Elroy-Sparta Trail

On Friday we drove to the Tunnel Trail Campground where we had reservations for two nights, based on recommendations from other cyclists on the Root River Trail. It cost us $35/night for a gravel and dirt site up a steep hill with no electricity or water. Almost all of the other sites were lush grass. Since I had asked if we had water and electricity and was told yes, we can't figure out why we got one of the only 'primitive' sites! The campground was full of families who played games, yelled, sat around the campfire and played in the pool (think noisy and crowded). We saw lots of unused bicycles lying around. The concept of family camping, especially in private campgrounds, certainly has changed over the years! Oh well, at least we had immediate access to the trail as the entrance crossed it!


The Elroy-Sparta trail is a rails-to-trails conversion so the elevation changes never go above 3%. The trail is often wooded and canopied but does have open spaces. It has three tunnels and each is at the top of a 2-3 mile long hill.

The tunnels really provide variety on this trail. Each is unlighted so cyclists must carry flashlights and have to walk their bikes. Both ends of each tunnel have huge doors. In the train days, the doors kept the temperature consistent, especially in the winter to prevent the freeze and thaw cycle that would cause rock falls. Men were hired to open and close the doors for the 50+ trains a day. The longest tunnel was quite wet as it intersected a spring. Walking the bikes really decreased the average speed for the day!



Note the 'light at the end of the tunnel!' John and I took photos of each other to prove we were there!



On Friday afternoon we rode from the campground to Elroy and back for a total of 23 miles. (Note that we rode nine miles that morning before leaving the Root River Trail.) The section from Kendall to Elroy was not as interesting as the section on either side of Tunnel #1. Once in Elroy the signage was not clear and we took the long, trafficked route to the visitor center in the old station. There they had clean rest rooms with showers (which would come in handy in a couple of days!). We didn't leave Elroy until after 5:00 p.m. so all we did after arriving back at our campsite was to take showers and then eat watermelon, chips and salsa for supper!



On Saturday we started our ride in the other direction about 9:00 a.m. Very few people were on the trail at that time. We stopped in the second town (after another tunnel!) for a sweet roll and coffee. What a surprise that we could get bacon and eggs, etc. but NO sweet rolls or doughnuts. So, miniature Snickers fueled us for the uphill section to the longest tunnel. Suddenly the trail was quite busy with lots of families and a few youth groups. Two 12-13 year olds and an adult kept leap-frogging us. We never stopped and it was a classic tortoise and the hare scenario. Finally we saw them begin to walk their bikes as we slowly and consistently pedaled on by; we never saw them again and have no idea if they made it to the tunnel. Just before the tunnel was a rest area with a brakeman's shed and a water pump. Did either of us think to take pictures? We walked through Tunnel #3 which dripped cold water on us and was definitely sloped downhill. After riding a mile or so beyond the tunnel, we turned around knowing that the rest of the trail to Sparta was not as interesting.



The route back was broken up by walking the two tunnels and then stopping for food twice. For lunch the highlight was REAL fresh Wisconsin cheese curds. They were surprisingly tasty. Then less than a mile from our campground John saw a sign for a restaurant in an old schoolhouse just off the trail. We bounced down a steep grassy slope, along a trail through a corn field, and to bicycle racks in a large yard. With no further signs, we wandered around a bed and breakfast inn and abandoned farm buildings before locating the restaurant. It was worth it because we each had a piece of delicious, home cooked pies and then got huge cinnamon rolls for breakfast, all for less than $10!