Touring - Planning First Tour (IA-MN-WI) - Questions

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Husar
06-08-11, 02:21 PM
I am in the process of planning my first bike tour. A 6 day adventure. It is a rout that will take me through parts of IA, MN and finishing in Wausau, WI. I have just updated the route I am thinkin of taking. I am wondering if anyone from WI knows if you can bike through Ft. McCoy or not?

I have a map and initial post on this adventure at http://www.piratevelo.com/2011/05/27/planning-my-first-bike-tour/

And my updated map from today is located at http://www.piratevelo.com/2011/06/08/first-bike-tour-updated-route/

If anyone has any advise on this specific part of the midwest I am all ears. Thanks in advance.

OldZephyr
06-08-11, 08:02 PM
I took a quick look at your route through MN and WI. Good use of the trails east of Preston, MN and from LaCrosse to Sparta. You'll be going through a lot of pretty country and you've tended to pick a lot of lesser travelled roads.

My 2010 copy of the Wisconsin Bike Map put out by the Wisconsin Bicycle Federation shows a great big blank area at Fort McCoy. I suspect you can't go through there but don't know for sure. An alternative would be to take County Road B out of Sparta to Cataract, then Wis. 27 to County O to Millston. Or take 21 to County I out of Angelo, and then some town roads to hook up with S and then O to Millston.

Do you have the Wisconsin Bicycle Map set? They're really quite good.
Husar
06-08-11, 10:14 PM
I just got them OldZephry. I ended up buying all 5 regions. I will spreading them out this weekend and looking at them compared to my route.

IceNine
06-09-11, 03:58 PM
In May of this year I did an overnight backpacking/tent camping in Black River State Forrest. The deer flies were so thick it made for a very miserable trip.
irwin7638
06-09-11, 07:01 PM
Wisconsin DOT has bike routes available for download on a county by county basis.

Marc
Iowegian
06-10-11, 10:42 AM
Just a thought (and I'm certainly biased since I grew up in the area) but another option would be to head east through Decorah/Waukon to the river and then ride up the river road from Lansing to LaCrosse. You'll miss the Root river up by Preston (a beautiful area) but you'd get to ride along the Mississippi for a spell (another beautiful ride). Have a great trip!
RepWI
06-10-11, 06:15 PM
Understand you will be going through hill country in NW Iowa to NE of La Crosse. Great scenery to view but it will slog you down a lot.
Barrettscv
06-10-11, 07:39 PM
I would data enter the route in Map My Ride. It provides an elevation profile.
Husar
06-13-11, 02:23 PM
Just a thought (and I'm certainly biased since I grew up in the area) but another option would be to head east through Decorah/Waukon to the river and then ride up the river road from Lansing to LaCrosse. You'll miss the Root river up by Preston (a beautiful area) but you'd get to ride along the Mississippi for a spell (another beautiful ride). Have a great trip!

I was thinking about heading up through Decorah. I will have to check out that route.