Wisconsin a top-ranked bicycling state
MADISON – Wisconsin has been ranked as a top bicycling state in the country. Only Washington topped the Badger State in a rating by the League of American Bicyclists.
Bikers outside tunnel
Standing outside the entrance to tunnel 3 on the Elroy-Sparta State Trail.
WDNR Photo by Joe Warren
In addition to the number two ranking from the League of American Bicyclists, the Rails to Trails Conservancy recently named the Elroy-Sparta recreation trail to the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. Elroy-Sparta is only the 7th inductee into the hall. In 1965 Wisconsin was the first state to convert abandoned railway beds into recreational trails promoting hiking, biking, snowmobiling and some ATV use.
“Our state trail system is among the best in the country and is an important contributor to the quality of life in Wisconsin,” said DNR Secretary Matt Frank. “Through the Doyle administration’s work to renew the Stewardship Program for another 10-year period we will continue to have $3 million earmarked annually for trail acquisition.
“The League’s survey measured factors like quality roads, safety, use of available federal funding and policy favorable to cyclists, but there’s little doubt in my mind that if scenery, clean air and water and wildlife viewing opportunities were also included as cycling attributes, Wisconsin would top out in those categories, too,” added Frank.
Wisconsin has one of the largest recreational trail systems in the country with 42 named trails and nearly 10,000 miles in roadway rated suitable for bicycle touring. The Wisconsin Bicycle Federation and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) work together to produce eight comprehensive maps (exit DNR) dedicated to making these trails, state and county parks and forests, and the communities they connect easy to access and navigate for bicyclers of all ages and skill levels.
"At the Wisconsin DOT, we take great pride in working with communities to promote a multi-modal transportation system," said Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi. "The recent recognition from the League of American Bicyclists is further proof of the state's success in expanding bicycling opportunities in urban areas, considering bicyclists' needs on state highway improvement projects and through our partnership with the DNR through the rails-to-trails initiative."
To find information to help plan a leisure or self-guided bicycling tour in Wisconsin, go to
www.travelwisconsin.com and check the calendar of events, read the information on the Great Outdoors, or order a Wisconsin Biking Guide. Travelers also can call 800-432-TRIP (8747).
The survey is the first of an expected annual ranking of states and is part of the League’s Bicycle Friendly State program which is in part supported by Trek Bicycle Corporation, Waterloo. Three upper Midwest states made the top ten with Minnesota ranked fifth and Illinois eighth.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Biermeier - (608) 264-6136
