Wife and I took a ride on Sunday with our electric bikes from Eland to Bowler and back. Covered approximately 24 miles. It had rained heavily the day before in the area, but the trail had held up pretty nicely. The majority of this segment is crushed rock and well compacted. There were parts of it that have been overgrown with grass and weeds, but not to bad. My wife’s bike is a cruiser style bike with 2” tires, she had no trouble navigating on the trail. Plenty of scenery changes, with parts of the trail passing by farms, dips into some heavy canopy forest and a covered bridge/stream area right outside the Western edge of Bowler. A very relaxing bike ride, there are a number of stops to cross various county roads, So be aware of any traffic that may be in the way.

We did an 10.5 mile stretch from Elroy, WI to about 3 miles south of Wonewoc. Round trip 21 miles. We intended to do 30 miles but we're getting older and the air quality was terrible due to fires in Canada. That said this is a beautiful trail, very scenic, smooth, and a pretty flat easy ride. At a few of the road crossings the ends of the trail were filled in with sand instead of gravel, so watch out so you don't lose control. We chose the 400 due to having lots of stops with bathrooms. We were not disappointed. All of the facilities are clean and well maintained. Most of the small towns along the way have food and beer available, and the local folks are very welcoming and proud of their association with the trail. This has become our favorite WI trail. We hope to get back out there next year and finish the trail.

First time on this trail & it was great. Wildlife was plentiful and condition of trail was really good. Lots of twists & turns so meeting others can be a little tricky. A few road miles but sparsely traveled by cars. But the variety - boardwalks, asphalt, crushed rock, tree lined, urban, rivers, lakes - you name it & you probably see I on this trail. Great signage too … highly recommend.

We were enjoying the wonderful trail in Portage County (Plover to past Amherst) Everything was well maintained, and all the trees that had come down in the storms last week were cut, moved, and we had full trail access. We knew the moment we hit Waupaca County. 3 foot tall weeds sprouted in the middle of the trail, and things were not as pristine. After having to dismount bikes several times to navigate around trees, we made the decision to turn around. Very disappointing!

Been coming here since 1974. It’s nice to see that the trail is still open and being somewhat well taken care of! The best campground to stay at is Tunnel trail campground! So if your staying please contact Julie and Scott for continuing the legacy of their father and mothers hard work and dedication to making the campground and the trail experience so amazing! John Mc

We rode this trail today south from Hustler into Elroy, so missed the Camp Douglas to Hustler portion. It is generally tree-lined, and the adjoining landscape transitions from dairy farming to wooded limestone bluffs to tunnel and then back to woods and then dairy as you approach Elroy. There are a multitude of wild flowers to enjoy this time of year, including multiple stands of the Michigan Lilly, rather rare to see along a trail.
The tunnel is the bomb. We caught it on a coolish morning so mist floated eerily into and around the tunnel. It's the length of a football field and pretty fun. Bring a flashlight or have a strong headlight so you can admire the barrel-vaulted ceiling.
The trail itself leaves a lot to be desired. It's old chip seal that has deteriorated into a bumpy-lumpy surface that is much rougher than a conventional packed gravel such as the Katy Trail in Missouri. We kept our speed down to about 8 mph, but by the time we returned, we were pretty beaten up. It is in fact the roughest rail-trail we've ridden on yet.
Elroy has nice bike facilities, with a sort of 'bike park' that includes restrooms, picnic facilities, bike racks, and a retail bike shop, which is a nice change. However, there was almost no food on this day. We resorted to the single open bar in town for the usual beer and burger.
My advice: If you're not prepared for a bumpy ride, then just ride the trail from Hustler (or Elroy) the few miles down to the tunnel, enjoy the tunnel, and then return and spend the rest of the day on another trail.

The Omaha Spur also connects in Elroy to the Elroy-Sparta and The 400 Trail. It is not as widely promoted as it is run by the country government (not the DNR), but it has its own tunnel and it is largely paved so the ride is faster. Nice rest area just to the east of the tunnel with toilets and. water pump.

The Elroy Sparta trail is a great experience. Some comments:
1. The first half from Sparta to Winton is the most popular part and is in the best shape.
2. While it is only at a 3% grade, the first 8 miles to Tunnel 3 is consistently up hill. Coming down is more fun!
3. The last section from Kendall to Elroy is closed because is bridge is out.
Suggestion for the intrepid, take County highway W instead. It is fabulously beautiful, but the hills almost killed me!
4. It took me five hours to ride the 34 miles. I’m not a particularly slow rider, but you have to keep in mind that there are three climbs (up to the tunnels), you must walk through these tunnels and one is ¾ mile long, and riding on crushed limestone is slow
5. I only saw the water and toilets at the middle stop, so don't skip them.
6. The 400 Trail connections at Elroy, as does the Hillsboro Spur (5 miles).
7. The Omaha Spur also connects in Elroy. It is not widely promoted as it is run by the country government (not the DNR), but it has its own tunnel and it is largely paved so the ride is faster.

We road 30 miles on the trail, it was nicely packed down crushed rock. We were amazed at the temperature change between outside the tunnel and inside! The tunnel is such a neat experience! It’s cool in temp, dark and wet with water dripping from the top of the ceiling! Note- bikes must be walked through the tunnel, its about .75 mile, have light on your bike or a flashlight, maybe a towel to wipe off your bike and enjoy!