Sparta Elroy Trail – Wisconsin

Ride 5 of our Fall vacation was the nation”s very first rail-to-trail the Sparta Elroy in Wisconsin which runs between the towns of Sparta and Elroy. Our hotel in Sparta was just a mile from the trail head and had a bike lane which was very nice. We rode the trail out and back. Including the miles from our hotel and back and side excursions it was a 70 mile ride. The trail is not paved but is really hard packed and a good surface to ride. Even though it had rained the day before the trail wasn”t soft.
My only complaint (if you”d call it that) is the distance. Not that we have a problem riding this distance, it”s just with our inability to get around for an early start, our slow pace and the many stops we make for various reasons, on longer trails like this I feel we need to hurry to finish before darkness sets in and this means less time for exploring the towns and anything else we might encounter along the trail. i.e. when we reached the end point in Elroy, we didn”t feel we had time to ride farther in to town to check it out and have lunch which we”d have liked to do.

Video…

Photos…