It gets worse and worse as you ride. They have you going on a lot of access roads that are really boring. Once you get to Mercer there is another really boring road to ride on going into town. My advice would be to ride the first part of this trail until it connects back up to the Manitowish Waters trail at Angler's bar. Then continue on the Manitowish Waters trail and even the Crystal Lake trail, they are both outstanding and way better than the western part of the Mercer trail.
I biked most of the length of the trail while on a long-distance tour. With 1.5" tires it was challenging to get through, and sometimes nearly impassable. The gravel shoulder of Highway 13 is easier traveling, honestly. The surface isn't crushed limestone. It's made of loose gravel and stones up to 1"—basically the same as the ag roads in the area. I would only recommend this if you are on an unloaded mountain bike or fat tire bike.
That said, it is flat, straight, and low-traffic in a beautiful area.
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