Biking 500 miles along the Wisconsin River

PLUS record tourism, eaglets fall from nest, and 50k turkeys harvested

Author

Forrest Koslowski
June 13, 2024

In partnership with

Mornin' to any landowners willing to host a gun deer hunt for disabled hunters. This is the Wiscampsin Weekly - the email that gets you in the know on the Wisconsin outdoors in 5 minutes or less. New reader? Subscribe here.

Hey folks, new section this week. Work & Play lists out some upcoming events in Wisconsin, as well as outdoor job postings you may be interested in. Enjoy!

This week’s weekly:

  • Biking Wisconsin 🚴 

  • Eaglets saved after tree fall 🦅 

  • Record year of tourism 💰

Biking the Wisconsin River and Other Epic Routes

Ah, the Wisconsin River. You can paddle it, tube it, heck, even swim it if you’re motivated enough.

But this week, a battalion of cyclists are biking down it—or should we say, biking along it, from start to finish.

Don those padded bike shorts, let’s dive in.

The GRABAAWR

  • 7-day, 500-mile bike ride along the Wisconsin River

  • Riders pedal 50-80 ish miles/day, stopping at towns along the way

  • One of many cross-state biking events you can join in Wisconsin

The GRABAA-what?

The GRABAAWR, AKA the The GReat Annual Bicycling Adventure Along the Wisconsin River (say that 3x fast…).

Starting at the headwaters in Eagle River and terminating in Prarie du Chien, the GRABAAWR follows the contour of the Wisconsin River, showcasing its 430 miles of beauty. Route here.

This year’s annual GRABAAWR is taking place from June 8th to June 15th. Cripes, that’s right now!

Yup, the riders pedaled out on Sunday by the hundreds. They’ll ride approximately 50-80ish miles each day, stopping in various towns each night.

Bummed you missed it? Don’t worry, Bike Wisconsin is putting on eight other rides you can join before next year’s GRABAAWR!

Beer, cheese, and biking

Without a doubt, ‘Sconnies (and others) love biking in WI. For good reason, too!

Our legacy as a bike-friendly place is due to a few reasons, but mainly because of our low-traffic backroads.

Once used for milk deliveries, many of these scenic routes have been repurposed for cyclists hoping to see the countryside by bike.

Another allure are Wisconsin’s Rails-to-Trails.

After the Age of the Locomotive came to an end, many railroad tracks were abandoned in Wisconsin.

That is, until someone had a grand idea: Let’s convert these off-the-beaten path routes to cross-state bike trails.

A similar spirit went into creating USBRs (U.S. Bicycle Route System) and the newly proposed WIBRS (Wisconsin Bicycle Routes System).

With these dedicated, long-distance routes, adventure seekers can load up their saddle bags with camp gear (or reserve a few hotels), and cross the state by power of their own calves.

How to get out ‘der

Whether you want to participate in group rides, or solo-explore some legendary routes, we’ve compiled some resources below worth checking out.

Group rides

Other resources:

Now forward this email to friend, and get out ‘der!

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NEW: Work & Play

Work

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Wiscampsin Weekly Poll

Surprise, surprise, the top 3 Wisconsin breweries as voted by our readers are:

  1. New Glarus Brewing Company

  2. Leinenkugel’s

  3. Central Waters Brewing Company

Where do you live in Wisconsin?

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Nuts and Seeds 🌰 

🦅 Eaglets saved: Once upon a time, a drive down State Hwy 27 in Cornell promised something worth stopping for: a large eagle’s nest in a pine tree next to the road. But after a May 21st storm, a branch apparently broke, sending the nest—and two young eagles—plummeting to the earth. Miraculously, the pair survived, and are now being raised at the Winged Freedom Raptor Hospital in Spooner. Once they’re ready, they’ll be released back into the wild.

🦃 DNR release final Spring Turkey results: Hunters had a very successful spring filling ‘da freezer, as they harvested 50,435 birds, the fourth-highest spring on record and a 22% increase from the 5-year average. The regular turkey season takes place from April 17 to May 28, and is divided into six separate one-week periods. You can apply for next year’s hunt by December 10 here.

💰 State tourism sets record: The economic impact of tourism in 2023 was $25 billion, beating 2022’s record of $23.7 billion. We also had a new record in overnight visitors at 46 million. The tourism sector supported roughly 178,000 jobs across the state.

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Meme of the Week 😂

A review from the trail… Well shucks, help us out and buy a coffee mug would ya!

Well, how'd we do this week?

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