Portage, WI Cross Country Skiing Trails and Maps

485 Reviews

Looking for the best Cross Country Skiing trails around Portage?

Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Portage, whether you're looking for an easy short cross country skiing trail or a long cross country skiing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a cross country skiing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.

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Activities
Length
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Type
19 Results
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type

400 State Trail

21.9 mi
State: WI
Crushed Stone

Elroy-Sparta State Trail

33.8 mi
State: WI
Crushed Stone

Glacial Drumlin State Trail (Route of the Badger)

53.2 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Gravel

Glacial River Trail

55.8 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Mascoutin Valley State Trail

21 mi
State: WI
Crushed Stone, Grass, Gravel

Southwest Commuter Path

5.6 mi
State: WI
Asphalt

Wolf Run Trail (WI)

2 mi
State: WI
Crushed Stone

Badger State Trail

39.8 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Hillsboro State Trail

4.3 mi
State: WI
Crushed Stone, Gravel

Military Ridge State Trail

40 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

North Mendota Trail

4.14 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Boardwalk

Omaha Trail

12 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Gravel

Starkweather Creek Path

3.1 mi
State: WI
Asphalt

Wild Goose State Trail

34.5 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass

Bannerman Trail

7 mi
State: WI
Dirt, Grass, Sand

Northwestern Trail

2.8 mi
State: WI
Dirt, Grass, Gravel

CamRock Trail

2.4 mi
State: WI
Crushed Stone

Ice Age Junction Trail

3.8 mi
State: WI
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Wingra Creek Path

1.9 mi
State: WI
Asphalt
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
Overview Traveling the 400 State Trail is a numbers game. The trail’s name refers to the old Chicago and North Western Railway’s “No. 400” passenger train that zoomed through here between Chicago...
WI 21.9 mi Crushed Stone
Note: The three tunnels on the trail close from Nov. 1 to April 30 each year. Overview Three hand-dug tunnels along the Elroy-Sparta State Trail make utter darkness as much a part of the scenery...
WI 33.8 mi Crushed Stone
Overview The 53-mile Glacial Drumlin State Trail between Cottage Grove and Waukesha provides a glimpse into the past when glaciers bore down on southeastern Wisconsin in the last Ice Age. Those...
WI 53.2 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Gravel
Overview The Glacial River Trail provides bikers, pedestrians, and in-line skaters with a 55.8-mile off-road/on-road rural route winding through farmland, prairie, wetlands, and woodlands as it...
WI 55.8 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The Mascoutin Valley State Trail is divided into two segments along a former corridor of the Chicago and North Western Railway. The eastern section runs 10 miles between Fond du Lac and Rosendale. The...
WI 21 mi Crushed Stone, Grass, Gravel
All it takes is a short ride on Madison’s 5.6-mile South  west Commuter Path to understand the critical role it plays in getting people around town. Not only does it pass within a mile of the State...
WI 5.6 mi Asphalt
The Wolf Run Trail supports a wide variety of users on its two miles of crushed gravel, situated on the outskirts of Mazomanie in northwestern Dane County. Heading southeast from the charming...
WI 2 mi Crushed Stone
Closure Notice: The Stewart Tunnel has been closed since 2019 and remains closed for the foreseeable future. A detour using Tunnel Road allows trail users to go around the tunnel. Visit the trail page...
WI 39.8 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The 4.3-mile Hillsboro State Trail will make you feel instantly at home. Starting out easy with a crushed stone surface before turning to slightly more difficult loose gravel, this trail will take you...
WI 4.3 mi Crushed Stone, Gravel
NOTE: A State Trail Pass ($25 annually/$5 daily) is required for bicyclists and in-line skaters ages 16 and older. Snowmobilers must display either a Wisconsin registration or a snowmobile State Trail...
WI 40 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The North Mendota trail is a 12-ft wide asphalt trail that connects Waunakee and Governor Nelson State Park, on the shores of Lake Mendota. Starting at the northern trailhead in the village of...
WI 4.14 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk
Overview The 12-mile Omaha Trail passes through a wonderland of towering buttes, mesas, and pinnacles that seem more at home in an arid desert than in fertile farmland. The steep sandstone...
WI 12 mi Asphalt, Gravel
The Starkweather Creek Path traces the waterway north from the Capital City State Trail through Madison’s eastern neighborhoods of Starkweather, Worthington Park, Eken Park and Carpenter-Ridgeway. The...
WI 3.1 mi Asphalt
Overview The Wild Goose State Trail is a premier rail trail, spanning approximately 35 miles in Dodge and Fond du Lac counties. For trail users looking for a peaceful and beautiful place to visit,...
WI 34.5 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass
The Bannerman Trail is open but largely unimproved between the communities of Redgranite and Neshkoro on a former Chicago and North Western Railway corridor. The dirt, grass and sand surface might...
WI 7 mi Dirt, Grass, Sand
The Northwestern Trail begins near the public library in downtown Ripon, a charming small town in eastern Wisconsin. History buffs may want to head a few blocks south from this endpoint to explore the...
WI 2.8 mi Dirt, Grass, Gravel
The CamRock Trail travels 2.4 miles through its namesake CamRock Park in Cambridge, Wisconsin. CamRock Park, managed by Dane County Parks, offers a number of ammenities to trail users including...
WI 2.4 mi Crushed Stone
The Ice Age Junction Trails not only travels 3.8 miles across Dane County, WI, but also takes trail users millions of years back in time. While most of Wisconsin spent the Ice Age covered by...
WI 3.8 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The Wingra Creek Path—also known as the Wingra Bike Path—runs along the winding waterway in Madison. The trail provides a critical link from the neighborhoods south of downtown Madison to the Capital...
WI 1.9 mi Asphalt

Recent Trail Reviews

Wild Goose State Trail

Lovely Trail

November, 2024 by the_masseuse

It’s pretty scenic, especially with the leaf colors. Also pretty busy! There’s parking on both ends. A lot of the trail is grass, not even gravel. The spot where it’s asphalt is very minimal. It’s awesome you can stop and ride through Horicon Marsh! Lots of kitties on this trail ¿

Badger State Trail

Serenity

October, 2024 by ggroth99

Coming from Chicago, we have only ridden this trail as a day trip and ridden from Orangeville, IL (Jane Addams Trail) to Monroe (Twining Park) and back. This stretch is on a slight incline most of the way from Orangeville to Monroe, so the ride back is a lot easier. Trail is well maintained, and mostly shaded by trees. Trail in Monroe proper was a little dicey due to no protection from the elements, a bit of a steep hill, and a lot of runoff from rain by 8th street. Crossing at 8th street is "interesting". Pit toilet in Orangeville, with a BP gas station right across the road, flush toilet in Twining Park. Went riding on 10/26, and saw a grand total of 5 other people the entire ride (2 bikers, 2 walkers, 1 jogger). Only trail I've been on where there were complete moments of silence, combined with some of the scenery, just absolutely breathtaking.

Jefferson County Interurban Trail

stunning and peaceful

October, 2024 by wilsonae

Just kept riding. Gorgeous fall day. Started at northern trailhead. Passed a few walkers and one other biker the whole way to the end. As noted it has been extended well past 2.2 miles. Lovely scenery and immaculate trail surface with lots of peaceful farms. My new fave!

Accordion

Glacial Drumlin State Trail (Route of the Badger)

Great trail, but there's a temporary closure

October, 2024 by sarahccaltvedt

We rode about 23 miles round-trip from the Waukesha trailhead on Oct. 12. The asphalt is in pretty good condition, with just a few bumps. However, when we got to the big curve around what used to be a field east of Dousman, we discovered that the field is now a massive construction site, and the trail is closed indefinitely, with no posted detour. We don't take our tandem on roads, so we turned around at that point. I assume that the trail is open west of the construction site, but don't know exactly where.

We didn't ride on the western portion of the trail that day, but it's one of our favorites, especially the part where you bike across the lake.

Great Sauk State Trail

I have ridden this trail a couple of times and have enjoyed the trail quality and the river and prairie scenery. The only complaint I have is that the trail ends before getting into Devils Lake State Park which could make the trail spectacular.

October, 2024 by mankato

I have ridden this trail a couple of times and have enjoyed the trail quality and the river and prairie scenery. The only complaint I have is that the trail ends before getting into Devils Lake State Park which could make the trail spectacular.

Glacial Drumlin State Trail (Route of the Badger)

There are several areas in which there are tire ruts and the trail is too narrow. Diffently not worth the daily fee of $5.00.

September, 2024 by dq82

There are several areas in which there are tire ruts and the trail is too narrow. Diffently not worth the daily fee of $5.00.

400 State Trail

We will return to the 400

September, 2024 by ellaqk_tl

We had ridden into Elroy from Sparta and realized the 400 trail left from there. We went back to Elroy two days later and rode 11 miles out on the 400. We went through Union and through Wonewoc. We were so impressed with the little town of Wonewoc and the super clean facility they had along the trail, that included a picnic shelter and water fountain along with bike repair stands. The ride itself was very nice. The trail was well cared for and there were many bridges that overlooked very pretty areas. We passed several large rock formations that were impressive. We hope to return to the area so we can ride the entire trail.

400 State Trail

We will return to the 400

September, 2024 by ellaqk_tl

We had ridden into Elroy from Sparta and realized the 400 trail left from there. We went back to Elroy two days later and rode 11 miles out on the 400. We went through Union and through Wonewoc. We were so impressed with the little town of Wonewoc and the super clean facility they had along the trail, that included a picnic shelter and water fountain along with bike repair stands. The ride itself was very nice. The trail was well cared for and there were many bridges that overlooked very pretty areas. We passed several large rock formations that were impressive. We hope to return to the area so we can ride the entire trail.

Elroy-Sparta State Trail

Sparta to Elroy

September, 2024 by ellaqk_tl

For years, we talked about riding the Elroy to Sparta trail and this summer we finally did it. We were to ride 1/2 of the trail from Sparta towards Elroy and then were going to ride the other 1/2 of the trail from Elroy towards Sparta the following day. However, one of the friends we were going to ride with became ill and my husband and I decided we would go ahead and get part of the ride in. Part way through my husband decided we would ride the whole trail in one day. We entered the first tunnel which required us to walk our bikes, wear our raincoats and use a light. It was very cool. The floor of the tunnel was wet and slippery and before even entering the tunnel I found myself with soaking wet shoes but they dried fast. We stopped just a little further east of the tunnel to use restroom facilities which were clean. On we went into Wilton, which I have to say we were rather unimpressed with. The toilet facility was sorely lacking in cleanliness and we found a picnic table that was none too clean either. We continued on to Elroy and surprisingly I was able to find an Uber ride back to Sparta to pick up our truck with no time to spare as a terrible storm rolled through. Fortunately for my husband, who was waiting for me, was able to find shelter in Elroy at their welcome center. We had brought along with us shower essentials and clean clothes and were able to shower in Elroy. It is free but they do suggest a donation which we were more than happy to do. Some of the highlights were the three tunnels and the remaining overhead structure that had wires that would hang from it to alert those on the top of the train (Hobos and brakeman) the tunnel was ahead. Also, we had a large buck come up onto the trail who did not know we were there. He stood there in all his beauty until he caught sight of us and quickly disappeared into the brush. Overall, I would highly recommend this trail ride. We may do it again.

Badger State Trail

Nice Views

September, 2024 by the_masseuse

Trail is really nice and taken care of. There are a a few sand traps along it tho. It’s mostly shaded until you reach the asphalt. Decent parking along it. I very much dislike the detour on this trail..it’s super hilly. Really regret coming to see the tunnel while still open.

Great Sauk State Trail

awesome relaxing ride

September, 2024 by 49zhs7nbgx

It’s a well maintained, paved trail with markers and sculptures along the way. The scenery is beautiful!!

Glacial Drumlin State Trail (Route of the Badger)

Beautiful trail ride!

September, 2024 by tedijw

Perfect biking day in September on an awesome trail. Started in Wales and biked to Sullivan and made return trip for total of 23 miles. First portion of trail was paved and remaining portion was well-maintained crushed gravel. Highly recommend this trail and will do again.

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