Wisconsin fun - weekend of April 7th

[Bexter]

A few of us are chomping at the bit to ride and weather permitting will be heading to Wisconsin to ride the weekend of April 7th. The main attraction is a full day of mtn biking at Kettle Moraine Southern Unit (John Muir, connector trail, and Emma Carlin) on Saturday, April 8th. Others are taking Friday (Apr 7) off work and plan to ride Camrock Park (Southeast of Madison). Others who cannot get Friday off plan to head up for an evening of Madison breweries and FORC fun. And finally, at least one couple plans to drive up Saturday morning. Most who are coming up Friday are grabbing a hotel, though one person mentioned camping. Plug in where you can and/or want! This is your invitation.

More details as they emerge (and waiting on Mother Nature to see if she will cooperate).

Wisconsin riding requires a paid parking tag and paid biking pass. Just want you to be aware of the additional expense.

John Muir Trails

1. The John Muir Trails are extremely popular. On any nice riding season weekend the site seems like a gathering of the off-road clan. Part of the ambiance of the experience is due to the knowledge and services provided by the privately-run establishments near the south and north ends of the rails. The General Store in La Grange began catering to cross-country skiers and quickly became a center for mountain bikers as the sport grew. The new Quiet Hut Sports and Artisan Cafe at Bluff Road now satisfies nutritional and mechanical needs at that end.
   Recent improvements have made the trails an even better place to bike. Heavy use caused erosion on steep slopes and many of the the trails have been redisigned and "hardened" with sub-soil artificial grid work. One way routing and numerous loops make for a good riding experience despite crowding. The trails are the site of the Kettle Moraine Fall Color Festival in late September. Buy an individual bike map for these trails
   Distance
   
   1. The blue signed outer loop is 10 miles; the red is 1.5 miles; and the green is 6.9 miles. The connector trail is 5 miles to the Emma Carlin Trails.
   
   Difficulty
   
   1. Some easy riding on the red loop, but most trails will be difficult for novice riders.
   
   Surface Type
   
   1. Grassy cross-country ski trails with hardpack track, forest floor, and crushed limestone over plastic-grid artificial trail stabilizing material.
   
   Signage
   
   1. Color coding on posts and trees and frequent "you are here" map signs. Red and white no-biking signs on hiking trails.
   
   Trailhead Location
   
   1. 1.5 miles north of La Grange, Walworth County.
   
   Fees
   
   1. Daily or annual State Park vehicle admission and daily or annual State Trail Pass for riders 16 and older are required. The parking lot has a self-pay station.
   
   For More Information
   
   1. Kettle Moraine, Southern Unit, tel. 262-594-6200.
      James Wamser, tel. 262-617-8272.
   
   Note
   
   1. Fines apply for riding on hiking-only trails. Allways phone ahead to make sure trails are open for riding.
   
   Caution
   
   1. Two-way traffic on Connector Trail. Trails are also used by hikers. Always yield to pedestrians and don't spook animals.
   
   
   

Emma Carlin Trails

1. This is the famous "kettles". It's trails have been an off-road Mecca since knobby tread met dirt. The one-way Emma Carlin Trails are at the extreme end of the riding scale. Many people would say they're unrideable and more would brand them "no fun." Steep slopes are mazes of cobbles, mini-boulders, loose surface and roots.
   If you like, you can take the Connector Trail south to the John Muir Trails and, if you ride every loop in both systems, cover nearly 40 miles.
   The Emma Carlin and adjoining John Muir Trails are among the most popular and crowded trails in the state system. Buy an individual bike map for these trails
   Distance
   
   1. The green-signed outer loop is 4 miles, the orange is 2.4 miles, and the red is 2 miles. The connector trail to the John Muir Trails is 5 miles.
   
   Difficulty
   
   1. Extremely difficult sections cannot be avoided.
   
   Surface Type
   
   1. Hardpack forest floor, extremely rocky and rooted on steep slopes.
   
   Signage
   
   1. Color coding on posts and trees and frequent "you are here" map-signs. Red and white no-biking signs on hiking trails.
   
   Trailhead Location
   
   1. 3 miles east of Palmyra, Jefferson County.
   
   Fees
   
   1. Daily or annual State Park vehicle admission and daily or annual State Trail Pass for riders 16 and older are required. The parking lot has a self-pay station.
   
   For More Information
   
   1. Kettle Moraine, Southern Unit, tel. 262-594-6200.
      Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce, tel. 414-473-4005.
   
   Note
   
   1. Fines apply for riding on hiking-only trails. Always phone ahead to make sure trails are open for riding.
   
   Caution
   
   1. Two-way traffic on Connector Trail. Trails are also used by hikers. Always yield to pedestrians and don't spook animals.
   
   

Camrock:
https://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails/camrock-3.html

[mtbkrman]

Tired a PM, however.....trying to plan this out to come along but I am curious to know what type of weather will close the trails up there. Same as here? (small rain=closed trails) or are they able to be more liberal due to soil consistency? Thanks

[Bexter]

Tried a PM, however...

Sorry, I check in every few days. Wasn't ignoring you.

I am curious to know what type of weather will close the trails up there. Same as here? (small rain=closed trails) or are they able to be more liberal due to soil consistency? Thanks

Ha, it does feel like trails are closed more than we would like, but at least with FORC, there is a method to our madness! I can explain in a moment. As far as our brethren up North, I don't know what standards they use for trail closure. I've not been to Camrock, so I have no idea of the soil composition. Kettle does have a bit of sand in their soil making it a bit more resillient due to better drainage and drying. But, like Camrock, I don't know what standards they use to keep the trails open or what tips to scale to close them. I am assuming our Wisconsin friends follow IMBA guidelines.

I can tell you about FORC and what they base trail closure on. Basically, if when traversing dirt trails (on foot, on a bike, etc.) an impression is left in the soil (tire tread impressions, the pattern from the bottom of a shoe, etc.), the trails are too wet to use. You mentioned small rain. Even a short rain may make the top crust of trail tread wet enough that impressions will be left. A couple things happen when impressions are left behind: they fill with moisture and may lead to erosion and trail damage, and they create a poor riding surface. Either way, when damage is done to a trail surface, volunteers have to repair those areas. This is done manually with shovels, rogue hoes, etc. and it's never as enjoyable as ripping down a trail on a bike. So, we try to educate people and we hope to keep building a stronger user base that will work toward maintaining awesome trails. Scott County Park has a bit more challenge in that they can't open their trails until the trails are suitable for hikers, bikers AND horses. Horses are heavier and require drier earth to withstand the weight of the horse, so their trails stay closed longer than would likely be needed for hikers and bikers. Scott County trails are opened and closed by the park ranger. Illiniwek trails are also monitored by a park ranger and are opened and closed by the ranger.

Pray for sunshine and dry weather! Stay tuned for an updated post closer to our departure about trail conditions and trip plans.

[mtbkrman]

LOL. I understand the reasoning behind trail closure, and agree with our local system. I was just curious as to the soil composition (thank you for covering that part). I have ridden in various locations around the country and find some much better suited and essentially unaffected by the water such as northern Wisconsin and mountain states. Thank you for the reply. Hoping for the best.

[corbin]

Go to madcitydirt.com to check out trail status for Cam-Rock. You have to call the Kettle Moraine Hotline 262-594-6202 for John Muir/Emma Carlin status.

[corbin]

Capital Off Road Pathfinders (CORP) manage their trails the same way we do via their trail stewards. So, you have to pay attention to the website/Facebook. They're a very conscientious group regarding protecting their trails. Kettle's rangers call the shots there, so be sure to call the hotline. They are in a similar situation as us this time of year and will shut them down quickly and not re-open until they're satisfied the trails won't be damaged. That said, there's no 24/48 hour rule they use after rain, it really just depends soil moisture content for each specific trail up there.

[Bexter]

Ahhh... the challenges of trying to get away for a lil' MTB action in the Spring. Friday is likely out for riding due to the rain, but who knows about perhaps Saturday or Sunday. Watching what the weather does and how the trails respond. We may be SOL. Because of the uncertainty, it may become a game-day decision. Sorry. Stay tuned.

[Bexter]

It's going to be a Saturday day trip either way. If the trails at Kettle aren't open on Saturday, an option is to head down to Pekin to ride Indy Park. PAMBA is having a TT at Indy on Sunday and said that we are welcome to ride on Saturday. Will call the ranger this afternoon to check on trail open/closure status at Kettle. So, options...

[Bexter]

Sigh. Going to stay in town and either get in a road ride or if one of our local parks open, ride some local dirt. Rumor has it that one of our parks may open on Saturday... We will try a weekend trip away at some other point.

[Leebo]

Are there any plans to reschedule this trip? Camrock 3 is a blast and I'd love to check out Kettle Moraine.