Manitowish Waters Bike Trail

Manitowish Waters Bike Trail - July 2020

September 08, 2020

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, my family convened at my parents' house in northern Wisconsin for our first Christmas in July! My bucket list activity for the vacation was a bike ride on the Manitowish Waters Bike Trail, a section of the Heart of Vilas County Trail System.

This trail system is amazing! There are over 50 miles of paved trails that connect five different communities. The towns have small populations year-round, but numbers balloon in the summer from all the tourists. The bike trails are really a great amenity for connecting the towns and offering active travel opportunities for locals and visitors.

For this trip, my sister, brother-in-law and I started out at River's Edge Outfitters between Manitowish Waters and Mercer WI. River's Edge was great. We were able to rent bikes and helmets and connect to the trail (an on-road section) right behind the lodge. We got some route planning advice, a couple maps, and water. They also have a great selection of wine and beer for post-ride relaxing, if you are into that!

After River's Edge, we headed towards downtown Manitowish Waters. I had to stop and take photos because the trail was just so dang pretty! Super smooth asphalt with a grassy border that transitions into the beautiful evergreens the area is known for.

We passed through Mani Waters and settled on Boulder Junction as our destination. Mostly because there were signs that promised ice cream. Outside of Boulder Junction, one of the trailheads featured a bike repair stand. My sister wanted to top up her tires but the pump was broken - she managed to deflate it completely instead. Luckily the trailhead was busy, so we only had to wait a minute or two until a new vehicle pulled in, loaded with bikes. They had a pump and helped us out.

We arrived in Boulder Junction - the Musky Capital of the World - to find that the ice cream shop was closed on Mondays.

So we settled for the next best thing - iced coffees and Clif bars from Boulder Junction Coffee Compay. It was great to see we weren't the only ones who had this idea.

Only in Wisconsin will you find a cheese cooler in a coffee shop.

We decided to keep things easy and go back the same way we came, although there are opportunities to create a loop traveling by road. We all agreed we had a fantastic ride - the weather was amazing, scenery was beautiful, and we only had one minor mechanical hiccup. Personally, I can't wait to ride this trail system again. Maybe with a bike overnight next time...