{"id":341,"date":"2015-06-13T18:11:44","date_gmt":"2015-06-13T23:11:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wisconsinverbs.com\/?p=341"},"modified":"2015-06-13T19:00:38","modified_gmt":"2015-06-14T00:00:38","slug":"wisconsin-bikes-elroy-sparta-state-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wisconsinverbs.com\/wisconsin-bikes-elroy-sparta-state-trail\/","title":{"rendered":"Wisconsin Bikes: All Aboard the Elroy-Sparta State Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"
June 6, 2015\u00a0
70 Miles\u00a0
7.5ish hours\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Elroy-Sparta Trail is the crown jewel of cycling in Wisconsin. About 32 miles of crushed limestone trail stretches\u00a0between the two small Wisconsin towns on an old railway line. The ride not only\u00a0features some amazing views, but there are also minutes\u00a0of sheer darkness while you walk your bikes through long railroad tunnels.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My friends and I threw our bikes on the rack and drove to Elroy, about an hour and half from Madison. We parked at the Kendall Depot which is well prepared for visiting cyclists\u00a0with a shop, washroom and even showers.<\/p>\n
All three of us had brought our skinny-tire road bikes. Despite the fact that the trail is crushed limestone, it was pretty firm \u2014 more like hard-packed dirt than loose small rocks.\u00a0If the trail was soft due recent rains or the spring thaw, I would have chosen a bike with thicker tires.<\/p>\n
The Elroy-Sparta Trail<\/a>\u00a0website boasts that it is\u00a0 “America’s first Rails to Trails project.” Rails to Trails<\/a> is a national movement to convert abandoned rail lines into usable parks and trails. It makes a lot of sense. These natural trails now connect communities through outdoor recreation much like the railroads did with commerce in years past. The Elroy-Sparta trail is not only a great place for cycling and hiking in the summer, but it’s open to snowmobiles\u00a0in the winter.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The thing that differentiates a rail trail to any many\u00a0cycling experiences in Wisconsin is the grade. Steep inclines and descents have been smoothed over by engineers to create a steady grade that the massive trains could handle. This corner of the state is actually pretty hilly, which means that instead of short, steep climbs on the road the rail trail offers long, gradual climbs.\u00a0On the flip side, it also means that you rarely stop pedaling for a downhill.\u00a0<\/p>\n What sets the Elroy-Sparta Trail apart from the other\u00a0rail trails in the state are\u00a0the three long railroad tunnels along the trail. These tunnels are difficult to put into words and really need to be experienced first hand.\u00a0I had heard that it was recommended to walk bikes through the tunnels, but kind of thought we’d ride through them anyway. However upon seeing the first tunnel, it was clear that, yes, we should definitely walk our bikes.<\/p>\n First, moving from the bright sunlight into the extreme darkness makes it even harder to see than I anticipated. It would be easy to ride up on someone without seeing them. Second, the tunnel floor is often rocky, wet and rutted \u2014 pretty dicey to ride on.<\/p>\n Last, it turns out that walking for 10-15 minutes during a long day of cycling is the perfect\u00a0way to stretch the legs out. Just consider it active recovery.\u00a0I think all of the tunnels are on the top of long low-grade hills \u2014 particularly the one closest to Sparta. Here I was more than happy to jump off my bike and stretch my legs out while we walked the nearly mile-long tunnel.\u00a0By the time we jumped back on our bikes, I felt relaxed and refreshed. Even better,\u00a0the path after the tunnel was downhill for a long stretch.<\/p>\n The tunnels are wet and dark and it’s probably a good idea to pack a rain jacket or even an umbrella. The tunnel nearest Sparta was built under a natural spring, so there are streams of water falling from the ceiling. I was really happy that we had our bike lights, both the red flasher on the back to alert those behind us and the bright white lights in front to guide our way.<\/p>\n Along the trail, we saw\u00a0beautiful scenery including rolling hills, marshes, prairies, farmland and forests. As we rode, a pair of sandhill cranes flew overhead and we heard many other songbirds.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The best thing about this trail is\u00a0how the communities along the trail welcome cyclists with open arms. As we traveled through several small towns, we noticed that many small businesses had bike racks and there were even some advertisements near the trail for places to camp or eat. It was easy to find a spot to\u00a0fill up water bottles or use a restroom along the way. We even passed some bed and breakfasts along the trail which looked like great destinations.<\/p>\n The communities along the trail were celebrating the trail’s 50th anniversary the day we rode. Each community had a number of riders wearing t-shirts to signify where they rode from. There were lots of people out, but with a trail this long, it\u00a0rarely felt crowded.<\/p>\n Near one of the tunnels, my friend had a mechanical issue with his bike cleat, which meant he couldn’t remove his shoe from the pedal, which also meant that he had to walk through the wet tunnel without a shoe. He took it in stride and walked with a plastic bag over his sock for a while before eventually just going barefoot.\u00a0<\/p>\nTunnels<\/h3>\n
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\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nOn the Trail<\/h3>\n
Sparta<\/h3>\n
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