Find the top rated bike trails in Ladysmith, whether you're looking for an easy short bike trail or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a bike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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.
My sister and I loved this trail. All black top. And a very cute town to explore
The trail is a scenic one.. Running along the river, mainly canopied with trees. But once you get to Red Cedar the trail is super rough, hence my low rating. For awhile it’s old black top patching even OLDER black top. Then Mother Nature steps in and it’s ok. Getting closer to Eau Claire is a bit better but that’s not saying much.
I’m not sure why it says it has a break in the trail because it doesn’t.. The “break in trail” is quite rough though.. Where the trail starts in Eau Claire is pretty cool. Where the trail ends is cool too, being in the state park. I got on the trail right from my campsite!
Wisconsin Bike Trip Report - Cycle Seven Rails to Trails in Five Days: In August 2022, our group of 11 went on a self-guided partially supported bike ride covering seven Rails to Trails in Central Wisconsin near La Crosse, Sparta and Eau Claire. Turned out to be an amazing trip with great weather, except the last day during which it rained. Great variety of environments and trails, including some short bridges and long tunnels, shaded woodlands and bright prairie. Attached is a pdf detailing the logistics and planning we carried out to make the trip happen. TrailLink.com has great description of each individual trail. Over five days of riding we covered:
1. Elroy-Sparta State Trail
2. Great River State Trail
3. La Crosse River State Trail
4. 400 State Trail
5. Red Cedar State Trail
6. Chippewa River State Trail
7. Old Abe State Trail
For a 5 page pdf summary document of our trip with maps and logistics, see: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mk5DYWU-LirXlXT9_B3R6ZbDn4Iautr_/view?usp=sharing
Wisconsin Bike Trip Report - Cycle Seven Rails to Trails in Five Days: In August 2022, our group of 11 went on a self-guided partially supported bike ride covering seven Rails to Trails in Central Wisconsin near La Crosse, Sparta and Eau Claire. Turned out to be an amazing trip with great weather, except the last day during which it rained. Great variety of environments and trails, including some short bridges and long tunnels, shaded woodlands and bright prairie. Attached is a pdf detailing the logistics and planning we carried out to make the trip happen. TrailLink.com has great description of each individual trail. Over five days of riding we covered:
1. Elroy-Sparta State Trail
2. Great River State Trail
3. La Crosse River State Trail
4. 400 State Trail
5. Red Cedar State Trail
6. Chippewa River State Trail
7. Old Abe Trail
For a 5 page pdf summary document of our trip with maps and logistics, see: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mk5DYWU-LirXlXT9_B3R6ZbDn4Iautr_/view?usp=sharing
A very good and scenic route to follow. If you’re starting down at the far end in Chippewa it is a little bit boring to start until you get north of the lake. Once north of the lake things get very scenic and beautiful especially between Jim Falls and Cornell. The trail is very well-maintained, however you do need to pay to use it. If you’re walking the trail is free, however bicycles must pay a five dollar daily use fee. You can also purchase a year-round pass at local stores. Overall an excellent trail it’s flat for the most part but still excellent exercise
As a nearby resident I’ve been walking and biking this trail for many years. Overall the trail is in very good shape and has been maintained fairly well. There are some sections along the Chippewa River Crossing that are a little bit rough. However if you know the side roads you can easily get around these points. There are some areas where you will need to be part of traffic so you need to be careful with those. Otherwise a well thought out a nice loop.
A beautiful, peaceful, and flat ride on smooth pavement. It is a little less than 20 miles from the Old Abe Trail Anson Station on 97th Ave to Cornell. Part of the ride is under tree cover, while the rest is more exposed as it passes farmland and a couple of small towns.
We actually rode the entire trail but this is the part we thought was worth riding. But, if you want to ride the entire trail, it is complete from Eau Claire to Cornell (the map above shows a gap which no longer exists).
Only 4 stars due to the surface not being what we expected due to the app saying it is asphalt.
We started from our hotel on Mondovi Road and Short Road heading south. At this point we were 3 miles in from the trails start. At our 8 mile mark (11 miles from the start of the trail) the surface changed from clean asphalt to what is more like a "rail trail", with crushed black stone, only it was over the asphalt. There were low weeds in the center of the trail, with points where there was only a small path to ride along each edge of the trail. It is mostly wooded and relatively low grade. We went as far as the trailhead on 730th street. 31.88 miles round trip.
The next day we started at the 730th street trailhead where there is an outhouse and a picnic table. We went as far as Durand where the trail ended at a trailhead. The last 6.5 miles (as per signage) is maintained by a different county and was in excellent condition with smooth asphalt. 23.31 round trip.
The total one way of this trip is closer to 30.5 miles. Approximately 17 miles is fairly good asphalt, and 13 miles with crushed black stone, more consistent with a rail trail.
Only 3 stars due to 18 miles being largely on an open road along a busy highway or county road.
We started the ride from our hotel on Mondovi Road & Short Road (south of Phoenix Park), heading north. It is in an open trail, adjacent to a county road or 4 lane busy street. Mostly industrial, not wooded. The first three miles of our ride were on the Chippewa River State Trail. (due to our starting point) Be aware there is NO signage for this trail. It is very easy to take a wrong turn as we did on the trip out and back. We ended up on the city streets and used google maps to find the trail again. We encountered road construction twice, where roundabouts were being added. We had to get off our bikes to lift them over the concrete curbing. Mile markers on this trail ended after 5 miles. At this point you had no idea if you were even on the right trail. At the northernmost point, where we should have turned around to head back, the trail continued on the other side of a 4 LANE ROAD, continuing north. There is NO sign to indicate which way to go at that intersection, and the trail itself was not visible, diagonally across the 4 lane highway. There is no GAP in the trail. It is relatively flat with some small inclines. Our round trip was 35.6 miles.
The second leg of this trail was much better. This portion I would rate 5 STARS. We started where we left off the previous day, parking at the Riverview Reserve only a short distance from there. Heading north the trail is wooded and a low grade. We didn't go as far as the county park. At about 13 miles in there is an outhouse sponsored by a local scouting group. There are frequent markers with the trail name and distance to locations ahead. We road 40.18 miles.
The entire trail is asphalt in fairly good condition. It is closer to 38 miles one way.
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