Biking Maps

Wisconsin's nationally acclaimed "rails to trails" biking network offers smooth riding and scenic views while off-road trails around the state offer even more of a challenge.

• Department of Tourism Bike Guide
• City of Madison Traffic Engineering - Bike Map
• The Wisconsin State Bicycle Map (WisDOT/BFW)
• Wisconsin county bike maps (WisDOT)
• Local Bicycling Maps
• Interactive Bicycle Routs Maps
• American Bike Trails Maps
• Other Bicycling Maps

---

Department of Tourism Bike Guide

The Wisconsin Department of Tourism (www.travelwisconsin.com) has a bike guide (2008 - Seventh Edition pdf) of cool bike trails in Wisconsin. Some examples are the 32-mile Elroy-Sparta trail which winds through three century-old railroad tunnels, wooded valleys, and small towns and the paved 83.4-mile Mountain Bay State Trail which stretches from Green Bay to Wausau winding through Amish settlements, the Stockbridge-Munsee Reservation, woodlands, marshes, and farmland. In fact, there are over 850 miles of biking trails that criss-cross the state.

The guide is a good reference to have in order to appreciate biking in Wisconsin. This guide provides a detailed map and difficulty rating for each trail in Wisconsin, including off-road mountain bike trails, designated bike trails, and on-road loop tours. In addition, there is also information about nearby tourist attractions, trail amenities, parks, and accommodations. Many of the tour and trail descriptions also include a small graph depicting the changes in elevation over the length of the route.

Return to Top

City of Madison Traffic Engineering - Bike Map

The City of Madison Traffic Engineering web site offers a bike map pdf that shows the bike routes around the city.

Return to Top

The Wisconsin State Bicycle Map

The Wisconsin Bicycle Map highlights the most favorable bicycling conditions and rates all roadways. The map is split into 8 panels printed on 4 separate "maps". Each quarter section map may be purchased separately, or all four may be purchased as a set.

The maps have routes marked according to their appropriateness for cycling (level & speed of auto traffic, presence of shoulders or bike lanes, etc.). The maps also have the state trails that do not allow motorized vehicles in non-winter months. New features of the 2005 edition include locations of all Wisconsin bike shops, designation of local dirt roads, paved shoulder information for state highways, and interchange and non-interchange crossing locations for freeways. The maps are ideal for long-distance touring bicyclists as well as casual recreational riders or transportation bicyclists.

Return to Top

Wisconsin county bike maps

WisDOT also has downloadable bike maps for each of Wisconsin's 72 counties. These county maps come from the Wisconsin State Bike Map. Each county map highlights the most favorable bicycling conditions while presenting the full continuum of roadways - from narrow town roads to US Highways. This approach enables cyclists of all abilities to select their own routes to meet their individual transportation and recreational needs.

Return to Top

Local Bicycle Information

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has compiled a list of Wisconsin local bicycle map and route information from various counties and cities. Some maps are hosted for download by DOT and only available here.

Return to Top

Interactive Bicycle Route Maps

Increasingly there are becoming options for interactively mapping a route online.

• Milwaukee, WI Bicycle Trip Planner is a map site for determining biking routes through the City of Milwaukee.

Return to Top

American Bike Trails Maps

Individual maps of biking trails and trail systems around the Midwest are available from Trail Resources. Each map gives a detailed description of the trail, its history, and other points of interest as well as locates facilities and places to access the trail.

Return to Top

Other Bicycling Maps

A number of privately produced maps and books focus on particular bike routes and/or trail systems for tour and mountain biking. They are available at many general bookstores, as well as businesses that sell or rent bicycles. Also, check out the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's or the Wisconsin Off-Road Bicycling Association's (WORBA) web pages for more information.

Return to Top