The Oak Leaf Trail (formerly 76 Bike Trail) is a paved multi-use recreational trail system which encircles Milwaukee County,

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 ...

. Clearly marked trail segments connect all of the major parks in the

Milwaukee County Park System Most parks in Milwaukee are owned and maintained by Milwaukee County as part of a county-wide system. However, some parks are administered by other entities, such as the state of Wisconsin, the city of Milwaukee, or neighborhood organizations. P ...

History

Early bicycling advocate Harold "Zip" Morgan first conceived and laid out a trail in 1939. The route made its way around the edge of the county and through natural resource corridors found along the rivers and lakefront.Ray Hoven. ''Biking & Hiking the Greater Milwaukee Area.'' Antioch, Illinois: American Bike Trails, 2005. Three decades later the trail was officially established by the Milwaukee County Park Commission, and in 1966 construction of the parkland trails began.Oak Leaf Trail offers scenic biking nestled in city limits
''OnMilwaukee.com,'' May 30, 2004. In 1976, it became known as the 76 Bike Trail. The trail was briefly renamed to the 76 Multi-Use Trail in 1995 before being renamed to the Oak Leaf Trail in 1996. In 2005, the system of inter-connecting trails consisted of of asphalt paths and of parkway, along with of municipal streets that had designated bicycle lanes and sidewalks. In September 2018, to improve wayfinding, sections of the trail were assigned colors and branch line names.

Description

The trail system is composed of several intersecting lines. Scenery along the Oak Leaf Trail varies from woodland parks, nature reserves, and a wildlife corridor along the lakefront, to urban industrial settings in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

's downtown area.

Menomonee River Line

The Menomonee River Line is long. It stretches from Doyne Park in the south to Dretzka Park in the north.

Kinnickinnic Line

The Kinnickinnic Line is long. Following the

Kinnickinnic River Kinnickinnic River may refer to one of two rivers in the U.S. state of Wisconsin: * Kinnickinnic River (Milwaukee River tributary) in southeastern Wisconsin * Kinnickinnic River (St. Croix River tributary) The Kinnickinnic River, called the K ...

for most of its length, it turns north at each end to connect to the

Milwaukee Art Museum The Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) is an art museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its collection contains nearly 25,000 works of art. Location and Visit Located on the lakefront of Lake Michigan, the Milwaukee Art Museum is one of the largest art museu ...

in the east and Hart Park in the west. The Kinnickinnic River Trail intersects with the line at multiple points. The line was established in 1988 as the 76 East-West Trail, spanning and following much of the same route as it does today.

Root River Line

The Root River Line is long. It stretches from the Milwaukee County Sports Complex in the south to Hoyt Park in the north, connecting with the New Berlin Trail, Brookfield Greenway, and Hank Aaron State Trail along the way. Part of this line is included in U.S. Bicycle Route 30. The line was first established as the Root River Trail Extension in 2006.Ceremony to mark Oak Leaf Trail extension
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,'' October 19, 2006.

Oak Creek Line

The Oak Creek Line is long. It branches from the South Shore Line in Abendschein Park in the north, then continues south until bending west to follow part of the Root River.

South Shore Line

The South Shore Line is long. It stretches from Cupertino Park in the north to Bender Park in the south.

Milwaukee River Line

The Milwaukee River Line is long. It stretches from Juneau Park in the south to Brown Deer Park in the north, connecting with the Beerline Trail along the way.

The Zip Line

The Zip Line is long. It branches from the Milwaukee River Line in

Estabrook Park Estabrook Park is a Milwaukee County park in the village of Shorewood, Wisconsin and is home to the WITI TV Tower and the historic Benjamin Church House. It was named for Charles E. Estabrook, a distinguished Wisconsin lawyer and politician, a ...

and continues north until it connects with Kohl Park and the Ozaukee Interurban Trail. In 2015, a gap in the line between Hampton Avenue and Mill Road was filled.

Drexel Connector

The Drexel Connector is long. It provides an east-west connection among the Menomonee River Line, the Zip Line, and the Milwaukee River Line.

Bradley Connector

The Bradley Connector is long. It provides an east-west connection between the Oak Creek Line and the Root River Line.

Lake Line

The Lake Line is long. It stretches from the Milwaukee Art Museum in the south to Lake Park in the north. The line was established in 1967 as a bicycle-only pilot trail that started at McKinley Park, traveled north to Lake Park, made a loop, and traveled south until ending near the North Point Water Tower.

Whitnall Loop

The Whitnall Loop is long. It branches from the Root River Line to provide a loop route through

Whitnall Park Whitnall Park is Milwaukee County, Wisconsin's largest park and it is located in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. The park was named for Charles B. Whitnall and planning for the park began in 1924. Major work in the park was completed during the Great ...

. In 2004, the length was .

Gallery

File:Oak leaf trail milwaukee.jpg, Oak Leaf Trail on the East Side File:Oak leaf trail in mccarty park - milwaukee.JPG, Oak Leaf Trail in McCarty Park

References

External links

Milwaukee County Parks
{{Wisconsin hiking trails Wisconsin culture Transportation in Wisconsin Transportation in Milwaukee Protected areas of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Hiking trails in Wisconsin Geography of Milwaukee Tourist attractions in Milwaukee South Side, Milwaukee