If you’re a fan of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail, you’re not alone.
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Cyclists make their way into a ¾-mile tunnel on the Elroy-Sparta State Trail near Norwalk in May 2022. The route was the nation's first rails-to-trails conversion.
Bikers ride the Elroy-Sparta State Trail in 1967.
Bicyclists ride on the Elroy-Sparta Trail in this undated image.
Tommy Thompson is interviewed for PBS' documentary "From Rails to Trails" for his father's role in creating the nation's first rail-to-trail project, the Elroy-Sparta State Trail.
Rails to Trails Conservancy co-founder Peter Harnik interviews for the PBS documentary "From Rails to Trails."
IN PHOTOS: On the Elroy-Sparta State Trail
Elroy-Sparta State Trail
Cyclists make their way into a ¾-mile tunnel on the Elroy-Sparta State Trail near Norwalk. The nation's first rails-to-trails conversion has reopened more than three years after it was damaged by heavy rains.
Elroy-Sparta State Trail
A cyclist crosses a new bridge over the Baraboo River on the Elroy-Sparta State Trail. The Department of Natural Resources spent about $2.3 million to replace bridges, culverts and sections of trail washed away by floodwaters in 2018.
Elroy-Sparta State Trail
Lincoln Steward eats lunch Wednesday at the Eagle Eye Bar and Grill in Elroy on his way from Lodi to West Salem. It was the 11th leg of Steward's planned trip from his home in Nazareth, Pa., to Anchorage, Alaska.
Elroy-Sparta State Trail
Established in 1966 on the bed of the former Chicago and North Western railroad, the Elroy-Sparta State Trail is the nation's first "rails-to-trails" conversion and draws about 60,000 users per year.
Elroy-Sparta State Trail
A cyclist rides along a restored section of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail that was washed away when the Kickapoo River surged over its banks in August 2018.
Elroy-Sparta State Trail
Fourth-grade students from Prairie Hill Waldorf School in Pewaukee prepare to embark on a two-day trip on the 32.5-mile Elroy-Sparta State Trail. “If we’re going to study Wisconsin geography, we should experience it,” said teacher Sandy Loucks.
Elroy-Sparta State Trail
Cyclists Bradley Bridges, left, and Jeremy Williams, both of Rochester, Minn., rest at the entrance to a tunnel on the Elroy-Sparta State Trail near Norwalk during their trip from Winona, Minn., to Elroy and back.
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A bridge remains damaged on the Elroy-Sparta Trail from the 2018 floods.
Elroy-Sparta map
Elroy-Sparta State Trail
Guided by the light of a friend's small bicycle light, Anita Hege of La Farge, walks through a nearly mile-long tunnel on the Elroy-Sparta State Trail near Norwalk.
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Cyclists prepare to depart from the Elroy-Sparta State Trail headquarters in Kendall, Wis. Wednesday, May 27, 2015. The historic building once served as a train depot for the former railway which formerly occupied the site. John Hart -- State Journal
Elroy-Sparta State Trail
Terri Dellamaria, 49, left, of Lauderdale Lakes; Jim Cox, 57, of East Troy and his daughter, Elizabeth Weinkauf, 29, Waterford, make their way past the headquarters of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail in Kendall. The historic building served as a train depot for decades until train traffic was halted in 1964.
Elroy-Sparta State Trail
Glenn Bates and Cheryl Castles from the Springfield, Ill., area, make their way past the headquarters of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail in Kendall. The trail in Monroe County serves about 35,000 riders a year.
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Anita Hege, left, her sister, Susanna, both of La Farge, Wis., pause along the Elroy-Sparta State Trail with a visiting friend from Haiti, Males Mainviel, during cycling trip along the trail west of Norwalk, Wis. Wednesday, May 27, 2015. John Hart -- State Journal
Elroy-Sparta State Trail
Dave Heilman, president of the board of the Friends of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail, shows of the fleet of rental bikes at the depot in Kendall.
Elroy-Sparta State Trail
Preparing for an anticipated influx of summer cyclists, Jeanette Von Haden and Nick Huerth paint the interior of the Creamery Ice Cream and More roadside stand near the Elroy-Sparta State Trail in Wilton. Bikers from around the world travel the trail, with many frequenting businesses along the way.
