Friday – August 12th: Travel Day
For those staying at the Country Inn & Suites Hotel, check in is 4:00 pm. All the rooms are under Steve or Marty’s name and the 4:00 pm check in time will allow Steve and I to get there to set up rooms by your name ahead of time.
It is a 3 ½ hour drive from Cedar Rapids to Sparta no matter the route you take. You can choose the Highway 13 route north up through Prairie du Chien, or the Highway 151 route up through Dubuque. Both routes are pretty nice – take your time and enjoy the drive.
The Country Inn & Suites Hotel is on the south edge of town right off of I 90 at the Black River Street exit. Attach is the rooming list with contact information – expect some late arrivals. The campers should have their own directions to Pine Vine Campground is east of town near Ft McCoy.
Sparta is not a huge metropolis but there are several places around town to eat.
Jake's Northwoods Restaurant is a decent general menu spot. El Vallarta is a Mexican spot or there’s Brewski’s Pub and Grill that each have good reviews. The number 1 rated spot is “Slice of Chicago” pizza. The building looks more like a remodeled home but the reviews are pretty good. Or, you can venture west 27 miles to La Crosse where you will find a lot of choices. And, this weekend is the Annual Irish Festival in La Crosse so I would imagine you might find an Irish brew or two around town.
Saturday, August 13th.
Everyone, campers and hotel’ers, will meet at the old train depot in Sparta at 9:00 am. This is the location of the Sparta Chamber of Commerce at the corner of Milwaukee Street and South Water Street. You can get your trail passes here too. Cost is $5 for the day. Pick up your trail maps here. The rest of the day is ride as you wish or as far as you wish. We are planning to ride an out and back route toward Elroy – ride at your own pace. It is a nice trail – you will want to take in the sites. The 1st tunnel is approximately 8 miles out and Norwalk (1st town) is about another 3 miles. The tunnels are dark, so a good light helps. Lunch will be on your own on the trail. There are several options at Norwalk, Wilton or Kendall. There are 3 tunnels and for the more aggressive bicyclers, Elroy is 32 trail miles from Sparta. Give yourself enough time to make it back – it is a little quicker riding towards Sparta.
Enjoy your day and for those joining the wine and cheese party, it will be at 5:30 at the Country Inn & Suites Hotel. Campers – please join us for the wine & cheese party ($5.00 charge). The campers, I am assuming will be eating on their own enjoying a good open campfire meal while the rest of us decide on our evening dining pleasure.
Sunday, August 14th.
The return trip home as we are all on our own for more biking, or taking leisure sightseeing trip home.
Hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe riding weekend.
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Marty Stimson (319-389-4156) & Steve Cummings (319-573-9086), Trip Leaders
Cost: $122 per person (double occupancy) Cancellation date: July 18
The weather is getting warmer and the training rides have already started. Along with the other fun bike rides the EISC has scheduled this summer the longer overnight trip is the scenic Sparta – Elroy Trail on the weekend of August 12 - 14. Several adventurous members of East Iowa Ski Club bike trip will be headed north to the Sparta Wisconsin area to ride the crushed limestone trail from a railroad line that is famous for the 3 long tunnels.
This is a hotel or camping option trip. The club currently has 12 rooms left at the Sparta Country Inn & Suites for Friday and Saturday nights. The cost for the hotel room for 2 nights is $122 per person, including the Saturday evening wine and cheese party. Official sign-up will start at the EISC Spring Picnic, June 4th.
There are a few camping options on or near the trail with different amenities and at various costs that should be set up by the campers. Some research into the campgrounds has been done and Kim disagreed with my first recommendation – something about wanting showers. Pine View Campground, 8053 West J Street, Sparta seems to be the early favorite.
The campers are invited to attend the EISC Wine and Cheese party - this is optional, but please sign up for planning purposes - there is a $5 pp cost. Please be aware, it is about a 3½ hour drive to Sparta and everyone will be car-pooling or on their own for the Friday afternoon drive.
Click on the dropdown links under "Activities/Items" to view more about the 2 overnight options.
The Sparta – Elroy Trail is a linear trail with the group starting in Sparta on Saturday morning on an out & back route. Sunday is up to you. Some will want to head back early, but you can ride the trail more if you want. There is a nice golf course near Sparta called Viroqua Hills that is a lot of fun & some have talked of taking a slight detour on the way back through Spring Green and touring Frank Lloyd Wright’s historic Taliesin campus.
This trail is one of the most popular trails in the country. The three rock tunnels and five small towns along its 32.5 mile route makes the trail a favorite Wisconsin bicycling destination. Traveling between Sparta and Elroy, the trail stretches through the communities of Norwalk, Wilton and Kendall. It is located in Hidden Valleys Country and passes through a portion of the unglaciated areas of Wisconsin. The three century-old railroad tunnels highlight the trail. The Kendall and Wilton tunnels are 1/4 mile long and the Norwalk tunnel is just over 3/4 mile long. The tunnels are dark and cool, even on the brightest days, and water from springs above the tunnels can trickle onto the trail. Bikers should walk bikes through the tunnels. Make sure you have a light as it will be pitch black dark in the tunnel. The Trail is covered with limestone screenings and provides a smooth riding surface. The bridges are covered with planks and are guarded with railings.
We hope you can join your fellow EISC bicycle riders on what is sure to be a great adventure. Plan on signing up early if you would like to go & stay at the hotel. This is a fun trail and should be a great trip. More information will be available at the Spring Picnic.