MTB In Milwaukee

[PWAXON]

I will be in the North side of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City><ST1:pMilwaukee </ST1:p</st1:City>(<st1:City>Germantown</ST1:p</st1:City>) next week on business and was wondering if any of you know of any decent MTB trails in the area. I have to go there around 4 times a year and it would be fun to ride some new trails. Otherwise I will just take the road bike.<O:p</O:p

[cheese4brains]

I've heard tale that Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest and the John Muir trail is excellent. They have loops of up to 10 miles, and WORBA has an organized group doing trail building and maintenance. It'll be an hour away from Germantown (it's near Eagle, WI east of Whitewater), so it's not exactly nearby.

You can find more information on the trails here:
http://my.execpc.com/~jwamser/KettleSouth.html

and good driving directions here:
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/parks/specific/kms/directionskms.pdf

I'm camping at Kettle Moraine this weekend, and the bike is coming along. I'll post when I get back to let you know what I think.

If you're looking for something closer, you can probably check out WORBA's site:
http://www.worba.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=news&file=index

Good luck :)

[thebionicman]

I used to live by the Kettle's. They are a good ride, if you decide to do the whole thing in one day I think its 24 miles. This is both loops with the connector trail. The connector trail is two way with some funky little gates to go through by the horse trails. Its got some pretty good rollercoaster sections, but the waterbars suck. It would probably take you 45 mintues to an hour to get there from G-town.

[PWAXON]

Thanks guys, It wook like a good ride worth and hour drive.


(cheese4brains, looking forward to your post ride review)

[TML]

I was able to get a ride in at Kettle Moraine a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Have fun riding it and report back on the conditions when you get back.

[cheese4brains]

I ended up riding the red loop and blue loop on Sunday AM and the blue loop on Monday AM. The blue loop - considered the most difficult - is probably on par with the intermediate loop at Lebanon (techincal and strenuous-wise). There's no real man-made obstacles to speak of, and only one small log crossing. There's quite a few "natural" rock gardens, however, which kept most of the downhills and a couple of the uphills interesting. There's quite a few hills to go up and down, but I didn't encounter any that left me defeated. Quite a few of the hills utilize plastic/rubber gridding to prevent erosion; there's a lot of straight up-down riding in these sections, and I was able to keep traction OK on the grids. Some of the trails are converted double-track, especially the shorter beginner loops. The blue-only trail sections have a definate IMBA flavor with their windy nature and interesting rock placement, and are closer to what we're use to seeing at Lebanon. The canopy is a beautiful blend of Hardwoods and pines. Signage is excellent; I never wondered where the @#*@( I was, which is rather amazing given the number and length of the trails out there.

I'd highly recommend the blue loop (10mi). Watch for the occasional sandy area and rock garden, but otherwise you should be able to run wide-open with little risk to life and limb.

Soon after I got off the trail Monday AM it started raining. I'd say they got at least an inch of rain at the campground I was at 10 miles away. The DNR has a phone number (check previous post links) you can call to see if the trail is open. There is a $3 day/$20 year state trail fee (DNR is on-site and there's self registration) and there's toilets, water, and a picnic area at the trail-head. Hours are 6am-10pm (I think)

Have fun :)

[PWAXON]

The John Muir trail was a blast; unfortunately I grabbed directions from Yahoo and wound up getting lost in the shady side of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City><ST1:pMilwaukee</ST1:p</st1:City>. After that I took a look at a map and found it pretty quickly but unfortunately it was already after 8 by the time I got there so I didn’t get much ride time:hit: but the riding I did was a great.:) Nothing too technical but just a fast great flowing trail with fast downhill sections and not too gut busting up hills. It’s been raining ever since so I didn’t get to go back on Wednesday night. I am definitely looking forward to spending a little more time there next time I am in the area and hopefully riding the full 24 miles.

Thanks for the trail info