Mountain bikers can ride groomed trails in Greenbush this winter thanks to Sheboygan County Cycling

Mountain biking trails at Greenbush Recreation Area of Kettle Moraine State Forest – Northern Unit have been adopted by a new organization, Sheboygan County Cycling, which became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in February 2022.

The group’s mission is to promote all forms of cycling, for all people who live, work and play in Sheboygan County.

The winter of 2023-2024 marked the first year SCC groomed the Greenbush trails for winter off-road/fat-tire biking. This came about thanks to a land-use agreement with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the financial support of sponsors and members.

This winter, the SCC utilized two groomers at Greenbush. The first was a 1980s snowmobile with a drag behind it to pack down the snow. One of the group’s volunteers, Dan Meyer, manufactured the drag in his garage.

The second groomer was what is known as a Snowdog plow. It is a small, one-person, stand-up snow craft that maneuvers excellently around the tight corners of the Greenbush trails.

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A special thanks to this year’s groomers, Dan Meyer, Dave Hasse and Tom Reis.

Grooming proved to be a challenge this winter with the two large back-to-back January snowstorms that dumped nearly 3 feet of snow. It took a crew of more than 15 volunteers on snowshoes to help pack the trail and clear fallen branches from the trail before the groomers could go out. Then, came the bitter cold followed by the great meltdown. The group was able to groom the trails after the most recent snowstorm.

Equipment for this first year was made possible thanks to a borrowing agreement with Attitude Sports in Fond du Lac. Currently, SCC is fundraising to purchase a Snowdog single-track groomer that will be stored at Greenbush for easy and consistent use. This will help the SCC groomers produce a higher-quality winter cycling experience for everyone.

For more about Sheboygan County Cycling and the group’s fundraiser, go to sheboygancountycycling.org.

What to know if you use the trails in Greenbush

With the current freeze-thaw cycles, the group recommends heading out to bike the trails early in the day before the ground thaws. It is best to bike on frozen dirt and not mud. This practice will protect the trail tread and reduce the amount of trail maintenance.

Bikers need to be mindful of other trail users from hikers and snowshoers to horseback riders and cross-country skiers. At Greenbush, the bike trails cross other trails at multiple locations, so bikers should make sure they remain on the bike trails.

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Bikers older than 16 using the Greenbush trails need a Wisconsin State Park System annual or daily trail pass. Folks can purchase trail passes at a self-registration station or from a staffed State Park System office.

This trail pass also works for State Bike Trails, horseback riding trails, cross-country trails and in-line skating paths that require them.

A Wisconsin State Park System vehicle admission sticker is required to park in the parking lots at Greenbush. People can buy a vehicle sticker at the same locations as the passes.

With Sheboygan County Cycling adopting the Greenbush Recreation Area mountain biking trails, mountain and fat-tire bikers should rejoice! This new partnership between the SCC and the DNR can only lead to awesome biking on excellent trails.

Jackie Scharfenberg is a retired naturalist of the Kettle Moraine State Forest - Northern Unit.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan winter off-road mountain bike trails groomed in Greenbush