Find the top rated hiking trails in Madison, whether you're looking for an easy short hiking trail or a long hiking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hiking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Parked at Cottage Grove today and biked out 23 miles and then back to car. It was annoying that we both paid our 5 dollars and then visited the rest room. No toilet paper in mens or women's and both stalls in women's were smeared with feces. Nice surface on trail. Not enough benches. This trail would definitely not qualify as a national rail trail.
I grabbed the trail north of Janesville on my road bike. Crossed the bridge over the highway and did about a mile on the county road before winding through a new housing development and finding the actual trail. It's in great shape, lots of gentle rolling hills and a couple of roundabouts but not a single person anywhere along the trail. I rode to Milton and most of the trail parallels the highway so it's loud on one side but beautiful and agricultural on the other side. I saw hawks and finches and no humans of any kind. It was pretty sweet. I only gave it 4 stars because of the highway driving . Otherwise it's a 5-star paved trail.
A month or so ago I rode the full length of the Long Prairie Trail. When I reached the Ronald Olson FP I realized that the trail continued as the Stone Bridge Trail. Having liked the Long Prairie Trail I marked the path for a future visit. That didn't take long, I was back a month later and ready to tackle the Stone Bridge and four other paths in the area with my son.
The Stone Bridge Trail is a very well kept limestone trail that only spans about 6 miles. Although short it features areas where you are in a gorge, then on a steep hill. In the middle you can get a history lesson by demounting and walking down the hill at the Stone Bridge site. At the base of the hill you can see the preserved site and read about its historic value.
At the northern base of the trail you can see where the train track line continues north. I sincerely hope they turn this into more biking trail that heads into Wisconsin.
Being from Brodhead I have many memories of taking bike rides on the trail. But today... not so much. Is our trail less important than others? It seems to be. It is in desperate need of work. Sections of the path are down to one tire path only. Numerous holes and a lot of over growth. It was pretty sad seeing it in such disrepair.
My husband and I rode the Military Ridge Trail from Dodgeville to Fitchburg on Saturday of Labor day weekend. We connected the Military Ridge Trail to Cannonball path to Capital City Path and stayed overnight at the Wyndam Garden Madison Fitchburg (total of 45 miles) . We enjoyed the Great Dane Pub and Brewery that is within walking distance from the hotel. Then we rode the trail back to Dodgeville on Sunday. We stopped in Mt Horeb for lunch both days. There are several shops and resturants so it was a nice break to get something to eat and walk around a while. The Military Ridge Trail is nice with varied scenery between rolling farms, wooded areas and marshland. There are a few places where it runs along the highway but overall I thought it was a scenic trail. Most of the trail is in good condition for a hybrid bike but there are a couple sections where there is grass growing in the middle of the path. It didn't cause any problems, but wasn't a well maintained as the other sectins. Overall for a rail trail, I thought it was in good condition. The most scenic part is through the Blue Mound State Park area and the Quarry Ridge Recreation area just west of Fitchburg. The section of the Capital City Trail across Fitchburg is very pretty with lots of wildflowers, but is has a few hills.
I have become fond of this trail for its natural surface and rural feel. Don’t try it with skinny tires since the ground can be soft in spots. Also great fun to encounter the occasional horses.
This was a difficult trail for bike riding. I must say that ALL ATV riders we encountered were respectful. They all slowed down and gave us space. Won’t be doing this again unless with an ATV.
We rode the Sugar River round-trip the weekend of July 27-28, 2019. We are experienced riders and were on hybrid bikes. The trail was in very poor condition, with many ruts, potholes and even mole holes. On the return ride, I caught the side of a pothole, fell, and broke a bone in my hand. Not good. The trail is in serious need of maintenance.
We planned to bike from Albany to New Glarus. The trail out of Albany is in terrible condition. Two "tracks" with overgrown weeds in the middle and many branches overhanging. About 5 miles in my wife hit a pothole and went over her handlebars. She landed off the trail and, minus a few bruises and scrapes, wasn't hurt. The hole was about 15" across and about 6" deep. We feel fortunate she wasn't hurt. We decided to abandon our trip. We won't be back.
Biked the Jane Addams again today (7/22/19). Last time was August of 2018. Rode from the Tutty's Crossing trail head in Freeport all the way to the Wisconsin state line and beginning of the Badger State trail. 35 miles round trip. It was beautiful last August and even more so today. This has to be about the best maintained and overall most excellent trail in northern Illinois. Weather was perfect and the trail was in almost impeccable shape. Smoother in some parts than some roads around here. Whoever's in charge, keep up the good work. Gorgeous scenery as well. Added bonus when you get back to Freeport - stop in at Union Dairy, which is just a minute from the trail head, and enjoy the best ice cream. A perfect summer combination! Highly recommended. Only downside is that Badger State trail if you are thinking of continuing on past the state line. Not sure the Wisconsin DNR is keeping it up to Jane Addams standards.
My first ride on this path was with my son two years ago when he was in the 3rd grade. I'd just bought him a new bike which he was eager to ride. I'd also just bought a car bike rack, making road-trip rides possible. After doing some homework we headed northwest for an hour and a half to give this trail a whirl. We did not walk away unsatisfied. To shorten the ride we started at the parking lot near Hwy 20. This offers a straight shot north to the Wisconsin border. Away we went. We went on a summer weekday and probably saw no more than a few riders on our 22+ mile trip. Along the way, we enjoyed the sites and experience. My son loved seeing the open farms filled with cows and the occasional critter that wandered across our path. I really liked the rock formations and movement from small town to small town. We took our time biking and made the 22 miles an almost 3-hour journey that, at the time, was my sons longest bike trip. We rode to Orangeville and had a late lunch there before heading back. The trail itself was in great shape. I'd heavily recommend this path to any type of biker. Cheers.
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