Chippewa River State Trail is a 26-mile urban-rural

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

in western

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

that follows the path of the Chippewa River. The trails runs from the spot of the confluence of the Chippewa with the Eau Claire River, at

Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park () is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since ...

in downtown

Eau Claire Eau Claire (French for "clear water", ''pl.'' ''eaux claires'') is the name of a number of locations and features in North America. The name is pronounced as if it were spelled "O'Clare". Place names (Canada) Communities *Eau Claire, Calgary, a n ...

(), meeting up with the Red Cedar State Trail near Red Cedar (), to Durand (). A former railroad corridor, the trail passes through a variety of habitat including wetlands, prairies and sandstone bluff. The Chippewa River State Trail will eventually be part of the greater Chippewa River Trail System which also includes the Red Cedar State Trail and the

Old Abe State Trail Old Abe State Trail is a paved multi-use rail trail in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, USA. The name commemorates Old Abe, a bald eagle that was captured in 1861 by Ahgamahwegezhig, a Native American man, near the South Fork of the Flambeau R ...

. Once completed, the system will include almost of trail and connect the cities of Durand, Menomonie,

Chippewa Falls Chippewa Falls () is a city located on the Chippewa River in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,731 in the 2020 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the county seat of Chippewa County. The city's name orig ...

and

Cornell Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson White in 1865. Since ...

. As of 2022, the Red Cedar and Chippewa River Trails connect Eau Claire and Menomonie, but there is no trail between Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls. The trail is also connected with several smaller trails within the city of Eau Claire including a walking trail through Putnam Park on the far west side of the park. There is also access to the Farmer's Market in Phoenix Park, which is open on Saturday mornings. Outside of the city limits of Eau Claire (between Interstate 94 and Durand), there is a fee to use the trail, except for walking and hiking. An annual pass costs $25.00 and a day pass $5.00.

References

External links

Chippewa River State Trail website
from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Friends of Chippewa River State Trail website
from Friends of the Chippewa River State Trail {{Wisconsin hiking trails Protected areas of Chippewa County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Dunn County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Eau Claire County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Pepin County, Wisconsin Rail trails in Wisconsin