The Sanders Creek Trail is a paved 1.5-mile multi-use trail that follows Sanders Creek to the Wisconsin River in Boscobel Wisconsin. It is part of the larger Wisconsin River Trail plan to create a 20-mile loop bike trail connecting Boscobel, Woodman, Wauzeka, and Boydtown with close views of the Wisconsin River from both sides of its banks. The Sanders Creek trail is a spur from this trail that winds through downtown Boscobel and connects parks and neighborhoods. The trail is an easy to walk with few gentle slopes.
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I hiked, or I should say, walked the Sanders Creek Trail on a bright and sunny afternoon in late summer when the water level in the creek was low. Sanders Creek flows down from the hills of the driftless area and enters its confluence with the Wisconsin River where Boscobel is build around it. The stream is bunkered into a shallow flood way across its length suggesting the stream often floods up to the Boscobel street level. The trail path is set within these levies very near to the streambank.
I parked at the very busy Boscobel landing and wayside beside the Wisconsin River. This lot is a major take out and launching point for canoe trips down the scenic Lower Wisconsin Riverway. A towering rock hill hems in Highway 60 across the bridge providing a scenic entrance to Boscobel and the landing parking lot is directly west of the Highway 61 bridge.
The Sanders Creek Trail does not start at the landing, but a new wide paved bike trail with wood decked bridges leads from the landing into Boscobel. This is the Phase 1 portion of the Wisconsin River Trail, a 20-mile loop trail. After walking this route, I spotted the Sanders Creek Trail across Highway 61 behind Walnut Street and I could see it was flooded over. So, I walked up Green Street and down Nevada Street and found a dog park I could walk through to get onto the trail.
The trail meandered along the creek on a narrow concrete walkway that was occasionally flooded by puddles that were easy to walk around. Sanders Creek babbles as it flows along nearby. The trail crossed under several bridges and a railroad in a sort of greenway between neighborhoods. I could see parks and playgrounds and a downtown commercial district from the trail. As the trail came to an end it became shaded by trees in a park-like setting. After reaching its end on Fremont Street I turned back and completed a roughly 4-mile out-and-back that was pleasant and easy to walk.
I’m excited to see progress on the Wisconsin River Trail. It appears that Phase 1 is complete, and Phase 2 is set to begin soon. I’m not sure how many years it will take to complete the full 20-mile bike loop, but I will check back in about 5-years. This ambitious project could become one of the most premiere bike trails in Wisconsin with an incredible off-road paved trail looping around a particularly scenic section of the famous Lower Wisconsin Riverway. Between this new bike trail, the Sanders Creek Trail, and the already popular canoe landing, Boscobel is set to become an booming outdoor recreation destination … and frankly, it’s about time that this, the most scenic corner of the state, begins to be recognized as a Midwest travel destination.
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Where the Sidewalk Ends |
Sanders Creek Trail
COUNTY
GRANT
COMMUNITIES
BOSCOBEL
TOTAL MILES
1.5-MILE POINT-TO-POINT
DIFFICULTY
VERY EASY
LOWEST ELEVATION
650 AMSL
HIGHEST ELEVATION
680 AMSL
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN
30 FT
Directions and Trail Map
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If viewing on a mobile device, open the trail map above to load into Google Maps App by touching the expand rectangle in the upper right corner.
Address for your GPS: 401 Fremont St, Boscobel, WI 53805
| coordinates: 43.1490, -90.71486 |
| From Milwaukee | 2.5 Hours |
| From Madison | 1.5 Hour |
| From Green Bay | 3.5 Hours |
| From Wausau | 3 Hours |
| From Minneapolis | 4 Hours |
| From Chicago | 3.5 Hours |
Photos
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| There are often wet areas along this trail |
