For years, the town of Lake Tomahawk has been wanting a way to safely connect the town to two campgrounds to the north: Indian Mounds and Clear Lake.
Now that dream is finally a reality.
“Hopefully we’ll get people interested in biking come visit Lake Tomahawk,” said Town Chair George DeMet.
A 2019 report published by the Wisconsin DOT broke down the economic impact of biking in the state, with people spending $1.42 billion on bicycle-related expenses.
Lake Tomahawk is home to the latest paved bike trail in Oneida County. Construction on the trail wrapped up mid-November.
It was an old railway bed that was resurfaced between the Lake Tomahawk Information Center and Gritzmacher Road.
The 1.7-mile trail connects the town to Indian Mounds and Clear Lake Campgrounds to the north.
DeMet is excited for the new connections this one 1.7-mile trail section will mean.
“Our trail will go to the Clear Lake trail at Indian Mounds and from there you can go up to Woodruff, you can hop on the trail by County J and take it up to St. Germain and get into the whole Vilas County trail system,” he said.
While the Lake Tomahawk community looks forward to getting a share of the visitors and spending, they don’t have to wait until Spring for the trail to start seeing use.
“It’s also a snowmobile trail. The material from Pitlik and Wick Trail Bond is snowmobile friendly,” said DeMet.
While the trail is complete, the town is raising money for it.
DeMet says they’re a couple thousand dollars short of their $90,000 goal.
Donations can be made through the Oneida County Biking and Walking Trails Council.
