Elroy-Sparta State Trail

Phone:
+1 608-463-7109

Address:
Elroy Sparta State Trail, Wisconsin, USA

The Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail is a 32-mile rail trail between Elroy and Sparta, Wisconsin. Considered to be the first rail trail when it opened in 1967, it was designed for foot, bicycle, equestrian and light motorized traffic. Designated a multiuse trail, it offers recreational access to the routes and is open to the public.The trail is part of the larger Wisconsin bike trail system operated by the state of Wisconsin. It is one of four connecting bike trails in west-central Wisconsin that span approximately one-third of the state. It passes through rural scenery and three tunnels. The four connecting west central Wisconsin trails, known as the Bike 4 Trails, going from southeast to northwest are: 400 Trail Elroy-Sparta Trail La Crosse River Trail Great River Trail The Elroy-Sparta bike trail connects to the 400 Trail in Elroy and the La Crosse River Trail in Sparta. The trail headquarters, located in Kendall on Wisconsin Highway 71, is open from May 1 through October 31. There is a fee for use of the trail if one does not have an annual Wisconsin bike trail pass. Camping, lodging, food, parking, bike rentals and information are available at many points along the trail.The trail, constructed upon the abandoned Chicago and North Western Railway railroad bed, is covered with crushed limestone for a smooth ride for bicyclists. The three tunnels along the trail are impressive feats of nineteenth-century railroad engineering. Tunnel #1, a short distance from Kendall, is surrounded by natural tunnels formed by the surrounding canopy of trees. Tunnel #2, stationed halfway between Wilton and Norwalk, features 20-foot-tall wooden doors on both ends of the tunnel. Both Tunnel #1 and Tunnel #2 are a 0.25 miles each. Tunnel #3, nine miles from Sparta and three miles from Norwalk, is longer than the span of 10 football fields at 0.75 miles . It took $1 million and three years of digging by hand to complete in 1873.
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Attraction Location

Elroy-Sparta State Trail Videos

Exploring the Elroy Sparta Bike Trail - USBRS State 30 | Lodi Silent Sports

Everyone should travel on the Elroy Sparta Bike Trail if in Wisconsin. It is part of the United States Bike Route System State Route 30 which in WI starts near Winona MN and comes across the Great River and LaCrosse Trails to the Elroy Sparta, $00 Trail to Reedsburg. From there, the route is on roads through Devils Lake, across the Merrimac Ferry and into Columbia County via Lodi WI on its way to Madison and then finally to Milwaukee.

Elroy Sparta Trail - Geoff and David's Excellent Adventure

Geoff and David take a 2 day trip on the Elroy Sparta Trail - the First Rail-To-Trail project in the United States. Incredible days and the perfect peak Autumn turn. Fall leaves abound.

Rails to Trails - Bike Wisconsin

Lytle's Landing bridge on the Great River Trail - Rails-to-Trails bike system in Wisconsin

Connecting Communities — Ice Age Trail | Discover Wisconsin

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As the Ice Age National Scenic Trail winds its way across over 1,000 miles of Wisconsin's landscapes, it also passes through and near many great communities. These communities take advantage of the recreational opportunities the trail provides as well. We travel from Baraboo and a gem along the trail in Devil's Lake State Park, past the Ice Age Trail Alliance headquarters on our way to Verona. We then make the turn at the southernmost point of the trail in Janesville as we end up in Whitewater. So much to see and do, let's get trekking.

Hillsboro State Trail (Westbound) From Union Center to Hillsboro, WI

This 4-mile, county operated trail connects the communities of Hillsboro and Union Center, while crossing wooded and agricultural lands, winding streams and the beautiful Baraboo River. The Hillsboro State Trail connects to the 400 State Trail in Union Center. The 400 State Trail connects to the Elroy-Sparta State Trail in Elroy.

Hello! We're the Wisconsin Bike Fed

We're the nation's largest statewide, nonprofit, bicycle advocacy organization, and we're on a mission to unite Wisconsin bicyclists together to build a better, more bike-friendly state.

If you're ready to join the movement for better bicycling in Wisconsin, visit WisconsinBikeFed.org/join

POWERMAN North America - Wisconsin - Bike Course

powermannorthamerica.com/Events/Powerman-Wisconsin/

15th Annual Withlacoochee Rails to Trails Bike Ride

Bikers of all disciplines came out and participated in the 15th Annual Rails to Trails ride. Road bikers, mountain bikers, comfort bikes, hybrids, trikkes - you name it!
Clips are from the North Apopka Trailhead, the starting point of the ride. Haven't ridden the Withlacoochee State Trail?
Visit for maps and other information. Make to support the Rails to Trails of the Withlacoochee, the Citizen Support Organization that sponsors this event.

Taken by Kevin Mims

militaryretireesV2

Sparta Wisconsin is great place for military retirees to live. Watch the video to find out why.

Discover Wisconsin Stevens Point Area Biking Segment

Grab your bike and hit the road to explore the Green Circle Trail, Tomorrow River State Trail, Standing Rocks County Park and road biking in rural Portage County. Explore the best that trail riding, mountain biking and road biking have to offer in the Stevens Point Area, with Emmy Fink, host of Discover Wisconsin.

Plan your biking adventure in the Stevens Point Area today!

West Coast Bike Tour (Ep 3) Oregon to Washington

Logan and Michael embark on a 1,950 mile bicycle tour down the west coast of the US, from Canada to Mexico.

Thanks to the great website Freemusicarchive.com and No Copyright Sounds for the creative commons music used in this video.

Music attributions:
Intro song: Elba by Broken Ideas, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License.

From freemusicarchive.com

Great thanks to Jebase for the main music in this video, good stuff!

Capital City Trail Video

Bicycle Madison Wisconsin on the Capital City Trail

Midwest Bike Touring - Milwaukee to Lake Mills, Wisconsin

A friend and I took the bicycles west for an overnight camp out at Sandhill Station State Campground. Enjoy the lush, early summer scenery ... follow along the awesome wooden bridges ... see a guy frog jumping along the trail ... marvel at my spilled dinner. She my shorter (2 minute) version at Music:

Our Bike Trip Across Wisconsin

A short video about our bike ride across Wisconsin this summer.

all music by Josh Woodward

The Morning Show: Wisconsin Bike Trails

US Army Bus Leaving Ft. McCoy Whisconson They have Butter Burgurgers in WI

400 State Bike Trail - Time Lapse

Travel south on Wisconsin's 400 State Bike Trail from Wonewoc WI to La Valle WI in under 3 minutes! Learn more about the 400 trail at devilslakewisconsin.com

Bicycle the Mickelson Trail

This is from a recent bicycle ride on the Mickelson trail in South Dakota. Excellent trail. To me it is very clear, that this is the best use of old rail grades. The revenue these bring in to the area is phenomenal. Even during the middle of the week we met several people.

Wheel & Sprocket: Wisconsin Bike Federation

The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin (BFW) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to making Wisconsin a better place to bicycle. Its mission is to advocate, educate and coordinate bicycle interests in Wisconsin.

Formed in 1988, the BFW is one of the oldest bicycling organizations in the United States.

The BFW is supported by its nearly 3,000 members throughout Wisconsin.

The members elect a 15-person Board of Directors to oversee the work of the organization.

The executive director leads a staff six full-time and three part-time employees.

Offices are located in Madison and Milwaukee.

Volunteers are essential to the operation of the BFW and are extensively involved in its projects and programs.

The key to extending the reach and influence of the BFW is a statewide network of cycling advocates and educators.

The BFW speaks and works for cyclists of all interests and in all parts of the state.

Milwaukee Office

1845 N Farwell Avenue, Suite 100
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: 414-271-9685
Fax: 414-273-7293

106 E Doty Street, Suite 400
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: 608-251-4456
Fax: 608-251-4594

2015 Annual Bike Trip - New Glarus to Madison

2015 Annual Bike Trip for Jeff, Pat, and Mark. Started in New Glarus and headed out on the Sugar River Trail in Wisconsin. Connected up with the Badger State Trail via Hwy C and rode up to Madison Wisconsin. Day two, we rode back to New Glarus.

The music accompaniment for this video is Dave Beegle (with Phil Keaggy) playing their song Something Shared from the album Beyond the Desert. This song can be purchased at the following location:

Dave Beegle Website: