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Great River Trail, Wisconsin |
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Great River Trail, Wisconsin |
| Great River Bike Trail, Wisconsin |
About Bicycles Online > Bicycle Touring and Trails > Great-River-Trail The Great River Trail, WisconsinArticle and photos by Dale Kiffel
The Great River State Trail is a 24 mi rails to trails endeavor and follows the abandoned Chicago and Northwestern railroad bed. The trail traverses a mixture of prairie and marshy bottomlands. It passes through the communities of Onalaska, Midway, Trempealeau, and two wildlife refuges. Parking is available in Onalaska, Midway, and Trempealeau. A Wisconsin trail pass (4$/day or $15/yr) is required. Some of the trail information literature list the Center for Commerce and Tourism as 800 Oak Forest Drive, but this has moved to 1101 Main Street. I rode the trail on a new toy I purchased this year, my Bacchetta Giro 26 recumbent, aka the reclining lawnchair on wheels, during the last week of summer. This article includes first hand descriptions and plenty of photos of the Great River Trail going from Onalaska, Wisconsin to the Trempeleau National Wildlife Refuge (September 2006). Bike Trail Information The Great River Trail in Wisconsin is 24 miles one way and connects to the Lacross River Trail in Onalaska, Wisconsin. The 4 connecting west central Wisconsin trails (aka Bike 4 Trails) going from southeast to northwest are:
Daily or annual State trail passes are required for riders age 16 and older. Currently the pass is $4.00 /day or you can choose the $15.00 yearly pass (good for all Wisconsin state trails). Here's a link to the Great River Trail Map A lot is said about the abundant wild life on this trail, but I didn't really see a whole lot unless you consider the geriatric bicycle club that had a particularly good showing for a Monday morning. :-) I did see a few bunnies, grey and black squirrels, and a number of different birds. Various bird calls can be heard also, which sound eerie echoing through the marshes. A lot is also said of the 18 bridges, however, there are only 3 or 4 of any significance and the others are 10 - 20 ft crossing small creeks. Small nigglings aside, The Great River State Trail is a fun and interesting trail.
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