Elroy-Sparta State Trail

State Trail in Wisconsin

The Elroy Sparta State Trail is a 32.5 mile (52 km) Wisconsin State rail trail between Elroy and Sparta, Wisconsin. Considered to be the first rail trail when it opened in 1967, it was designed for foot, bicycle, equestrian and light motorized traffic. Designated a multi use trail, it offers recreational access to the routes and is open to the public. The trail is part of the larger Wisconsin bike trail system operated by the state of Wisconsin. It passes through rural scenery and three tunnels. It is one of six connecting trails in west central Wisconsin. It was added to the Rails to Trails Conservancy hall of Fame in September 2008. It is one of the most popular trails in Wisconsin.

The original railway was constructed from Madison, Wisconsin to Winona, Minnesota, starting in 1870, by a predecessor of the Chicago and North Western Railway, the Baraboo Air Line Railroad Company. It was so named because of the straightness of the Air line railroad route. The ridges between Elroy and Sparta were tunneled at great expense and with much difficulty. The Baraboo Air Line was consolidated with the C&NW in 1872. The Baraboo Air Line Rail Road connected to the LaCrosse, Trempealeau & Prescott Railroad at Winona Junction and opened for traffic in September 1873, through to Winona, Minnesota. In 1874, the C&NW reported an expenditure for its three tunnels of $476,743.32 and for the construction of 129 miles of railroad between Madison and Winona Junction of $5,342,169.96. By 1911, the Chicago and North Western completed a new route from Adams to Sparta through Wyeville, called the Adams Cutoff, which avoided the steep grades of the Elroy to Sparta cutoff. In 1964 the Chicago and North Western was permitted to abandon the stretch from Elroy to Sparta. The Wisconsin Conservation Commission, the forerunner of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, purchased the trail property for $12,000.

The tunnels are closed for the season by the beginning of November, using the doors that the railroad added to prevent storm damage. The debate on when to close the tunnel caused a conflict between the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the organizers of the Rails to Trails Marathon. The northern long eared bat hibernates in Tunnel Number three. It was listed as threatened species in 2015. The Rails to Trails Marathon, a Boston Marathon qualifier, moved their event date to earlier in October from November in 2017 to accommodate an earlier tunnel closing than the original November 15 date.