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Ride Log
Day 7: Mountain Bay and Wiouwash State Trails
Today, as I rolled out with the milk trucks and school busses, I thought a lot about how grateful I am to be able to take time off work and from my “normal” life to do this. It’s really a dream come true and I’m so grateful for my work letting me take time off and my boss, who is out in DC attending a meeting for me, covering for me. I know saying this
Day 6: Hiawatha & Bearskin State Trail + Pine Line Trail
Every sunrise is different, and every day is a new day. Today I decided to take it easy and ride as slowly as I wanted and just enjoy every moment of riding. And what a treat! Today’s ride started on the Bearskin State Trail, which is a smooth, gravel non-motorized trail that runs 21.5 miles from Minocqua to Tomahawk. The trail has a handy bike tool set up at the start, which I used to
Day 5: Eastern Part of Tuscobia State Trail to Minocqua
Today I finished the Tuscobia State Trail in the town of Park Falls. It was a chilly, but beautiful fall morning!! While I was done with the trail, I was delighted to find bike lanes in Park Falls! Park Falls, Wisconsin is also officially designated as the Ruffed Grouse Capital of the World, a title earned due to its extensive aspen forests and prime Northwoods upland bird hunting habitat. Who knew!? Then, I got to
Day 4: Tuscobia State Trail + Birkie and CAMBA Trails
The western end of the Tuscobia State Trail is part of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. I’ve run this section before when I was running all of the Ice Age Trail in previous years. I remember this section vividly as it was in late June and featured extreme mosquitos and black flies! I was tired, but pretty much ran as fast as I could to keep the bugs at bay! I was grateful to
Day 11: Eastern end of Mountain-Bay and Southern end of Wiouwash
I started the morning at the Eastern end of the Mountain-Bay State Trail in Howard, just outside Green Bay. Folks were already gathering for the Packers-Bears game tailgate at 9am! Go Pack Go. The Mountain-Bay Trail was lovely and very frequented near Green Bay – lots of bikers, dog walkers,
Day 10: Run Wild and Heritage Hill State Park + Fox River, Friendship, and Devil’s River State Trails
What a fun day!! I started off by leading off the 10k run at Run Wild – an annual fall run through Potawatomi State Park put on by Friends of Potawatomi State Park. The weather and leaves were beautiful! After Run Wild, I met up with several members of the
Day 9: Oconto River and Ahnapee State Trails
My ride today started from Gillett towards the sunrise into Oconto Falls, where the Oconto River State Trail begins. The Oconto River State Trail is pleasant, but not well traveled which leads it to be more of a grassy path. It was short though, and just nice to mix it
Events
Want to meet Sarah, connect with other Team Knowles-Nelson advocates, or just talk trails? Here’s where to find her along the way:
October 22, 2026 – Finish Line Celebration, Menomonie
In The News
Wisconsin Advocate to Bike Every State Trail in October, Spotlighting What’s at Stake for Wisconsin’s Public Lands
KFIZ previews Sarah Widder’s Great State Trails Adventure, a month-long ride highlighting how Knowles-Nelson funded much of Wisconsin’s trail network before it lapsed in June.
Explore
Wisconsin is home to 44 state trails, covering more than 1,700 miles of former rail corridors, converted highways, and scenic routes from border to border.
They connect small towns, state parks, and natural areas, and they’re managed by the Wisconsin DNR for hiking, biking, snowmobiling, and horseback riding depending on the trail.
State trails rely on a mix of state funding, user passes, and local Friends groups to stay maintained, which is exactly the kind of investment the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program has supported for decades.
Friends of Wisconsin State Parks is the statewide umbrella organization supporting the volunteer “Friends” groups behind individual state parks and trails. They help these local groups fundraise, recruit volunteers, and take on the trail maintenance, signage, and small capital projects that keep Wisconsin’s trails in good shape.
Want to get involved where you live? Find your local Friends group and see how to pitch in.
See All Friends Groups
- Friends of the 400 State Trail
- Friends of the Ahnapee State Trail
- Friends of the Fox River Trail
- Friends of Gandy Dancer State Trail
- Friends of the Great Sauk State Trail
- Friends of Hank Aaron State Trail
- Friends of Military Ridge Trail
- Friends of the Mountain Bay Trail
- Friends of the Red Cedar State Trail
- Friends of the Stower Seven Lakes State Trail
- Friends of the Badger and Sugar River State Trails
- Friends of Tuscobia Trail
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- Bong Naturalist Association
- Equestrian Friends of Governor Knowles State Forest
- Friends of Aztalan State Park
- Friends of Bird Sanctuary
- Friends of Blue Mounds State Park
- Friends of Brunet Island State Park
- Friends of Buckthorn State Park
- Friends of Cadiz Springs State Recreation Area
- Friends of Cedarburg Bog
- Friends of Copper Falls State Park
- Friends of Council Grounds State Park
- Friends of Devil’s Lake State Park
- Friends of Governor Dodge State Park
- Friends of Governor Nelson State Park
- Friends of Governor Thompson State Park
- Friends of Harrington Beach State Park
- Friends of Hartman Creek State Park
- Friends of Havenwoods State Forest
- Friends of High Cliff State Park
- Friends of Horicon Marsh
- Friends of Interstate and Straight Lake State Parks
- Friends of Kettle Moraine State Forest – Northern Unit
- Friends of Kettle Moraine State Forest – Southern Unit
- Friends of Kohler Andrae State Park
- Friends of Lake Wissota
- Friends of Lakeshore State Park
- Friends of Lapham Peak
- Friends of MacKenzie Education Center
- Friends of Merrick State Park/TURTLES
- Friends of Mirror Lake State Park
- Friends of Namekagon Barrens Wildlife Area
- Friends of Navarino Nature Center
- Friends of New Glarus Woods State Park
- Friends of Pattison and Amnicon Falls State Parks
- Friends of Peninsula State Park
- Friends of Perrot State Park
- Friends of Pike Lake
- Friends of Point Beach State Forest
- Friends of Potawatomi State Park inc
- Friends of Rib Mountain SP
- Friends of Rock Island State Park
- Friends of Sandhill Inc
- Friends of Stonefield/Nelson Dewey State Park
- Friends of Vernon Marsh
- Friends of Whitefish Dunes State Park
- Friends of Wildcat Mountain State Park
- Friends of Willow River and Kinnickinnic State Parks
- Friends of Wyalusing State Park
- Friends of Yellowstone Lake State Park
- Heritage Hill State Historical Park
- Newport Wilderness Society
- Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy
Team Knowles Nelson doesn’t ride alone. These are some of the bike advocacy groups, land trusts, and conservation partners working alongside us across Wisconsin. partners helping make Wisconsin more bikeable, on state trails and beyond.
