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We rode on October 22, sunny 45-50 degrees. We started in Ripon from the little lot off of County E. The trail was in good condition and there were plenty of benches but no Port-o-Potties. The first part parallels County E so you cross some driveways, but it's no big deal. After a mile or so you leave the road and head into the Wisconsin farmlands. There's even a Winery that you can visit along the way....not sure what that would do to my ride :-) Beautiful ride with a stop at Berlin for lunch at a very nice and tasty Mexican restaurant.
Couple of caveats: There's a landfill along the way that will get your noses attention, and a shooting range both of which you circumvent just south of Berlin. Just hope the sportsman didn't visit the winery beforehand! :-)
Went for fall ride October 21, temperature 46 degrees - sunny
Started in Larson parked at a little park just off the trail. There was a Port-o-Potty(POP) there, but not sure it was for public use. The trail was in excellent condition with very few rough spots. There was a wet spot (just south of School rd) for about 100 yards...stay on the trail! We road side by side for > 98% of the time; very few people on the trail. The POP at Rt96 is, according to my wife, the nicest POP she's ever used. Its also just about half way between the towns. Went into town at Hortonville and ate at the little park on Black Otter Lake. Also checked out the old bank building(1916) and the Opera House (NOT the grand Ole type).
Had a great time, will do the Larson to Oshkosh leg some time, but the southernmost 3-4 miles are not as isolated and go into the town of Oshkosh near the lake. Even though the lake shore routing is nice (we checked it out), we like the out in the country feeling a little more.
I typically ride pebble trails but this trail is a mixture of sand and pebbles, making it a difficult ride. I have a crossover bike and was looking to trying out the trail. I typically ride Wiouwash or the CB trail. Unfortunately, there’s absolutely no scenery during this leg of the trail. I started at House Road as someone else mentioned, none of the cross roads at the west end of the trail have a parking lot or trail head, so I had to park off the road. It looks like Shiocton heading east looks better, but the trail itself makes this a very difficult ride. I plan to try the other leg, I will update when I get there.
The western half of the trail, in Portage County, is honestly the best state trail surface I've ever enjoyed. After you cross into Waupaca County (eastbound), the trail degenerates quickly, with the last 10 miles at the east end being some of the worst state trail surfaces I've ever experienced. Hoof marks, overgrowth, sand, and ruts in the eastern portion. Beautiful, rustic scenery throughout, and you're not slammed up against a busy highway, so it's easier to enjoy the beautiful nature around you.
The western end is in the outskirts of a major agri-business area, so pesticides are almost certainly a concern during parts of the year there. (Indeed a sign in Plover mentions that the trail may be closed during aerial spraying days.)
Take a mountain bike (or at least something with larger tires) if you're gonna do the Waupaca County portion. Any bike can handle the Portage County portion, which again, is excellent. I only encountered 6 other cyclists for the entire length of the trail on a beautiful, sunny summer Saturday (June 9, 2018).
As another reviewer pointed out, the west end of the trail actually starts at House Rd, a mile and a half outside New London, and not as shown here and in Google Maps.
The trail surface was overall in really good shape (on June 10, 2018). There are some hoof marks and washouts, but the trail is extra wide and they're easy to avoid.
There are no places to take a break and sit down west of Black Creek, and only a couple from Black Creek east, so keep that in mind when planning how long a trip you wanna do on the trail. If it's a mosquito kind of day, you're not gonna wanna stop for long anyway! (There are bars and such in the communities you pass through.)
There was some nearby gunfire. Many hunting shacks dot the private lands along the trail.
Trees are nearby for most of the trail, but not close enough to provide any shade during midday.
I just completed a one-day, 97-mile bike ride on this trail, starting at the Howard, WI trail-head to Weston, WI, and through Wausau [to go home] for the added miles. The best conditions were in Brown County, with lots of shade and lots of trail users. Marathon County had good conditions too, but had much less shade over the trail [bring sunblock]. Shawano County conditions were...different. Prepare for a double-track fire road throughout almost all of Shawano County with the likelihood of muddy spots. If biking, a mountain bike is a must or bring a road bike with at least 38mm wide tires with tread [my personal recommendation]. Deer flies were very numerous throughout Shawano County. I have about two dozen deer fly bites across my hands and arms [bring bug spray]. Also, there were six areas on the trail with downed trees--two of which were very difficult to navigate around [I think all six areas were somewhere between mile marker 50-60--from Howard, WI]. Honestly, as tough a day as it was, it was a really fun and gorgeous trail to ride. I personally liked the variety in trail conditions. I highly recommend this trail for the prepared enthusiast.
We live an hour away from this trail and have driven past it many times, but never tried it. Finally decided to ride it two weeks ago. It is a great trail. Up and down hills, in the woods and wetlands, and through quiet neighborhoods, this trail has it all. It is about 30 miles around the whole trail. We added two extra trails that branch off of it (Hoover Road Trail and Heartland Trail) to make it around 44 miles. The trail is well marked and you won't have problems figuring out where to go. We ate downtown at The Wooden Chair and had an excellent lunch. They are only open from 7 to 2 so plan your ride accordingly. We plan on making this trail one of our yearly excursions because we enjoyed it so much.
I done this trail a few times love love it. There are getting to be lots of problems though. Mud , ruts, and holes from animals. Wood bridges need marking that they are slippery when wet, be careful. Still one of my favorite trails.
We rode the 12 miles from Howard to Pulaski WI today on a very well maintained trail. It is crushed stone, so a bit slower than pavement. Some areas have been recently resurfaced with pea-sized gravel, so although a touch rougher than older sections, we were glad to see the attention and care that Brown County gives their trails. Only one small section was soft, just as we approached a street that we had to stop for anyway. This section of the trail has many tree canopies that provide shade during the sunny part of the day.
We rode the Ripon-Berlin route up and back. It was an unusually hot day, but the trail is 80 - 90% shaded. Very few open areas and a few minutes' ride gets you back in the shade. A round of thunderstorms had just finished when we set out but the trail was mostly dry and very well-maintained. Mosquitoes were abundant so wear spray if you plan to stop for a bit. Had a break and nice lunch at Shepard's in Berlin, and made use of Mike's Bike Shop in Berlin too. Be aware that there are signs prohibiting electric bikes on this trail...I contacted authorities who stated that ebikes are fine for anyone with a disability or who might be pulling a disabled person. I plan to address this further. I had my regular bike this time but often use my ebike to pull my disabled adult daughter.
We parked at the Schmeeckle Reserve off of Northpoint Dr. Nice parking, restrooms, filtered water and gift shop. We went west on the Green Circle from the reserve. Trail was well marked, beautiful, interesting and kept up. I am not a fan of riding in the street or crossing roads and this trail has both. However, I really enjoyed this trail and I am looking forward to riding it again. It took us around 2 1/2 hours (24 miles) and we did not do any of the spurs. We rode during the weekday. Really impressed with this reserve!
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