Explore the best rated trails in Waukesha, WI. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Seven Waters Bike Trail (Route of the Badger) and New Berlin Recreation Trail. With more than 61 trails covering 766 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Pleasant route, a couple challenging busy road crosses.
Gradual down hill slope (or uphill depending in which end you start on). Busy road but peaceful area. We added the dead end at the south end of the bike path for a total of 4 miles.
Just as the previous people mentioned, if you are looking for a scenic trail, then this is not a trail for you. It's what I call a "functional" trail. It serves a function to allow you to travel from one point to another. It parallels Douglas Ave (which is a main street in Racine) and I found it very useful for getting around the area and not have to worry so much about cars. The packed gravel is very easy to ride on. There are areas where you have to cross a road, but the busiest road has a stop light.
watch out for construction in the southern end of the trail—passable right now, but it may not be in a few weeks.
This is City of Waukesha walking/biking trail. Beware it has many intersections so use caution when crossing each road. Great connector trail to New Berlin and Glacial Drumlin.
Nice relaxing ride but there were a lot of areas that were washed out. The trail isn’t super exciting kind of flat but the bridges were nice.
There's nothing really to add that hasn't been said. But there are a few updates in 2023.
On the east end the NBT has been repaved to smooth out the trail connection between NBT, Oak Leaf and the crosstown connector. So you won't get the fillings rattled out of your skull anymore.
Trailside Bike shop now has a roadside workstation, with a lot of the parts you need to repair a bike. there's also a stand and air compressor. Something to keep in mind.
On the WEST end in Waukesha there's a new side trail. If you're connecting to the Glacial Drumlin Trail the trail forks to the left. Instead of going through the industrial complex you ride behind it to the newer "Waukesha Bike Trail". That will take you to the college, and with some street riding you can connect to the GDT without issue.
But beyond that, the trail hasn't changed much in the last several years. Well, the geese right by the Les Paul Parkway are meaner, but we all expect that by now. the NBT is a good trail, very well used and loved by the community.
The MRT is gravel lite. You COULD ride it on a road bike, but you really won't enjoy yourself. Mountain bikes or gravel / all road bikes recommended with at least a 38mm wide tire. The surface transitions from semi-compacted stone to broken asphalt several times, so the comfort level of low pressure high volume tires or suspension helps a lot.
A few things you might want to know from a local. The map on TrailLink doesn't tell the whole story. On the West end you can park in "Big Bend Village Park". There's an unnamed crushed limestone trail that starts at the far west end of the parking lot that connects to MRT. It adds a mile or two, but it's worth it. You can also park in "Cherry Street Park", which is right along the unnamed trail.
On the East end, the MRT links up to the "City of Franklin Bike Path", and there's a parking lot at "Ken Windl Park" with water and washroom facilities. It's a paved trail that makes a nice warm up. (Note : 2023 there is construction on W. Forest Home Ave. that blocks this trail for the whole year)
It's a trail worth take a day trip to ride, or incorporate it into a longer ride. Just know what you're rolling into, narrow tires will not enjoy this ride.
The path is now paved from Big Hill Park, which is just North of Beloit WI off of Afton Road, and goes to Janesville WI. In Janesville there are several paved paths which directly connect. There is plenty of parking at Big Hill Park, along with water, and bathrooms. A good portion of the trail runs along the scenic Rock River. I’ve seen many native species as I road. Enjoy your ride!
This path runs from Big Hill Park, just North of Beloit WI., off of Afton Road, to several paved paths in Janesville WI. There is plenty of parking at Big Hills Park, along with bathrooms and water. The entire trail is on a paved path or on low volume paved roads. It’s a wonderful ride! The ride from Big Hill Par to Janesville is about 11 miles. Hope you enjoy your ride as much as I do ¿¿
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