Work on the North Creek Loop Trail in Boulder Junction is expected to start later this summer.
The 3.3 mile trail is a key a part of the Heart of Vilas County Trail.
The North Creek Loop Trail in Boulder Junction has reached a major milestone.
“I can celebrate and say we have reached the first phase fundraising goal,” said Trail Committee Contact person Barb Konopacki.
The $850,000 project was split into two phases.
Phase one is two miles from Highway K to Rudolph Lake Road. This will connect the Heart of Vilas County Trail to Camp Holiday campground.
Phase two is the mile stretch from Rudolph Lake Road to Northwood Creek Road and will connect the trail to Upper Gresham Lake and the campsite there.
With phase one fundraising complete, Konopacki says the plan is to start to clear the trail this summer.
“The entire 3.3 miles will be cleared yet this summer. That will enable the survey to be done and we should be shovel ready for construction in Spring of 2022,” she said.
This latest section of the Heart of Vilas County Trail is about more than connecting the campgrounds to town or completing a 14-mile loop on the trail.
It’s about safety.
Konopacki said without a trail along that section of Highway H people have been biking the road.
“That 3.3 miles is so heavily used in the summer on County Highway H which has no proper shoulders. It’s curvy. It’s hilly. There’s blind spots. The reason for it is safety,” said Konopacki.
With the increase in popularity the Heart of Vilas has seen over recent years and especially during the pandemic, Konopacki knows people will be ready to ride this section as soon as it’s ready.
“This year we’re seeing the increase continuing. It hasn’t dropped at all. It’s safety. We need this 3.3 miles to be paved to get these people off an unsafe road,” she said.
You can learn more about the project or help support it on the North Creek Loop Trail website.
