The La Crosse River State Trail is a

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 ...

between

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

and Onalaska,

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 ...

. It is designed for foot, bicycle, equestrian or light motorized traffic. It is designated as a multiuse trail, offering recreational access to the routes, and is open to the public.La Crosse River State Trail - Wisconsin DNR
/ref> The trail runs parallel to the

La Crosse River The La Crosse River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed October 5, 2012 tributary of the Mississippi River in southwestern Wisconsin in the United States. Course The L ...

It is one of four connecting bike trails in west-central Wisconsin that spans approximately one-third of the state. The trail is known for the rural scenery and terrain of the

Coulee Region The Driftless Area, also known as Bluff Country and the Paleozoic Plateau, is a topographic and cultural region in the Midwestern United States that comprises southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, and the extreme ...

. It is part of the larger Wisconsin bike trail system, operated by the state of Wisconsin. The four connecting west central Wisconsin trails, known as the Bike 4 Trails, going from southeast to northwest are: *the

400 State Trail The 400 State Trail is a rail trail between Reedsburg and Elroy, Wisconsin. It is designed for foot, bicycle, equestrian, snowmobile traffic. It is designated as a multi-use trail, offering recreational access to the routes, and is open to the ...

() *the

Elroy-Sparta State Trail The Elroy-Sparta State Trail is a Wisconsin State 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. Designa ...

() *the La Crosse River Trail () *the

Great River Trail The Great River State Trail is a rail trail between Onalaska and Marshland, Wisconsin. It is designed for foot, bicycle, equestrian or light motorized traffic. It is designated as a multiuse trail, offering recreational access to the routes, and ...

()

The western end of the trail is at the intersection with the Great River Trail at a parking lot off of County Highway B east of in Onalaska (), while the eastern end is at the intersection with the Elroy-Sparta State Trail on John St. in Sparta (). Sparta trails start 2

The trail headquarters is located in a historic depot in Sparta and is open from May 1 through October 31. There is a $5.00 per day fee for use of the trail if one does not have the $25.00 yearly Wisconsin bike trail pass. Camping, lodging, food, parking, bike rentals and information are available at many points along the trail. The trail is constructed upon the abandoned

Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western was a Railroad classes#Class I, Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of t ...

railroad bed. It originally was built for the

Baraboo Air Line Railroad The Baraboo Air Line Railroad was a railroad company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1870 to build a line from Madison, Wisconsin, to La Crosse, Wisconsin, as part of a new through route between Madison and Winona, Minnesota. The com ...

and the La Crosse, Trempealeau & Presscott Railroad routes from Sparta to Winona, Minnesota. The trail is not paved, but is smooth, and covered with packed crushed limestone.

References

External links

Official website
including history and campground information and maps
Discover Onalaska

DNR page
{{Wisconsin hiking trails Rail trails in Wisconsin Chicago and North Western Railway

See also

References

External links