Biking

Bicycling magazine rates Wisconsin one of the top three states for cyclists. Madison [1] is second only to Seattle in the list of the nation’s most bike-friendly cities. The Elroy-Sparta State Recreational Trail was the country’s first rail-to-trail system and is regarded as the granddaddy of all multipurpose state recreational trails, and the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Trail (CAMBA) system is among the most respected outside Colorado and Utah. All this, combined with the immense concatenate labyrinth of rural farm-to-market roads, makes it obvious why Wisconsinites leave bike racks on their cars year-round. In total, the state maintains more than 10,000 miles of established, mapped, and recommended bike routes.

Since the completion of the Elroy-Sparta State Recreational Trail, the state has added 41 other rail beds, logging roads, and state park trails to its State Trail System for a total of nearly 1,700 miles. It’s impossible to keep up with how many more miles are added annually since cities and counties are establishing their own networks to link with state trails.

The state of Wisconsin tourist information centers dispense excellent free cycling maps and booklets. Two good organizations are the Bicycling Federation of Wisconsin (www.bfw.org [2]) and the Wisconsin Off-Road Bicycling Association (www.worba.org [3]).

Trail passes ($4 daily, $15 annually) are not required for hikers, but are necessary for all others 16 and over.