City
This page collects routes and connections in the La Crosse, Wisconsin region.
UWL Loop
New to the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse? Try the UWL Loop. This route, commonly used as a tour for Drift Cycles, introduces new riders to two ways to get to and from Downtown La Crosse without riding with traffic on busy streets. Leaving campus via East Avenue, the route heads through the La Crosse Rive Marsh Trails north on the Grand Crossing Trail, before turning west and entering Riverside Park without spending time on busy streets. Following Front street south until returning east on two “neighborhood greenways”: King Street and 17th, which are specially designed and designated bicycle infrastructure.
Regional Route 1
Regional Route 1 is the first of five planned inter-city bicycle routes; the La Crosse Area Planning Commission identifies these routes, and municipal governments put signs on them. The route connects existing off-street trails, on-street bike lanes, and neighborhood greenways to make the best regional bike connections. Regional Route 1 Phase 1 — from Onalaska to Riverside Park in La Crosse — is already signed with the “Regional Route” placards and way finding signage. The route for Phase 2 has been designated, but is not yet signed (as of Summer 2023).
Wagon Wheel Trail -- Connecting La Crosse and La Crescent
The five-mile-long Wagon Wheel Trail connects La Crosse, on the Wisconsin side, with La Crescent, on the Minnesota side. While the various phases of construction on this important connection are not completely finished, major pieces are — like the bike/ped bridge in La Crescent, and the paved trail from Shore Acres Road. When all the various projects are done, this will be signed as “Regional Route 2” — for now, the parts of the Wagon Wheel trail are known to locals, and we encourage you to explore the connection. The off-highway trail allows hesitant cyclists to take big stretches of this connection between the two cities away from the busy highway, paralleling the route where more confident riders can ride with traffic on the shoulder of HWY 14. Cautious cyclists should consider walking their bikes on the pedestrian sidewalk on the north side of the Cass Street “Blue Bridge,” while others, perhaps in larger groups, can ride their bikes on the bridge deck over the Mississippi main channel. Likewise, the West Channel bridge has both a protected sidewalk, and a wide shoulder for riders; take your pick.