BOULDER JUNCTION — The packing list for the trip Up North last month was pretty typical.
The Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System is 52 miles of paved trail, much of it through stands of pine in the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest.
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A pair of bicyclists ride on Highway K as they leave Boulder Junction on their way to a paved trail less than a mile away. The community is known as the “Musky Capital of the World,” but bicyclists are pumping millions of dollars each year into the economies of Vilas and Iron counties.
Shops that sell, repair and rent bikes, like Coontail Adventures in Boulder Junction, are capitalizing on the more than 160,000 bicyclists a year that come to ride the Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System.
When the snow falls in Vilas County, it becomes one of the top destinations in the country for snowmobiling. But warmer months mean bicyclists fill hotels, bars, restaurants and shops.
Carleen and Bill Christianson of Oshkosh prepare to embark on a 30-mile round-trip ride from Boulder Junction to Manitowish Waters. The couple, in their early 80s, has been coming to Vilas County with their bikes for over 20 years. The first paved trail was built here in 1994.
Austin Nelson shows off a blower used to clear pine cones, acorns, leaves and other foliage from the Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System. Nelson works for EAU Holdings, a development company owned by billionaires Dick and Liz Uihlein.
A bicyclist pedals over the Manitowish River west of Boulder Junction while riding part of the 52-mile Heart of Vilas County Trail System.
Photos: Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 3
Shops that sell, repair and rent bikes, like Coontail Adventures in Boulder Junction, are capitalizing on the more than 160,000 bicyclists a year that come to ride the Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 7
Austin Nelson shows off a blower used to clear pine cones, acorns, leaves and other foliage from the Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System. Nelson works for EAU Holdings, a development company owned by billionaires Dick and Liz Uihlein.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 1
The Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System is 52 miles of paved trail, much of it through stands of pine in the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 8
Jag Lake near Boulder Junction is among the many bodies of water along the 52-mile Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 10
Bicyclists make their way south on the Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System, where it parallels Highway M just north of Trout Lake.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 5
Carleen and Bill Christianson of Oshkosh prepare to embark on a 30-mile round-trip ride from Boulder Junction to Manitowish Waters. The couple, in their early 80s, has been coming to Vilas County with their bikes for over 20 years. The first paved trail was built here in 1994.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 4
When the snow falls in Vilas County, it becomes one of the top destinations in the country for snowmobiling. But warmer months mean bicyclists fill hotels, bars, restaurants and shops.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 2
A pair of bicyclists ride on Highway K as they leave Boulder Junction on their way to a paved trail less than a mile away. The community is known as the “Musky Capital of the World,” but bicyclists are pumping millions of dollars each year into the economies of Vilas and Iron counties.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 6
A bicyclist pedals over the Manitowish River west of Boulder Junction while riding part of the 52-mile Heart of Vilas County Trail System.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 3
Shops that sell, repair and rent bikes, like Coontail Adventures in Boulder Junction, are capitalizing on the more than 160,000 bicyclists a year that come to ride the Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 7
Austin Nelson shows off a blower used to clear pine cones, acorns, leaves and other foliage from the Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System. Nelson works for EAU Holdings, a development company owned by billionaires Dick and Liz Uihlein.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 1
The Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System is 52 miles of paved trail, much of it through stands of pine in the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 8
Jag Lake near Boulder Junction is among the many bodies of water along the 52-mile Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 10
Bicyclists make their way south on the Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System, where it parallels Highway M just north of Trout Lake.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 5
Carleen and Bill Christianson of Oshkosh prepare to embark on a 30-mile round-trip ride from Boulder Junction to Manitowish Waters. The couple, in their early 80s, has been coming to Vilas County with their bikes for over 20 years. The first paved trail was built here in 1994.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 4
When the snow falls in Vilas County, it becomes one of the top destinations in the country for snowmobiling. But warmer months mean bicyclists fill hotels, bars, restaurants and shops.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 2
A pair of bicyclists ride on Highway K as they leave Boulder Junction on their way to a paved trail less than a mile away. The community is known as the “Musky Capital of the World,” but bicyclists are pumping millions of dollars each year into the economies of Vilas and Iron counties.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System 6
A bicyclist pedals over the Manitowish River west of Boulder Junction while riding part of the 52-mile Heart of Vilas County Trail System.
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
Heart of the Vilas County Bike Trail System
