The Mountain-Bay State Trail is celebrating 30 years of biking, hiking, walking and exploring the nature northeastern and central Wisconsin has to offer with a summer of events. This marks the first such celebration of the trail since it was established in 1996.
The 30th anniversary celebrations have been organized by The Friends of the Mountain-Bay State Trail and Shawano Pathways.
The trail is a “diamond in the rough,” said Matty Mathison, who organizes the upkeep of the trail and is a member of both organizations planning the anniversary celebrations. “It’s one of the longest and oldest trails in the state of Wisconsin.”
The trail is 83 miles long and spans over Marathon, Shawano and Brown counties. It’s open all year, allowing people to enjoy the route in every season. You can walk, bike and snowmobile, or go on horseback.
Mathison said the anniversary not only celebrates the trail but also the tremendous effort of the people who worked to create it 30 years ago. She hopes the events bring more awareness and “appreciation for something new in your backyard.”
She described the trail as a place where you can see native plants, farming communities, horses, cows, waterways, wooded and marshy areas and little towns, as well as 21 bridges.
Anniversary events, running throughout the summer and early fall, are all free.
Mountain-Bay State Trail anniversary itinerary
One point is given for attending each event, automatically putting your name in a drawing for available prizes. Some of the prizes include two nights of camping, two jet ski rentals, two pontoon rentals and camp store gift certificates.
The anniversary celebration Sept. 26 will also feature a eight- to nine-foot metal sculpture of a man made up of bike parts. He has been given the name: Wheelman. For one dollar, attendees can guess how much he weighs, and the closest guess wins a prize.
Roots of the Mountain-Bay State Trail
Mathison hopes to see the trail become a destination more people are aware of.
For more information and announcements on the anniversary, visit the Friends of the Mountain Bay State Trail website.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Mountain Bay Trail celebrates 30 years with months of free events
Reporting by Kathryn Byrnes, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kathryn Byrnes, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
