Bluffs, Beauty and Tunnels, The Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail

The Elroy-Sparta bike trail is a State of Wisconsin trail that passes through portions of the unglaciated areas of Wisconsin. Rolling hills and hazy bluffs, bright red barns and grazing cows, the occasional motorcycle or car is the only sound that breaks the reverie.  My husband and I hopped on our bikes at the Sparta trailhead in the afternoon on a ninety-degree day. Did I mention I'm a very casual recreational biker?  There are many things I will do differently next time, but I'll get to those tips later. Our goal was just to get to the first tunnel from the Sparta Trailhead (which is actually called Tunnel No. 3), 8 miles away.

Tunnel No. 3 (first tunnel you come to if leaving from the Sparta Trailhead)

I started with a pic of the tunnel but this wasn't our starting point.  I wish.  I needed some incentive to make it the 8 miles. More about the tunnel later, the trail starts out a little less dramatic.

The Sparta Trailhead is referred to as the Headquarters and Concession Stand. You can buy vending snacks and drinks and your trail passes (day pass $4.00/ annual pass $20.00). You can also rent bikes for adults and children.  I was pretty impressed to see a number of small kids and young adults on the trail.

I look so happy and well-rested here.  It hasn't yet dawned on my that I'm about to bike about 5 times farther than I've ever biked before.

My husband brought his city bike for some reason. He's more of a hard core trail rider. This flat trail wasn't much of a challenge for him even though he loves the trail.

There is a smallish hill right before entering onto this bridge and then you have a nice long coast on the other side. The only hill for the first 8 miles of the trail.

There are 3 tunnels and 5 small towns along the 32.5 mile route.  The Elroy-Sparta Trail is linked to 2 other state trails, The La Crosse River State Trail and the "400" State Trail.

Prairie, wetlands and farmland surround the trail that runs through the towns of Norwalk, Wilton and Kendall (beginning in Sparta and ending at Elroy).

 Most of the ride up to Tunnel No. 3 is tree lined so there isn't much direct sun.  And there are a lot of breaks in the trees with views like this one.

A few miles after this point, about the 6 mile point(?), I started to really doubt the existence of this tunnel. I got off my bike, laid down and told my husband I was done. He said, "Okay" and offered me a peanut butter Cliff bar.

I also drank and drank and drank from my Camelback hydration pack.  These things are a must on a hot day.  They fit over our shoulders like a backpack and you can drink water from the tube hands-free.   This isn't a paid advertisement but a strong recommendation for a hydration pack.

I also wished that I had a pedometer so I could measure exactly how far we'd gone on the trail.  I do better with more information.  Next time I will have one of these.

So after rejuvenating with the Cliff bar and biking and biking some more, we finally come to the tunnel!

Tunnel No. 3 is 3 miles from Elroy and 8 miles from Sparta.  It was completed in 1873. Workers dug 2 long shafts from above to remove rock and these shafts were later sealed with bricks (http://www.elroy-sparta-trail.com/).  There are a total of 3 tunnels along the trail.

The tunnels are very dark and cold. Water from springs above the tunnels trickles down so they act as a refresher on a hot day.  We didn't bike all of the way through due to my fatigue. Did I mention I'm not a distance biker?  This trail is easy and flat, however 16 miles in length from Sparta to the tunnel and back. It was worth the sweat and fatigue.

  

And last but not least, we met Tunnel Tom. He owns this little store full of welcome refreshments.  He grew up here right by the trail.  He had an old black & white photo of himself watching one of the trains go by right where we were standing. The trail sits on an abandoned Chicago & Northwestern railroad bed.  And Tom had lots of stories about the olden days!

You will really appreciate this store when on the trail.

So we biked and biked and biked back toward Sparta and had a sweaty but great experience.

Back at the Headquarters and Concession Stand, Mike can't resist this opportunity.  Incidentally, I bumped into this story online about the Elroy-Sparta trail being bought out by Disney.  The story went on to say how the tunnels were going to be "fully lit, have piped-in music, and be lined with arcade games".  My blood pressure started rising until I realized this was an April Fools article.  Mean.  Very mean.

Parting shot. My favorite picture.

Thank you, Wisconsin DNR and Friends of the Elroy-Sparta Trail, you've done a great job!