Kinnickinnic River Trail (Route of the Badger)

Kinnickinnic River Trail (called the KK River Trail by locals) runs just over 2 miles in southern Milwaukee, following the river through a densely populated and industrial corridor. The trail links the neighborhoods of Lincoln Village and Bay View, and offers a mixed experience of both on-road bike lane and off-road paved trail, some of which parallels an active railroad.

Its northern end, on South Water Street, lies not too far from the famed Hank Aaron State Trail, a 13-mile east-west route connecting parks, museums, public artwork, and other cultural and recreational attractions. On the Kinnickinnic River Trail's opposite end (at S. 6th Street), a connection can be made to the vast network of the Oak Leaf Trail, which loops around and through Milwaukee.

Parking and Trail Access

A gathering space and seating area is located on the trail’s southern end at S. 5th Court and W. Rosedale Avenue. On-street parking is available along Rosedale Street, S. Kinnickinnic Avenue, and E. Washington and S. Water streets.

nice short trail in Walkers Point/Bayview

July 2022 lmduffy1627

Used to walk/bike with my dog here when I lived in an apartment that passes by this trail. Cool seeing the train tracks, glimpses of the water (can go to the Harbor View Plaza). Some trees and shady spots along the way.

Good Trail to Ride

October 2021 dpoquette

I think the Kinnickinnic River Trail is a good riding trail. You can see lots of nature on the lower portion of the trail (south of Lincoln Ave). The upper portion runs along the railroad tracks which is separated by a chain link fence for safety reasons. Amtrak rolls by about every few hours. The day I rode it (Sunday afternoon in early Oct), the trail wasn't very busy. Probably due to Sunday afternoon football games.

The only bad part of the trail is that you have to ride the road for 0.7 miles to get to the lower portion. The good part about the road is that it isn't very busy and it does have bike lanes.

smelly on the north

July 2021 lismalucas

The southern mile is nice. The rest of it is on busy roads or along industrial areas that don’t smell great or give you much to look at.

Fantastic!

August 2014 nadiakkrt

This trail runs adjacent to the new KK River where the concrete has been removed. It allows access in the fall to observe salmon spawning, runs through the forested section of the KK River and connects to multiple neighborhoods. There is even a butterfly garden planted along the trail!