The Pine Line Trail, also known as ''Price-Taylor Rail Trail'', is a multi-use

rail-trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a 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 corridor with active railways, li ...

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) ...

and

Price A price is the (usually not negative) quantity of payment or compensation expected, required, or given by one party to another in return for goods or services. In some situations, especially when the product is a service rather than a ph ...

Counties in north-central

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 26.2 miles long, running from farm country around Medford on the south end across the

terminal moraine A terminal moraine, also called an end moraine, is a type of moraine that forms at the terminal (edge) of a glacier, marking its maximum advance. At this point, debris that has accumulated by plucking and abrasion, has been pushed by the front e ...

left by the last glacier in the area, passing hills, lakes and swamps, almost reaching Prentice.

History

Starting in 1876 the site of the trail was a rail line used by the Wisconsin Central Railroad to ship

eastern white pine ''Pinus strobus'', commonly called the eastern white pine, northern white pine, white pine, Weymouth pine (British), and soft pine is a large pine native to eastern North America. It occurs from Newfoundland, Canada, west through the Great Lake ...

, among other commodities. After the original timber was logged, the railroad continued to haul passengers and supplies to and from the little towns along its route. But with the proliferation of cars and trucks, even that business dwindled, and in 1988 the trains stopped running on this stretch. The following year, some local residents negotiated an agreement with the railroad to use the right-of-way and road bed as a multi-use recreational trail - the Pine Line. In the hundred years since logging started, pines have regrown to line the trail, accounting for the trail's name.

Description

The trail is long and generally follows a north–south path along . The trail's southern terminus is at

Medford, Wisconsin Medford is a city and county seat of Taylor County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,349 at the 2020 census. The city is located mostly within the boundaries of the Medford (town), Wisconsin, Town of Medford. History Medford is lo ...

in Taylor County (), with the

trailhead A trailhead is the point where a trail begins or is accessed, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles. Modern trailheads often contain restrooms, maps, signposts, and distribution centers for ...

south of

Prentice, Wisconsin Prentice is a village in Price County, Wisconsin, United States, near where Highway 13 crosses the Jump River. The population was 563 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Town of Prentice. History The area that would become ...

in Price County (). Along the way it passes the hamlets of

Whittlesey Whittlesey (also Whittlesea) is a market town and civil parish in the Fenland District, Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England. Whittlesey is east of Peterborough. The population of the parish was 17,667 at the 2021 Census. Toponymy W ...

, Chelsea,

Westboro Westboro may refer to: Places Canada *Westboro, Ottawa, Ontario, a neighbourhood ** Westboro Station (OC Transpo), an OC Transpo Transitway Station United States * Westboro (Topeka), Kansas, a residential neighborhood * Westboro, Missouri * Westbo ...

, and Ogema. The Pine Line is open for non-motorized use such as

bicycling Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of bicycle pedal, pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the ...

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

, and

jogging Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase physical fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running but more than walking, or to maintain a steady speed for longer periods ...

from April 1 through November 30.

Snowmobiles A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

and

ATV ATV may refer to: Broadcasting * Amateur television *Analog television Television broadcaster * Andorra Televisió * Anguilla Television * Ayna TV, Afghanistan * ATV (Armenia) * ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate * ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourn ...

s are allowed on the trail from December 1 through March 31. There are no fees for use. Annual events are scheduled on the trail such as the Dairyland Marathon and Volksmarsch, which is held on the fourth Saturday of April. Pine Line trail Fisher Creek Westboro Wisconsin

Pine Line trail Fisher Creek Westboro Wisconsin

Notes

{{Wisconsin hiking trails Hiking trails in Wisconsin Protected areas of Price County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Taylor County, Wisconsin Rail trails in Wisconsin

History

Description

See also

Notes