Mountain Bay State Trail: Bonduel to Pulaski

The 12.9-mile section of the Mountain Bay State Trail from Bonduel to Pulaski offers expansive views of the rolling hills and flat agricultural lands of northeastern Wisconsin. The trail passes through Shawano and Brown Counties, and the condition of the path’s surface in each one is remarkably different. The elevation along the route descends about 120 feet over the first 6 miles. Horseback riding is permitted on the trail only in Shawano County.

The Mountain Bay State Trail Park near Bonduel serves as the starting place for this section of the path. It is located on North Street. From the Intersection of Wisconsin State Highways 29 and 117, take 117 (Cecil Street) north for 1.7 miles through Bonduel. The trail crosses over the highway on the north side of Bonduel. Then turn left (west) on North Street and drive 0.6 mile to the trailhead. It located at the junction of 3 rural roads: North Street, Depot Street, and Flambeau Road. It has a parking lot, picnic tables, and garbage cans. Before beginning a ride, trail-goers may want to visit the nearly Lumberyard Bar and Grill.

The Mountain Bay State Trail leaves the park and travels east toward Bonduel. It passes a low cedar swamp to the south, This is the northern part of Bonduel’s 14-acre Cedar Park. A little more than a half mile from the trailhead, the trail crosses over Wisconsin State Highway 117 on a trestle bridge. From the bridge, Bonduel is visible to the south. The village cannot be access from the bridge or trail. Cyclists who want to go into town need to take North Street east from the trailhead, and turn right (south) on the state highway.

Today, the Bonduel serves visitors with several restaurants, convenience stores, a coffee shop, and community park. The village was incorporated as a village in 1916, but the community dates back to the 1860s. Known as Hartland Corners, the name switched to Bonduel when the application for a post office was made in 1864. The village is named after Jesuit missionary Florimond Bonduel, who served local parishes and worked with the Menominee Indians in the 1840s and 1850s.

East of Bonduel, the landscape becomes more agricultural. A corridor of trees line the trail, but vast open farm fields span the countryside. Two miles east of the trestle bridge, the Mountain Bay State Trail turns to the southeast. In this section, the path crosses Highline Road. It is 5 miles from the bend in the trail to the community of Zachow. Along the way, the path crosses Beech Drive, Broadway Road, County Highway F, and the Pensaukee River. The route descends in elevation in this segment.

There is a trailhead parking lot in Zachow, but no facilities. In this tiny community, the trail travels past grain elevators, Graf Creamery, and other buildings. Zachow’s history goes back to the 1890s, when a general store and post office was established there. The Chicago and Northwestern Railway extended their line in 1903, helping the community grow. Farming and cheese-making was the main industry in Zachow, and still is today.

To reach Zachow by car from Wisconsin State Highway 29, go north on County Highway F for 2.2 miles. Turn right (east) onto Zackow Road and drive 0.3 miles. The parking lot is on the left (north) side of the road by the trail.

A mile southwest of Zachow, St. Paul Lutheran Church comes into view. A mile further, the trail crosses the Pensaukee River again. About 6 miles down the trail from Zachow cyclists may sense a strange aroma before noticing grain elevators to the left (north) of the trail. This plant belongs to Nutrition Service Company, which makes livestock feed.

Less than a half mile from the elevators, the Mountain Bay State Trail crosses Wisconsin State Highway 32 and moves into Brown County. Trail conditions noticeably improve. In Brown County, gates are placed at road intersections, and horseback riding is not permitted. The broad crushed limestone path has no grassy center, as it does in Shawano County.

The trail meanders around the village of Pulaski for a mile before arriving at a trailhead. It is located by the community park and Polka Days fairgrounds. Pulaski’s four-day festival brings in thousands of visitors from around the world to hear some of the best polka music.

Parking is available at the trailhead. There is also an information kiosk, self-registration station, park bench, and bike rack. It is located in Pulaski on Wisconsin State Highway 32. In the village, the highway follows S. Wisconsin Street and E. Pulaski Streets. The trailhead and community park are at the northeast corner of the intersection of those two streets.

Pulaski features a variety of services for trail-goers, including convenience stores, fast food, and sit-down restaurants. Smurawa’s Country Bakery on E. Pulaski Street is a local favorite. It features tasty Polish baked goods including the paczki, a unique jelly-filled donut.

Named for Count Casimir Pulaski, a Polish military leader who fought and died in the American Revolutionary War, Pulaski developed in the 1880s. During that decade, land agent John Hoff encouraged Polish families in Milwaukee to buy his land in the area that would eventually include Pulaski. By 1885, over 35 families had settled there.

^{Map of trailheads and addresses along this section of the trail.}

Hoff donated land to the local leader of the Order of Friars Minor. A friary for Franciscan brothers was built in 1888, and the first Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church was completed in 1892. It is a short trip from the trailhead down Pulaski Street, for an awe-inspiring view of the cathedral-style church. It ranked as one of the largest rural churches in America when it was completed in 1931 and continues to dominate the landscape.

A ride on the Mountain Bay State Trail from Bonduel to Pulaski offers an opportunity to explore the area’s fertile farm country. Although the trail is lined by trees, much of the route is in open sunlight. Trail-goers may want to use sunscreen when touring this section of the path. Its open countryside offers stunning and broad views of the landscape.

Trail last ridden and documented in May, 2021.