https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/elroysparta
The first designated rail trail in America, the 32.5-mile Elroy-Sparta State Trail, in western Wisconsin, gave birth to a movement when it opened in 1967. Marianne Fowler, the Rails to Trails Conservancy’s senior strategist for policy advocacy and a longtime proponent of rail trails, said Elroy-Sparta helped give credibility to the “value of rail trails and what they could bring to the community.” For a round-trip ride of roughly 54 miles, start at the Kendall Trailhead, moving under maple trees, through a timeless countryside and all three of the route’s hand-carved train tunnels (where riders must dismount) before reaching Sparta. As the tunnels are dark, damp and cool, bring a headlamp, layers and a water-resistant shell, Ms. Fowler suggests. She also recommends fatter tires, as on a hybrid or gravel bike, to make the most of the trail’s crushed-limestone surface. (The tunnels are closed from November to May.)