Great River State Trail

This 24-mile crushed gravel trail traverses prairies and backwaters of the upper Mississippi River valley following an abandoned Chicago-Northwestern railroad line from Onalaska to Marshland. The trail surface, though crushed gravel, is hard-packed and we saw a number of road bikes negotiating the trail with no difficulty.

The trail traverses along 18 different waterways, skirts three different national wildlife refuges, and during the migration seasons, you will see much waterfowl, wading birds, and migrating songbirds. Side trails can take you into these areas. You also pass through Perot State Park, another wildlife-rich area. Bottomland areas along the trail provide an excellent opportunity to observe many wildlife species including songbirds, pheasant, ducks, great blue heron, pelicans, cormorants, egrets, coots, deer, squirrels, and raccoons.



You pass over 18 tributaries heading to the Mississippi, including Black River and its old 287 foot long steel rail trestle at Lytles Landing...


Those interested in prehistoric cultures should stop at the Nicholl's Mound observation desk along the trail about a mile south of Trempealeau, near the northern end of the route. The observation deck provides a glimpse into the long-gone Hopewell Native American culture whose members built numerous mounds along the Mississippi River Valley. Nicholl's mound, which can be seen from the trail, was mostly obscured by the tall corn stalks of mid-July when we passed, allowing only a view of the tops of wild sumac bushes towering over the corn, but the informative panels on display showed the anatomy of the mound and its contents.

Heading to Onalaska, you pedal through pockets of wooded areas, some open crop fields, several wetlands, and occasionally glimpse homes and farm buildings. The wildflowers abounded in July as we biked here.




As you enter Onalaska, you get brief views of Lake Onalaska and glimpses of the Mississippi far in the distance as seen below...

This was a wonderful ride -- flat and mostly straight as an arrow yet fringed with trees while providing regular vista views. We were a bit disappointed that we didn't actually see the "Great River" the trail is named for, but it is a ride I recommend nonetheless.

In Onalaska, the trail connects with the 21.5 mile La Crosse River State Trail whcih follows the winding route of the La Crosse River to Sparta, crossing numerous bridges over crystal clear trout streams and past picturesque farms. For those desirous of more miles -- the LaCrosse connects with the Elroy-Sparta State Trail, which in turn gets you to the "400" State Trail -- a total of 101 miles on these four trails! For more info, go to Bike 4 Trails.

Parking lots are available in all four communities it traverses -- Onalaska, Midway, Trempealeau, and Hwy. 35. To reach the Marshland trailhead from I-90, take the WI 35 exit (3B) and head north all the way to Marshland. Take a left on the unpaved Marshland Access Road immediately east of the railroad track crossing and the WI 35/County Highway P junction at Marshland.

To reach the Medary trailhead from I-90, take the WI 157 exit 4, travel south for less than 1 mile, and take a right on State Route 16. Take a left onto County Highway B and you will see parking for the trailhead approximately .5 mile down the road on the left.

We parked where the trail per se begins -- where Main Street (Hwy 157) ends at Highway 35 in Onalaska. (South of here follow the trailtrail signs via streets for 3/4 mile.)


Wisconsin DNR page for this trail

Trail map

Rails-to-Trails page for this trail