You can now ride your bike from community park in Conover to the lakefront Pines Park in Phelps.
Great Headwaters Trails Executive Director Jeff Currie said it’s not officially open as it still needs signage and some guardrails, but people have already been taking advantage of the newly graded trail.
“We’re hearing lots of great reports on it, so we’re pretty excited about it,” said Currie.
The trail has been 10 years in the making. The last two mile stretch that goes in Phelps was logged and paved this year.
With the end in sight for the project, Currie said GHT is looking forward to diving into the next project it’s had in the works for a while.
It will be working on the River Trail; a 10 mile stretch that will connect Eagle River to St. Germain and tie in with Health of Vilas trail system in the western half of the county.
“It’s a really challenging time for our group, for Great Headwaters Trail, and it’s an exciting time,” said Currie. “It’s like any other opportunity to head for the next phase. You kind of take stock of how well you’re completing phase one, which would be completing the Conover-Phelps Trail, and then how well you’re equipped to handle the next project, which is River Trail. We’ve been laying the groundwork for River Trail for several years.”
The completion of the Conover-Phelps Trail also means GHT is looking to more outreach and getting involved with other groups that help get people on the trails.
The SepTimber Ride will help raise money for the River Trail.
It’s on September 11 starting at Tribute Brewing down the Three Eagle Trail to the Three Lakes Winery and back.
Currie said support for trail projects like these have grown in the last year.
“People who haven’t ridden bikes for a long time are seeing that this is just a nice fun, easy thing and inexpensive thing to do,” he said. “They’ve also discovered that the Northwoods is a really great place to ride bikes and that Vilas County in particular has a lot of trails where they can do that very safely.”
It’s also joining Tara Lila and the Three Eagle Trail foundation for The Northwoods Family Ride Saturday, August 14 from 9:00 a.m. to noon on the Three Eagle Trail.
“It includes a 660-foot boardwalk over a beautiful wetland area. There’s a free Dairy Queen cone and get a coupon for, we have passports for kids that they can get stamped along the way on the trail. People had a lot of fun with that with the rides we ran in June and July, and I think it will be just a good time for everybody on Saturday,” said Currie.
The Northwoods family ride is free. People should bring their own bikes and helmets to the trailhead on the east side of the dairy queen.