Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tional Scientific Reserve,
highlighting crucial zonesofthestate's1,200-mile-long IceAge
National Scenic Trail.
Some areas in national lands (but not all) require a $5 daily/$20 annual pass; basically,
if you park your car there to use it, you need to pay it.
One thing deliberately built into Wisconsin state parks and forest is rusticity; you'll find no
“glamping” here. There is an absolute dearth of cabins, lodges, and the like. This is exactly
as most residents have always said they like it; unfortunately, it also means the state park/
forest system is woefully short of money pretty much all the time, so it raises entrance fees
instead. (Ithasfinally cavedinandatleast started toinstall moreelectrical hookupsinsites
in family campgrounds.)
Campingfeesinstateparksare$12-17(electricityandprimesitescostmore),depending
on location and campsite; some primitive camping is free. Nonresidents pay $2 more.
Reservationsinstateparksareagoodidea,andareamustforholidayweekendsinsummer.
Be prepared to reserve 11 months ahead of time for the most popular parks. A separate
entity,
ReserveAmerica
(888/947-2757,
www.wisconsinstateparks.reserveamerica.com
),
handles reservations for a $10 fee (fees of $5 for canceling or changing).
National forests camping runs $8-28 (though things vary). Reservations (877/444-6777,
www.recreation.gov
)
are available at some (but not all) campgrounds; the non-refundable
fees of $9 for reservations and $10 for changing/cancelling seem a bit much.
Bicycling
magazine rates Wisconsin one of the top three states for cyclists. The League of
American Bicyclists says Wisconsin is tops in the Midwest and second in the United States
foritsqualityanddiversityofbiking.MadisonissecondonlytoSeattleinthelistofthena-
tion's most bike-friendly cities. The
Elroy-Sparta State Recreational Trail
was the coun-
try's first rail-to-trail system and is regarded as the granddaddy of all multipurpose state
recreationaltrails,andthe
Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Trail
(CAMBA)systemis
amongthemostrespectedoutsideColoradoandUtah.Allthis,combinedwiththeimmense
concatenate labyrinth of rural farm-to-market roads, makes it obvious why Wisconsinites
leave bike racks on their cars year-round. In total, the state maintains more than 10,000
miles of established, mapped, and recommended bike routes.
SincethecompletionoftheElroy-SpartaStateRecreational Trail,thestatehasadded41
other rail beds, logging roads, and state park trails to its
State Trail System,
for a total of
