Wisconsin cycling: 5 great bike rambles to take this fall
Fall is the best time of the year for people who love to ride bicycles.
The temperatures are cool. The landscape is colorful. And the clouds of blood-thirsty mosquitoes are, by and large, gone.
If fall is the best time, Wisconsin is the best place for exploring on two-wheels. Our cities are increasingly spiderwebbed with paved off-street bike trails, our country roads are ideal for quiet exploration, and we have dozens of rural touring trails that can take us deep into nature. That includes the famous Elroy-Sparta State Trail, considered to be the first rail-to-trail in the world, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. One thing to keep in mind: Many of these state trails require a pass that can be purchased through the DNR.
Even when I was a kid, I loved riding a bike on the quiet farm roads around my hometown of Colby. But it wasn't until I was an adult that I understood just how terrific the state was for biking. I was completely hooked when my friend Mark Nicklawske and I rode the length of the Mountain-Bay State Trail on a late August Saturday in 2004 to attend an evening preseason Green Bay Packers game.
That experience helped open me up to an entirely new way of looking at what a bike could do. I knew it was a vehicle for fitness and a quick, easy and cheap way to run errands around town. But that trip underscored for me that a bike is a great way to ride into an experience like no other.
That memorable trip was transcendent, and that's why I'll start there with my list of five top-notch Wisconsin places for fall bike riding.
Mountain-Bay State Trail
Like many of Wisconsin's rail-trails, the Mountain-Bay is crushed limestone gravel. It is 83 miles and stretches from Weston on the west end to Green Bay on the east. It took Mark and me all day to get to Green Bay from Wausau, and we were late for the game. That actually worked to our advantage, because instead of having to buy tickets from a scalper, we were able to get some leftover free passes from some sort of radio promotion. We got in to see Brett Favre loft a touchdown pass, which is the only thing I remember about the game itself. But I can tell you I ate a Lambeau brat that evening that was so good it justified riding 80-plus miles on its own.
Pluses: Quiet, away from traffic, no hills. If you ride from west to east, you're likely to be aided by prevailing west winds. There are lots of woods, bogs and trees along the way for a rider to be immersed in fall colors. You can use it to go see the Packers, though you'll need to meander several miles on city streets to get to Lambeau Field. If Mark and I could do it before Google Maps, you can do it. Definitely worth it because it is top-level cool when it comes to Wisconsin experiences.
Minuses: Riding miles in woods can get a bit tedious after an hour or so. And you'll owe your wife big time after she drives 160 miles to pick up you, your friend and your bikes after the Packers game to drive you home. If you're riding west and the wind is strong, maybe just turn around and find a cozy coffee shop.
Madison
Madison is consistently ranked as a world-class city for bicycling and I would not dispute that in any way. The city has more than 56 miles of off-street bike paths and about 138 miles of on-street bike lanes. I recommend logging on to Bike Madison (cityofmadison.com/bikeMadison), a city-produced website that offers maps, route suggestions and much, much more.
My friend Bob Dohr and I recently met in Madison to bike around Lake Monona, eat some baked goods, sip some coffee and stop at bike shops. We've done it so often it's become a kind of ritual for us.
We park at a destination in itself, Olbrich Botanical Gardens and set out, usually following our whims and yearnings for scones and mochas. We've done tours of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. We almost always end up on the Capital City Pathway which runs directly underneath the Wright-designed Monona Terrace. (That building has a bike elevator that allows quick and fun access to the Capitol/downtown area.)
We frequently ride to the University of Wisconsin Arboretum, which is glorious with color in the fall. Like many places in Wisconsin, Madison is beautiful at any time of the year, but fall brings out the grandeur of it all.
Pluses: If the weather is iffy or unpredictable, as it often can be in the fall, Madison is a great place to ride because there is always a coffee shop to duck into.
There are also a lot of rail-trails around Madison. Bob and I have ridden on the Military Ridge State Trail west of the city a few times, and it has stunning views of Driftless Area farmlands.
Minuses: There are so many trails and bike lanes that it's easy to get turned around. We've found that if you stand in one place, holding a map and looking confused, someone will stop and point you in the right direction. Also, there are lot of cyclists in Madison, and trails can get a bit clogged. Even on paths, you'll have to contend with city traffic and be vigilant of motorists. If it all gets to be a bit much, stop and get some coffee.
Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System
The rail-trails listed here are all gravel. That's fine, but that surface does make pedaling a bit more difficult than paved trails. I like riding on gravel because it makes riding on paved trails, such as those of the Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System, seem like heaven.
If Madison is the gem of urban cycling, the Heart of Vilas is the crown jewel of the rural Northwoods. The trail system consists of 52 miles of paved trails that connect the communities of St. Germain, Sayner, Boulder Junction, Manitowish Waters and Mercer.
I've only ridden on the system once, and it was late fall, after the colors had peaked and the leaves had fallen. It was cold, and I ended up riding about 10 miles on a mechanically-sketchy bicycle I recently bought at a charity sale.
The trails I rode were terrific. Twisty and turny, with a few bumps up and down following hills. I rode by a campsite and through deep woods. If the light had been right, and the colorful leaves still on the trees, it would have been like riding in a kaleidoscope tunnel.
I did have coffee, but for the life of me I can't remember which town it was or what the shop was called. I do remember it was a mocha, and it was rich and sweet. When I visit the trail system again, and I will, I reckon that the Heart of Vilas is the absolute perfect place to bring a small camp stove, some chocolate and some coffee to make a trailside brew. Then you can sit there and enjoy the sun streaming through the leaves and maybe listen to the loons calling across the lake.
Pluses: The pavement! Oh my gosh, pedaling easy on a paved trail through trees is such a treat. Riding between towns is terrific fun. And Boulder Junction claims to have the most white deer in the state, so you might spot one of these eye-catching animals.
Minus: Only one. If you live in the southern half of the state, it's a bit of a drive north to access the trail system. Worth it, hands down.
Wild Goose State Trail/Horicon National Wildlife Refuge
A few weeks ago, when the summer heat was stifling us all, some friends and I rented a waterfront cabin near Juneau. I knew the Wild Goose State Trail ran through Juneau, so while everybody else was off cruising on a pontoon boat, I took a solo ride.
Wild Goose is 34 miles long, another crushed gravel pathway. It runs from Clyman Junction in the south to Fond du Lac in the north. I knew that it skirted along the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, but I didn't quite understand from the maps whether it was right next to the marshland. It is. As I rode north of Juneau, I was jazzed to find the trail ran into a parking area for the refuge's Main Dike Road. I pedaled a mile or two into the refuge and found sock-knocking-off scenery. The wind was hustling through the grass and I felt both alone and part of nature at the same time. So cool.
Pluses: The farms around Juneau and along the Wild Goose are beautiful, and of course, I was stunned by Horicon. I bet later in the fall would perfect for that ride, with migrating birds flying through the area. I'll be bringing binoculars next time.
Minus: There was no coffee shop that I could find in Juneau, except one that was closed and for sale across the street from the courthouse. There is a nice Piggly Wiggly grocery in Juneau, though, and I did get a tasty strawberry kringle there.
Quick aside: Readers, you might, at this point, be asking yourself, "What is the deal with the coffee obsession?" There are a couple reasons. I am the son of a truck driver, and my dad's citizen's band radio handle back in the day was "Coffee Cup." I inherited the coffee gene, along with the yearning to always be on the move. Also, cycling culture and coffee culture roots run deep and often intertwine to the point where it's hard to tell whether people ride bikes to drink coffee or whether they drink coffee to ride bikes.
Related: 5 reasons to celebrate National Bike Month on Stevens Point's Green Circle Trail
Related: Biking from New Glarus to Monroe, all for the glory of Limburger cheese
Bearskin State Trail
When my friend David Paulsen invited me to join him on a ride on the Bearskin, I jumped at the chance. It's a 21.5-mile gravel path that runs from Harshaw on the south end to Minocqua on the north. I had seen signs for the bike trail when I drove Highway 51 to destinations north, but I never took the time to check it out.
That was my loss. It's a great trail that takes you into deep woods. There are long boardwalks running through marshes, quiet little lakes and vistas that make you think you might be in Alaska. David suffered a flat tire and was riding with a time commitment, so we didn't quite make it to Minocqua. Too bad, because I was hoping to make it to Dan's Minocqua Fudge so I could fuel up for the ride back to the parking lot. Next time.
Pluses: You get a real wilderness vibe pedaling on the Bearskin. Minocqua is a great destination for a cyclist. And on its southern end the Bearskin meets up with the Hiawatha Trail, which links to Tomahawk, if you're so inclined.
Minuses: There are parts of the trail that use roads. The stretch is rugged, with the roadway made of crushed rock. Also, I didn't see a bear. That was disappointing, but maybe for the best.
Contact Keith Uhlig at 715-845-0651 or kuhlig@gannett.com. Follow him at @UhligK on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram or on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: 5 great bike rides to take in Wisconsin in the fall
