Find the top rated hike trails in Thorp, whether you're looking for an easy short hike trail or a long hike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
As other reviewers have said, this is NOT a bike friendly state trail. I live in Mondovi about 1/3 mile from the trail head and have learned that some of the worst loose sand is in the first mile heading east. However, after having bought a "fat bike" with 4 1/2 " tires, this is very ridable. I personally avoid riding on weekends due to the ATV traffic. It would also be nice to have more public parking along the route.
So yes, the gravel isn’t the greatest, the bigger the tire the better. It’s a bit chunky and loose..gets chunkier in Price county, seems to be kept up though? It’s so worth the extra effort come Fall. I had very little issues with my gravel bike. It’s super peaceful. No ATVs allowed, but horses are ¿. Seen quite a few grouse and there’s all new bridges throughout! It’s quite the beautiful trail and worth enduring the subpar gravel.
We have done the Buffalo trail in the past but today we did our favorite section-parked in Fairchild lot, went to Osseo and back. Beautiful day. Trail in decent condition. Some potholes and puddles. Ranged from gravel to sandy surfaces. Beautiful forest to drive through. Places to stop and get fuel/eat if necessary.
Unique paved trail with about 10 separate waterfalls. Sitting benches and large white pine trees. Begins at visitor info center.
We listened to previous reviews and picked "the cream of the crop" for our ride -- heading north out of Jim Falls to Cornell. Beautiful ride along the river and plenty of tree canopy. Trail in great shape. At Cornell, we decided to bike into Brunet State Park for a nice ride around the small island. We got back to Jim Falls and kept going, for a daily ride of about 33 miles. Highly recommend a tour of the Leinenkugel Brewery in Chippewa Falls, overnight lodging at the amazing Otter Creek Inn in Altoona, and dinner at Mona Lisa in Eau Claire -- the pizza and pasta were outstanding, and a great dinner after a great ride!
We rode this trail in late May 2024 and listened to the reviews, so I can only comment on the western part of this trail, from the Durand trailhead, riding about 6.5 miles to the intersection with the Red Cedar Trail and then we headed north on that trail. Other reviews say past the intersection, the trail needs work, so we followed that advice. The trail out of Durand is great -- paved and beautiful biking with tree canopy and the point where the trail intersects with the Red Cedar is clearly marked. The portion we did was great.
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
Glad I didn't go out of my way to check this trail out. Consists of loose dirt, very little gravel. Cannot effectively ride any kind of bike on this trail. Don't waste your time unless you have an ATV.
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!
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