Explore the best rated trails in Eau Claire, WI, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Wild Rivers State Trail and Duncan Creek Trail . With more than 11 trails covering 249 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
We listened to previous reviews and picked "the cream of the crop" for our ride -- heading north out of Jim Falls to Cornell. Beautiful ride along the river and plenty of tree canopy. Trail in great shape. At Cornell, we decided to bike into Brunet State Park for a nice ride around the small island. We got back to Jim Falls and kept going, for a daily ride of about 33 miles. Highly recommend a tour of the Leinenkugel Brewery in Chippewa Falls, overnight lodging at the amazing Otter Creek Inn in Altoona, and dinner at Mona Lisa in Eau Claire -- the pizza and pasta were outstanding, and a great dinner after a great ride!
We rode this trail in late May 2024 and listened to the reviews, so I can only comment on the western part of this trail, from the Durand trailhead, riding about 6.5 miles to the intersection with the Red Cedar Trail and then we headed north on that trail. Other reviews say past the intersection, the trail needs work, so we followed that advice. The trail out of Durand is great -- paved and beautiful biking with tree canopy and the point where the trail intersects with the Red Cedar is clearly marked. The portion we did was great.
Perfect for hybrid bikes! Runs along the Red Cedar River for most of the trail and enjoyable to see the kayaks and canoes. Very lightly used.
Perfect for hybrid bikes! Runs along the Red Cedar River for most of the trail and enjoyable to see the kayaks and canoes. Very lightly used.
My sister and I loved this trail. All black top. And a very cute town to explore
Glad I didn't go out of my way to check this trail out. Consists of loose dirt, very little gravel. Cannot effectively ride any kind of bike on this trail. Don't waste your time unless you have an ATV.
Wisconsin Bike Trip Report - Cycle Seven Rails to Trails in Five Days: In August 2022, our group of 11 went on a self-guided partially supported bike ride covering seven Rails to Trails in Central Wisconsin near La Crosse, Sparta and Eau Claire. Turned out to be an amazing trip with great weather, except the last day during which it rained. Great variety of environments and trails, including some short bridges and long tunnels, shaded woodlands and bright prairie. Attached is a pdf detailing the logistics and planning we carried out to make the trip happen. TrailLink.com has great description of each individual trail. Over five days of riding we covered:
1. Elroy-Sparta State Trail
2. Great River State Trail
3. La Crosse River State Trail
4. 400 State Trail
5. Red Cedar State Trail
6. Chippewa River State Trail
7. Old Abe State Trail
For a 5 page pdf summary document of our trip with maps and logistics, see: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mk5DYWU-LirXlXT9_B3R6ZbDn4Iautr_/view?usp=sharing
We went on this trail for biking. It was very difficult to maneuver due to the looser gravel. It seems it would be fine for walking or UTV/ATV but other than that, we had a hard time with our bikes. We have hybrid and mountain bikes. We ended up getting off of the path and going onto the roads because it was just too loose of gravel. There was also a point we went through a bridge and it was all water and muck so walking would be difficult in that area. Beautiful scenery on the path, but we couldn’t appreciate it because our eyes had to be glued to the path.
The trail is a scenic one.. Running along the river, mainly canopied with trees. But once you get to Red Cedar the trail is super rough, hence my low rating. For awhile it’s old black top patching even OLDER black top. Then Mother Nature steps in and it’s ok. Getting closer to Eau Claire is a bit better but that’s not saying much.
One of the best trails I been on. Super scenic, runs along the Red Cedar River and is mostly shaded and cool. Can treat yourself to a swim after if you end in Dunnville.
I’m not sure why it says it has a break in the trail because it doesn’t.. The “break in trail” is quite rough though.. Where the trail starts in Eau Claire is pretty cool. Where the trail ends is cool too, being in the state park. I got on the trail right from my campsite!
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