We rode this trail late October and sadly missed most of the color, but the trail did not disappoint. My favorite part is from Peterson to Preston. There was very little traffic, few cross streets, mostly flat, and lots of beautiful views. The section going down to Preston was a little rougher than the Root River trail, but probably our favorite section for views. If you want a delicious meal, eat at Old Village Hall in Lanesboro. It was a little expensive, but some of the best food I've ever had!

This trail has so many amazing views along the way it’s a must do! We started at the hilly end and it was pretty intense for about 4 miles or so. After that it was a lot more level and enjoyable. The trout hatchery was a cool place along the way with trout of all sizes , some of them quite huge. There was also a gorgeous waterfall behind the hatchery! The trail meanders over bridges, along streams, and past scenic overlooks. Watch for the Decorah Eagles Nest which has signage on the trail.

We spent a wonderful day on the trail enjoying the beautiful Fall colors. Starting in Sparta we biked the doable 3% upward grade to the .75 mile tunnel 9 miles away. After walking a few hundred feet of the tunnel (bring a flashlight) we flew back downhill to the Depot. We met many friendly people along the way enjoying this last warm Fall day. We will be back to explore another section of this great trail.

We haven't done many trails yet, but by far this is the prettiest one so far!! The roads along the trail had little to no traffic, making the ride quiet and peaceful. The tunnel was an awesome addition to the ride also.

This is a beautiful trail and Decorah is a lovely Iowa town. My husband and I enjoyed the challenge of the hills. After reading these reviews we also decided to do the hills first. We totally forgot about the challenge of the hills by the time we got to downtown for pizza and ice cream! However, we will never forget the beautiful Iowa scenery! A great day of riding!

I have not ridden for years due to health concerns and double knee replacements. After losing almost 130 lbs. I have just begin to ride again. We did a portion of this trail and it was great!!

The pavement is in great condition, bridges are smooth. Check ahead for business hours if you are visiting on a weekday and want lunch on the trail. We stayed at the Stone Mill Inn in Lanesboro and they have a bike shed available, I recommend them.

9/14/20 with road bikes. Trail has serious issues: very rough bridge approaches (~ 10 bridges), cracks/holes in pavement, washout which created about 18" wide of rideable trail for about 50'. The curves make it difficult to see issues early.

We had a great ride on this trail today. We rode from La Crosse to Sparta and back. 42 miles. There is a tree down about 5 2/3 miles from La Crosse. There is a way around it but it is also pretty buggy there. We thoroughly enjoyed this ride. Trail is in very good shape and very scenic. Since the Elroy Sparta trail is in bad repair, I would highly recommend this trail.