A1 Trails
Rail Trails in Wisconsin

Cheese Country Recreation Trail

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Trail description: 47-mile rail trail between Mineral Point and Monroe is shared with ATVs and horses so mountain bikes are recommended.
Access fee: State Trail Pass required for bicyclists and horseback riders over 18, $6/year (2005), see the trail's website for points of purchase
Towns along the trail: Mineral Point, Darlington, Gratiot, Monroe (pop 10,000), WI
Web site: Cheese Country Recreation Trail
Trail map: Available on the trail's website
Trail surface: May be rough in places due to ATVs
Designated activities: Mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, ATVing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling
Facilities on the trail: Restaurants and convenience stores are located in several towns along the trail
Points of interest: Mineral Point's historic district has restored stone houses built by Cornish miners. Monroe has a century of cheese-making history.
Lodging: Monroe and Mineral Point each have a few hotels and other accommodations
Camping: Yellowstone Lake State Park offers 140 sites
Bike shops: Madison
Weather forecast: Madison
Tourism info: Mineral Point Chamber | Monroe Area Chamber | Green County Tourism | Lafayette County Tourism
Getting to the trail: In Monroe at the intersection of 21st St. and 4th Avenue West. In Mineral Point at Old Darlington Rd.
Map of local region: Mineral Point | Monroe

Rate this trail

Number of ratings: 9
Average rating: 3.67

Trail name: Cheese Country Recreation Trail
Times biking the trail: Weekly
Date of last visit: Dec, 2005
Sections that I biked: All of it 2,500 miles a year
My favourite sections of the trail: Darlinton to Fayette ATVs only, No 2 wheel bikes. Bridges are nice and smooth.
Best time to go: Spring or Fall
Trail marking: Very good
Trail maintenance: Very good
Rating: 5 stars
What I liked: Towns every 10 miles, restrooms eating places. Nice trail for a wide open cruise
What I disliked: Speed limit is 30mph on trail, should be 40mph. speed limit on bridges is 15mph, should be 25mph.
Comments: Monroe has great holel's, Darlinton has a nice campground for tent or trailer. Belmount a new gas station/convenient store, restaurant. Great family trail.
Submitted by: Dennis
from: Wisconsin, Illinois state line.
Date submitted: Jan 6, 2006

Trail name: Cheese Country Recreation Trail
Times biking the trail: Once
Date of last visit: June, 2004
Sections that I biked: from Mineral Point to about the 65th ATV dust cloud
My favourite sections of the trail: The end, back at the lot at Mineral point
Best time to go: Never
Trail marking: Fair
Trail maintenance: Poor
Rating: 0.5 stars
What I liked: Nothing to like....even the bike trails in Illinois are better.
What I disliked: A rutted poorly packed trail, with loads of ATV traffic make this trail one to avoid. Not 1 happy face on any of the bicyclists.
Comments: Scenery was also worthless. Every other trail in Wisconsin is better than this one.
Submitted by: CFM
from: Suburbs, Illinois
Date submitted: Sept 11, 2005

Trail name: Cheese Country Recreation Trail
Times biking the trail: Few
Date of last visit: May, 2005
Sections that I biked: Monroe to Mineral Point
My favourite sections of the trail: It's all good
Best time to go: spring
Trail marking: Very good
Trail maintenance: Very good
Rating: 4.5 stars
What I liked: Well marked/ Not difficult-easy and fun for the little guys/ Good stopping points
What I disliked:
Comments: Ride smart especially on weekends as the trail is very busy. Obey signs and stay on trail- enforced by police.
Submitted by: JK Big Daddy- ABATE of IL
from: Chicago, IL
Date submitted: May 19, 2005

Trail name: Cheese Country Recreation Trail
Times biking the trail: Several
Date of last visit: Oct, 2004
Sections that I biked: All of it. The Fayette trail has a bit of a challenge making for an even more enjoyable trip.
My favourite sections of the trail: The bridges make for some very nice scenery.
Best time to go: Any time you can go. The fall is beautiful
Trail marking: Very good
Trail maintenance: Very good
Rating: 4.5 stars
What I liked: The scenery and the wild life. No problem with the ATV's. It doesn't bother the wild life. Besides that, their the one's that make this all possible with the fees they pay to support this trail.
What I disliked: Nothing to dislike. No matter what your there for, It's worth the trip.
Comments: All the people show their appreciation for your business. They are all very freindly.
Submitted by: wpm
from: Illinois
Date submitted: April 4, 2005

Trail name: Cheese Country Recreation Trail
Times biking the trail: Once
Date of last visit: Oct, 2003
Sections that I biked: Most of the cheese trail
My favourite sections of the trail: Going through the cow pasture, and the bump bridges.
Best time to go: we have been only early fall
Trail marking: Very good
Trail maintenance: Fair
Rating: 5 stars
What I liked: We liked everything the people were very nice too.
What I disliked:
Comments: We ate at a few places and they were all good. Stayed at the Barber Shop Inn that was great too.
Submitted by: R.G.
from: LecLaire Iowa
Date submitted: Sept 17, 2004

Trail name: Cheese Country Recreation Trail
Times biking the trail: Few
Date of last visit: June, 2004
Sections that I biked:
My favourite sections of the trail:
Best time to go:
Trail marking: Very good
Trail maintenance: Fair
Rating: 5 stars
What I liked:
What I disliked:
Comments: this trail is maintained by an atv club, so if it wasn't for the motorized use of the trail you wouldn't have it at all!
Submitted by: JC
from: Shullsburg Wi
Date submitted: July 1, 2004

Trail name: Cheese Country Recreation Trail
Times biking the trail: Once
Date of last visit: Apr, 2004
Sections that I biked: Darlington to County G
My favourite sections of the trail:
Best time to go:
Trail marking: Very good
Trail maintenance: Very good
Rating: 0.5 stars
What I liked: easy walking
What I disliked: ATV use makes this a terrible experience for anyone else. Some wizz by leaving a huge cloud of dust. Forget seeing any wildlife. Motorized traffic makes it impossible.
Comments: I hiked only a short portion of the trail. It has great possibilities but the motorized use factor is a big drawback--no solitude, no wildlife. The trail is like a superhighway. The trail is so wide that two cars could almost run side by side. Look elsewhere for a true primitive experience. Too bad. This trail could have been something special if it had been planned properly.
Submitted by: R.J M
from: Verona, WI
Date submitted: April 8, 2004

Trail name: Cheese Country Recreation Trail
Times biking the trail: Few
Date of last visit: Oct, 2003
Sections that I biked: The entire trail start to finsh
My favourite sections of the trail: the long flat stretches
Best time to go: early fall
Trail marking: Very good
Trail maintenance: Very good
Rating: 5 stars
What I liked: the scenery is like a painting you'd find in a museum
What I disliked: it had to end and i couldn't keep going forever
Comments: great flat trail for any rider, wath out for the bridges, a little bumpy
Submitted by: JK
from: Monroe Wisconsin
Date submitted: March 9, 2004

Trail name: Cheese County Trail
I have ridden there: Several times
I last rode there in: August, 2003
Section of the trail that I have used:
Best time to go: April through October
Trail marking: Very good
Trail maintenance: Very good
Stars: 3
Favorite section of the trail:
Comments: This could be a really great trail if they got rid of the ATV traffic. Some of the people that ride them on this trail are very wreckless.
Submitted by: RW
from: Platteville,
Date submitted: Sept 2, 2003