Bike time

June 28, 2025

Stage Four: Wisconsin Dells to Sparta

Time passes slowly when you travel by bike. What takes an hour by car requires a day of pedaling. The environment, wherever you are, envelopes the senses. There is plenty of time for the mind to wander, too. That’s how we came to include haikus to capture some aspect of the ride.

Today’s journey encompassed so much. We started in Wisconsin Dells, which is essentially several miles of hotels, water parks, casinos, restaurants and souvenir shops. I think this became a vacation destination because of the nearby Wisconsin River, lakes and woodlands. But as visitors clamored for places to stay and recreate, the town grew up to provide something very different from camping and canoeing.

We cycled away from the strip and within a mile passed a state park, private campgrounds and cabins. Soon we were on a quiet country road that ran through deep woods to quiet farms and fields. After 15 miles, we reached the small city of Reedsburg, which marks the start of a series of bike trails—the 400, Elroy-Sparta and Great River trails—that stretches 100 miles to the Mississippi River. The Elroy-Sparta section is the nation’s first rail trail.

We stopped at the visitor’s center in Reedsburg before we got started. Sue, who was staffing the info desk, was very kind, pointing out their water bottle filler and telling us about some of the trail highlights. She also took our photo in front of the visitors center sign. There were free toothbrushes and toothpaste for travelers, too. Hikers and cyclists alike could find this a welcome touch.

The trail was packed with very smooth dirt and gravel … and flat for the first 24 miles or so with very few people about. The scenery was nice, as the path wound westward alongside the Baraboo River, which courses through wetlands and past meadows and farms.

When we passed through Elroy, the trail started to climb and we suddenly began meeting lots of day trippers—couples young and old, parents with small children, groups of bikepackers. The appeal of this section lies in the 100-plus year old tunnels that bore through the hills. Originally dug for the Chicago and Western train line, the tunnels remain pretty much as they once were, unlit passageways with rock walls and ceilings. The first two are roughly one-quarter mile in length; the last is three-quarters of a mile long.

Rocky walls line the path as you approach the entrance. The fog creeping from the tunnel’s mouth signals the cool temperatures that lie within. The floors are slick with damp clay and mud, water running along the walls. And it’s dark, very dark. A sign warns cyclists to walk through the cave, and only with a headlight or flashlight. Inside sound echos; water drips from the ceiling.

At the third tunnel, we paused. You could not even see a pin prick of light at the other end. Then a trio of cyclists arrived, one of them pulling a trailer with their dog Petey inside. We followed. Time slowed to a crawl as we slogged through the dark, water dripping onto our heads. Finally, a hazy light shone in the distance, sunshine muffled by fog. There truly was light at the end of the tunnel. The last miles passed in a rush downhill and then flat to our hotel by the highway.

Haikus of the Day
Snick of the gravel
Beating against rushing wind
None to hear us pass
—Michael

Drip drop curtain
Ghost brakemen and Gollum watch
Niches for brakemen
— Michelle

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Today's ride: 72 miles (116 km)
Total: 216 miles (348 km)

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