Evening light over a hayfield and wooded ridge, seen from the shoulder of a two-lane road in midsummer.

July evening, valley floor

Planning a ride here

Maps & resources

The maps, passes and organizations worth knowing before you point a car at southwest Wisconsin.

Local knowledge

Three things nobody tells you

The clay does not drain

Driftless soil holds water. A gravel or singletrack route that was perfect Saturday can be unrideable Sunday morning. Check trail conditions after rain and have a paved plan B.

Services are thin in the middle

Ridge routes can run 30 miles between anything open, and rural taverns keep their own hours. Carry more water than the mileage suggests.

Buy the annual trail pass

Most state trails here require a bike pass. If you'll ride more than two days in a year, the annual costs less than the day passes.

We're building this out

Tell us what's missing.

Lodging that welcomes bikes, shops that will look at a bike on a Saturday, the tavern with the good stop — that's the version of this page we want. Riders, guides and hosts, get on the list.

Get on the list