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I've ridden rail trails all over the country, and I would have to say that this one is at the top of my list. The riding is beautiful and peaceful along the entire trail, the surface is perfectly paved, the scenery is gorgeous, and the towns that you ride through are all "Norman Rockwell-esqe." The proximity to towns - all about 5 - 8 miles apart - are what really make this a special trail. You can get anything you want during your ride......an ice cold beer, a root beer float, a delicious breakfast/lunch/dinner, and if you decide you want to stay in a town you can book a room at one of the many beautiful inns. The other thing that puts this trail to the top are the people you will interact with on the trail and in the towns. "Minnesota Nice" is a popular catchphrase around here and it's more than just a catchy slogan. People around here are happy, generous, kind and helpful. Do yourself a favor and schedule a week-long vacation in the Root River Valley so you can enjoy this amazing network of bike paths.
I rode this trail, and much more as part of a several hundred mile bicycle trip in the early 1970's, and again just this portion several years later. I did not dismount going through the tunnels, just kept my ears sharp listening to the dripping water to maintain my center of the trail; no flashlight either. The tunnel that makes the bend was the real challenge. I remember that a farmer had put a soft drink machine at the edge of his farm along the trail, and I wondered how much the electric cable must had cost him.
It was easy pedaling and the best part was it was free. Seeing now that there is a charge, and not a trivial one, I would never return. The surface seemed mostly packed shale.
The businesses at each end of the trail were just getting started then and there was very little traffic on the trail. There seemed a hint that they expected snowmobiles to be the biggest draw at that time, with winter use being the major use.
The second time I rode it was in the Fall, and the colors were amazing, and it was a wonderful time.
I echo all of the previous reviews. Absolutely breathtaking views on my fat bike of both the Red Cedar and Chippewa Rivers. Trail conditions were overall great however keep your eyes open for unexpected gopher holes. The path is fairly wide at all points. Some of the people on road bikes mentioned they had a bumpy ride. I started at Meridean on the CRST, biked up to Menomonie (nice trailhead welcoming center), back down the RCST, proceeded to Durand and then back to Meridean for a total of 51 miles. There were nice logical scenic spots to take a break along the way with clean restrooms, water and tire pumps. There were deer along several spots along the trail. While on my ride, a DNR worker with a polite disposition was busily performing maintenance on a culvert on the trail...good to see. BE SURE TO PACK BUG SPRAY if you plan on stopping for more than 10-15 seconds on the lower end of the trail. Definite 5* must ride, scenic and peaceful trail.
Fabulous trail—beautiful and peaceful. But my wife and I suffered our second worst bug attack of our 50 years—mosquitos and and deer flies. Bring spray and be ready to ride quickly with no breaks.
I just spent the last 2 days riding this trail. We started out at the Kendall depot on Monday(it is closed on Monday and Tuesday) so I didn't get a chance to go inside. We rode 3 1/2 miles to the first tunnel. That was amazing to see as I rode towards it and started to feel the cool air coming from it. Very cool tunnel. After the 1st tunnel it was a pretty good downhill ride. I think it was about 8 1/2 miles to the next tunnel.Overall we turned around at the 12 mile point and went back to the car in Kendall. Coming back was tougher as it got hotter, and it was more uphill. I also got a leak in my back tire with 6-7 miles to go. I had to use my mini pump to fill it 3 different times to make it back. I changed the inner tube later that night at the hotel. After the ride we got in the car and drove to Sparta. We stayed at a nice hotel(Super 8) and had a great dinner at Slice of Chicago. We woke up and rode the Tail starting in Sparta. It was a gradual uphill ride for 9 miles to get to the 3rd tunnel. It was a long tunnel and yes it was dripping quite a bit. You get a little wet but not drenched at all. I had a great flashlight attached to my bike that worked great. We tuned around at the 11 mile mark and had a good downhill ride back to the Sparta depot. Right before tunnel 3 we stopped and talked to the older guy who sells ice cream and flashlights out of a small shack. What a friendly nice guy. Overall this trip worked out great with biking over two days. The trail, and the tunnels,and the countryside were beautiful. The only reason I gave this trail 4 stars was because it isn't paved. I had no problem with the trail surface except at some points it is a little narrow,but well compacted. It was about 2 1/2 hours from Milwaukee,and I will definitely be back to ride this some more. It was a really fun little trip. If you haven't been to this trail,you should make a trip out here.
We rode the western half of the trail on a humid and hot weekend but we were pleasantly surprised at the amount of shade and tree coverage. It cut the heat and also the headwinds from the west which made our ride very comfortable. This part of the trial is nicely paved, which makes it fast and flat. There are at least a half-dozen small bridges over farmland creeks and at one point, you come across a large bend in the Chippewa River which is beautiful. It intersects with the Red Cedar Trail, which is a nice detour to Menomonie, or you can continue east towards Eau Claire.
After 7 or so miles, the trail turns to crushed gravel, which is pretty easy to ride over, but they've patched the potholes with asphalt, which makes it bumpy. It's fairly maintained but could use a little more maintenance. We have hybrid bikes and made it just fine, and there were several riders with skinny road bikes and they seemed to be doing okay. It is a slight disappointment after the perfect grooming of the western part of the trail.
The trailhead out of Durand has a lot of parking, rest rooms with running water and a drinking fountain, so you can fill your water bottles. Durand has a few places to eat, there's not much along the trail.
We stopped in Meridean, a historic village with an intriguing history. There's a parking lot and porto-potti, but I didn't see any water fountains. Next time we'll start in Meridean and finish the trail to Eau Claire. It was a great trail for a summer's day - lush surroundings and tons of wildflowers.
I began riding the Douglas Trail when my son, Shem, was 2 years. He's now 40!. Over the years, we must have ridden it, literally, thousands of miles. We liked beginning our rides from Pine Island. Shem and I also enjoyed "night riding" under the moonlight. The Douglas Trail is Heaven On Earth to me !!!!
We rode this trail as part two of two-ride weekend. We parked at a small, unmarked parking area off of 50th Ave near the junction of the Chippewa and Red Cedar Trails. We actually rode the 7 mile section between the junction and Durand on the first leg of our ride weekend. This section is maintained by Pepin County and is VERY nice. On this day, we headed east towards Meridian. The trail surface is somewhat paved, and most of the potholes looked to have been filled. This trail was very manageable for our mountain & hybrid bikes. However we did see various riders on bikes with skinny street tires and they seemed to manage just fine as well. The trail was more overgrown in places than I expected, and could maybe use a spray to keep the grass and ivy vines along the edge of the trail in check. Moss covering the trail along the bluffs between Meridian and Caryville lend the trail a beautiful and secluded feeling. The views of the Chippewa were breathtaking when you come out of the trees and suddenly there is this graceful winding river. Once we arrived at Caryville, the trail opened up into flat farm ground. At one point we were caught off guard by sounds from a PA system from no where, before we realized there is a drag strip a short distance off the trail east of Caryville. My husband and I rode to about the 7 mile marker on the west edge of Eau Claire, before turning around and riding back to our vehicle, a total of 38 miles round-trip. I will rate this trail a 4, but the trail scenery itself was worth the ride.
We rode this trail as part two of two-ride weekend. We parked at a small, unmarked parking area off of 50th Ave near the junction of the Chippewa and Red Cedar Trails. We actually rode the 7 mile section between the junction and Durand on the first leg of our ride weekend. This section is maintained by Pepin County and is VERY nice. On this day, we headed east towards Meridian. The trail surface is somewhat paved, and most of the potholes looked to have been filled. This trail was very manageable for our mountain & hybrid bikes. However we did see various riders on bikes with skinny street tires and they seemed to manage just fine as well. The trail was more overgrown in places than I expected, and could maybe use a spray to keep the grass and ivy vines along the edge of the trail in check. Moss covering the trail along the bluffs between Meridian and Caryville lend the trail a beautiful and secluded feeling. The views of the Chippewa were breathtaking when you come out of the trees and suddenly there is this graceful winding river. Once we arrived at Caryville, the trail opened up into flat farm ground. At one point we were caught off guard by sounds from a PA system from no where, before we realized there is a drag strip a short distance off the trail east of Caryville. My husband and I rode to about the 7 mile marker on the west edge of Eau Claire, before turning around and riding back to our vehicle, a total of 38 miles round-trip. I will rate this trail a 4, but the trail scenery itself was worth the ride.
My husband and I rode this trail on June 21st, as part one of two for a long weekend ride. This was also the first ride we had taken on our new Trek bikes - his is a mountain bike, mine is a hybrid. Overall, we loved the Red Cedar trail; the path edges were sprayed back, and the trail surface was generally very smooth and solid (especially considering they had around 4-5 inches of rain a few days prior). A large portion of this trail was shaded making for a comfortable trip. The amenities along this trail were also very nice (water, flushing toilets, air pumps), and there were several mowed picnic areas with tables and/or benches along the route. Keep your eyes open for the historical site of the Dunnville Quarry roughly 3/4 of the way down the trail, and make sure you have your bug spray handy when stopping here. The trail follows the Red Cedar River very closely for a majority of the length, with several small bridges. There are two large bridges, one crosses the Red Cedar, and the other crosses the Chippewa River at the south end where it meets the Chippewa River Trail. Our trip involved parking at Riverside Park in Menomonie and travelling towards Durand, and back. The only thing I would change about this trip was the route; instead of travelling from Menomonie to Durand and back, it would have been easier to start in Durand. There is a slight downhill grade, which means our entire ride back north was slightly uphill. It's not a terribly steep grade, just enough to know you are working at it. Make sure to have your $5 for the trail pass; the self serve permit station was simple to use. We recommend this trail.
Biked from Sparta to Wilton and back (about 35 mi of biking, 2 miles of walking thru tunnels) last weekend. It's a nice route through mildly scenic wooded and farming areas, but the tunnels are definitely an interesting experience (don't forgot your flashlight--you'll need it to keep your footing since the tunnel floors are pitted and wet/muddy/slippery). While the trail's elevation changes aren't severe, there are long sections that are persistently up hill, so be prepared to pedal consistently for those.
The only concern about the trail is the surface. The trail surface (packed gravel) was mostly in good shape but there are some soft/muddy and rutted spots. It definitely makes you work harder compared with a paved trail. But more bothersome was how narrow the trail is--for large distances it's being overgrown, leaving it at only about 4-5 feet wide, maybe less. I have to agree with other reviewers who have wondered what the trail fees are being used for if not to keep the surface in better shape. Frankly, I'm surprised it hasn't been paved by now.
In summary, we're glad we biked the trail, but consider it a "been there, done that" experience given the surface conditions.
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