Recreation

Motor On: County trail expansion closes loop, draws visitors

Lauren Fisher |

The Chippewa County trail will be a closed loop featuring four bridges.
The Chippewa County trail will be a closed loop featuring four bridges.

The nearly 4,000 ATV owners in Chippewa County – and all the recreational motorists who travel to the Valley to ride on the scenic Chippewa County ATV Trail – are in for a treat this summer as a 12-mile extension to the existing 19-mile trail opens. This construction will turn the trail, which is currently a straight shot out and back, into a loop featuring four bridges, plenty of passing room, and constant viewing of nature and wetlands. The existing trail is scheduled to open May 19, after the course has been deemed safe for travel, and the extension will open June 19.

The expansion, when complete, will cost about half a million dollars, most of which originates from a Department of Natural Resources grant funded through ATV and UTV registration fees.  The Chippewa Valley ATV Council, a nonprofit organization made up of several ATV clubs, will be responsible for trail maintenance.  Riders don’t have to pay a dime to access the route.

Paul Krumenauer is a founding member of the Chippewa Valley ATV Council, which has been in existence since the early 2000s.

“One of the things about the Chippewa County Trail, I hear it constantly, is that it’s one of the most beautiful rides in the state of Wisconsin,” Krumenauer said. 

The 12-mile trail extension may be just what the course needs in order to be perceived as a “destination trail,” according to Mike Dahlby, County Forest Administrator. This would result in a boost in economic activity by visitors drawn by the chance for a lengthy, visually interesting ATV ride.

“To me, it’s a tourism thing” Krumenauer said.  “The best part of it is it’s bringing in people from outside of the Valley.”

In building the trail, the Chippewa County Land Conservation and Forest Management Department kept sustainability in mind.  The majority of the trail was built on existing pathways from skid routes and timber hauling trails. Clearing was only performed where necessary to circumvent seasonally impassable segments. Planners opted to build bridges over waterways instead of using culverts and fill in order to reduce maintenance needs.

“What that means for the user is that they’re gonna have a trail that is in great shape,” Dahlby said.

Another consideration for trail construction was the width of the path. It was important to strike a balance between ensuring a wide enough trail for passing and two-way traffic while maintaining the natural atmosphere of the forest. Keeping the trail down to a modest width ensured the tree canopy overhead would remain closed, giving riders the feeling of truly being out in the woods.

“And it’s all within like 50 minutes of the Confluence!” Dahlby added. Visitors and residents alike will have access to the city nightlife within spitting distance of expansive county forests with hiking, biking, and ATV opportunities, providing plenty of options for recreation in the Valley.

“(The trail is) really important, it would appear, to residents,” Dahlby said. “It’s comments about the scenery, it’s comments about the great time they had with their group while they were out there.”

ATVing is appealing as a community sport as well as a way to get out into the woods even while wrestling with a busy schedule, according to Krumenauer.  “I can put on 100 and some miles a day and see a lot of beautiful country, which I might not have gotten to see if I was hiking or biking.”

More information about the Chippewa County ATV Trail is available on the County website at https://bit.ly/1XhF5qx. The primary access to this trail is located of County Highway M, about 5 miles west of Holcombe.