Chippewa River State Trail is a 26-mile urban-rural

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

in western

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

that follows the path of the Chippewa River. The trails runs from the spot of the confluence of the Chippewa with the Eau Claire River, at

Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tre ...

in downtown

Eau Claire Eau Claire (French for "clear water", ''pl.'' ''eaux claires'') is the name of a number of locations and features in North America. The name is pronounced as if it were spelled "O'Clare". Place names (Canada) Communities *Eau Claire, Calgary, a n ...

(), meeting up with the

Red Cedar State Trail The Red Cedar State Trail is a rail trail which runs along the Red Cedar River (Wisconsin), Red Cedar River in Dunn County, Wisconsin. The trail runs north-south from Wisconsin Highway 29 in Menomonie, Wisconsin, Menomonie to the Chippewa River S ...

near Red Cedar (), to the town of Durand (). A former railroad corridor, the trail passes through a variety of habitat including wetlands, prairies and sandstone bluff. The Chippewa River State Trail will eventually be part of the greater Chippewa River Trail System which also includes the Red Cedar State Trail and the

Old Abe State Trail Old Abe State Trail is a paved multi-use rail trail in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, USA. The name commemorates Old Abe, a bald eagle that was captured in 1861 by Ahgamahwegezhig, a Native American man, near the South Fork of the Flambeau R ...

. Once completed, the system will include almost of trail and connect the cities of Durand, Menomonie,

Chippewa Falls Chippewa Falls is a city located on the Chippewa River (Wisconsin), Chippewa River in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, Chippewa County in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 14,778 in the 2021 census. Incorporated as ...

and

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

. Currently, the Red Cedar and Chippewa River Trails connect Eau Claire and Menomonie, but there is no trail between Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls. The trail is also connected with several smaller trails within the city of Eau Claire including a walking trail through

Putnam Park Putnam Park is a state natural area owned by the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. The park is located in the middle of the city of Eau Claire and follows the course of both the Chippewa River to the west and Minnie Creek to the east. Much o ...

on the far west side of the park. There is also access to the Farmer's Market in Phoenix Park, which is open on Saturday mornings. Outside of the city limits of Eau Claire (between Interstate 90/94 and Durand), there is a fee to use the trail, except for walking and hiking. An annual pass costs $25.00 and a day pass $5.00.

References

External links

Chippewa River State Trail website
from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Friends of Chippewa River State Trail website
from Friends of the Chippewa River State Trail {{Wisconsin hiking trails Protected areas of Chippewa County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Dunn County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Eau Claire County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Pepin County, Wisconsin Rail trails in Wisconsin