Bicycling Capitol of America

Bicycling Capitol of America

The Bicycling Capitol of America is truck friendly. Sparta Wi. is located on I 90 @ exits 25 and 28. There is a small truck stop at exit 28. I have always gotten a parking place there. There is a motel adjacent to the truck stop. The Super 8 motel off of exit 25 has truck parking and is less than a mile from the trail heads. The municipality offers free and ample truck parking behind the municipal building at 1134 S. Water Street. That is adjacent to the trails. It is the only city that I have ever seen that provides truck parking. The downtown area is only about a mile away, and there is even a trail there.

The chamber of commerce is located at the convergence of the La Crosse River State Trail and the Elroy Sparta State Trail. Be aware that the state of Wisconsin does require a permit to ride a bike on the trails. The daily fee is $4. The annual fee is $20. The permit will let you ride on all Wisconsin State trails. Not all of our trails require this permit. The website to check is www.wi.dnr.gov .  It maps the trails that you will or won’t need the permit. Walking or running on all trails is free.

The La Crosse Trail is a good 21.5 mile trail. It is a hard clay graded trail with some crushed limestone on top. I have seen road bikes on it.  I prefer my hybrid. The trail is hard enough where if you want you can average a pretty good speed. I was able to average over 13 mph on my hybrid without encountering any problem with other riders or dangerous parts of the trail. It can also be easily accessed @ exit 12 in West Salem, WI. The trail is across the street from the Cenex Truck Stop.

The Elroy Sparta Trail is an attraction. It is 32.5 miles long. It runs from Sparta to Elroy, WI. What draws people to the trail are the three tunnels. The longest tunnel is just under a mile long. Walk your bike through the tunnels. They are dark and spooky. You will need a good light.  Water drips from the roof of the tunnels. Along the sides the water drains out. It is so dark that in the longest tunnel you won’t be able to see the light at the other end. Even the shortest tunnel is dark and spooky. That one is only about .7 miles long. It is located is about 8.96 miles from the depot. The trail is flat, but the area is not. The scenery around the trail is Wisconsin hilly. You won’t be able to average the same speed as you can on the La Crosse trail, but you wouldn’t want to.

If you are into bikes, you must stop at Speed’s Bike Shop. It is on the trail and is about .7 miles from the depot. There is a retro bike collection that brings back memories of my youth. They also rent and repair bikes there. I had a leaky inner tube on my rear wheel. For $5 they repaired it. I also bought 3 tubes and two tire wrenches-all for under $30.

Stop by Sparta, WI if you have a chance. A 2 hour break is long enough for you to get to the tunnel and back. Parking overnight in the municipal lot or the truck stop is no problem. If you can take a restart the motels are handy. Everything is close enough to be easily reached by bike. Check out www.bikesparta.com  for more info.