Chippewa River State Trail: Eau Claire to Caryville

The Chippewa River State Trail travels 12.3 miles from Phoenix Park in Eau Claire to Caryville. The surface of the path is paved asphalt for nearly 11 miles, in very good condition. The trail’s surface for the last section is an oil-based emulsion, in fair condition. The namesake of the trail, the Chippewa River converges with the Eau Claire Rivers at Phoenix Park in downtown Eau Claire. This is where the Old Abe State Trail ends, and the Chippewa River State Trail begins. Phoenix Park, a picturesque park, offers a walking labyrinth, amphitheater, seasonal Saturday farm market, restrooms, and street parking.

There are numerous eating establishments that cater to visitors in downtown Eau Claire. Many are not far from Phoenix Park. For fast food take-out, Egg Roll Plus Restaurant on Bellinger Street is highly recommended. The Chippewa River State Trail passes behind The Nucleus Café. The trendy diner claims to be Eau Claire’s Heavyweight Champion of Food. Their menu includes full-bodied dishes served for breakfast, brunch, and lunch. Next door is Insomnia Cookies. Warm, mouth-watering cookies and browns are featured at this shop.

Returning to Phoenix Park on Riverfront Terrace, it is accessed by car from Interstate Highway 94. Take exit number 70 north onto U.S. Highway 53 in Eau Claire. After two miles, follow Business U.S. Highway 53 (N. Hastings Way). Drive two more miles, and turn left (west) on Main Street. After 1.3 miles, turn right (north) on S. Bartow Street, and left (west) on Riverfront Terrace after crossing the Eau Claire River. Parking is located along the street.

Eau Claire is the seat of government for the county bearing the same name. Early French fur traders named the river that runs through the city “Clear Water.” The first permanent American settlers arrived in 1845, and the city was incorporated in 1872. In the late 1800s, the lumber industry helped the city prosper. An influx of sawmills developed along the waterfront to harvest the huge volume of logs that were floated down the Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers. By 1916, the year that the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire was founded, the business of the city had transitioned from lumber to manufacturing.

Back on the trail, from Phoenix Park, the Chippewa River State Trail proceeds west across the Chippewa River on an impressive 500-foot-long trestle bridge, previously used by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. The bridge was fabricated in 1876 and assembled in 1903. The view from the bridge is amazing.

Now on the west side of the river, the trail turns south and hugs the bank as it moves toward Owen Park. In Owen Park, the path runs next to Sarge Boyd Bandshell. This structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is popular for its municipal band concerts, weddings, plays, and other public events. The park offers a large parking lot, restrooms, playground, and numerous other recreational opportunities. A bicycle self-service station is located there on the trail. Owen Park is an excellent alternative trailhead location.

After passing through Owen Park, a spur trail heads south across the river to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The Chippewa State Trail continues west, following the river through a beautiful forest. After a short jaunt on Menomonie Street, the trail heads back to the forested riverbank. The view from the trail is quite outstanding.

The path journeys along the west bank of the Chippewa River for 2.3 miles. It then crosses the Chipewa River again on a historic 1886 trestle bridge, built by the Union Bridge Company. It first serviced the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. Now trail-goers use the bridge. It’s worth taking a moment to stop and enjoy the view of the river.

The trail then passes under U.S. Highway 12 and goes through a light industrial area for a mile. After crossing Short Street, a small building appears that is occasionally manned by Friends of the Chippewa River State Trail. DNR trail passes are sold here, only when the building is staffed. The building marks the end of the free section of the trail (managed by the city of Eau Claire), and the beginning of the DNR segment of the trail.

After a half mile, the Chippewa State Trail passes under Interstate Highway 94. Then it meanders through Red Flint Recreational Area for 2.5 miles. Within the recreational area, the trail advances next to a bend in the Chippewa River, through lush forests and past sandy barrens. Red Flint Sand and Gravel LLC donated over 230 acres of land to the county for recreational use. The reserve has hiking trails, interpretive markers, and picnic tables throughout the area. The trail skirts the company’s sand pits and quarrying operations.

In Red Flint Recreational Area, the trail crosses both Lowes Creek and Taylor Creek. A historical marker near the trail conveys the history of Porterville. Now just a ghost town, a bustling sawmill town of 1,200 people existed there between 1866 and 1907. In one of its most productive years, sawmills there cut 45 billion feet of lumber, 20 million shingles, and 10 million laths. Now, forests cover the land where Porterville once stood, and the sounds of spinning saw blades have been replaced by birdcalls and the babbling of Taylor Creek.

The Chippewa River State Trail departs Red Flint Recreational Area after crossing Porterville Road. A mile down the the path, a spur trail on the right (west) leads to a wayside park. The wayside is on on Wisconsin State Highway 85, and offers the last view of the Chippewa River in this trail section. It serves as an excellent trailhead, with restrooms, parking, and picnic tables. A small historical marker relates the history of nearby Silver Mine Ski Jump.

Returning to the Chippewa River Trail from the wayside, the path next passes under Wisconsin State Highway 85 through a large culvert. A short distance further, it crosses Cooley Lake Creek. After the junction with highway, the quality of the trail’s pavement diminishes. Bicyclists need to watch for bumps, holes, and depressions in the blacktop.

Gradually, the landscape changes from forested river bottoms to farmland. After making a broad turn, it is a straight shot west on the trail for 4.2 miles to Caryville. Along the way, the path crosses West Creek at the unincorporated, crossroad community of Lufkin. In this straight section, the trail crosses three town roads before arriving in Caryville. At Fuller Road, the trail moves from Eau Claire to Dunn County.

The trailhead in Caryville is located on the west side of Wisconsin State Highway 85. Caution is required when crossing this highway. The trailhead has a parking lot, information kiosk, self-registration station, bike rack, picnic tables, and restrooms. A small grocery store (Luer’s) next to the trailhead carries a range of necessities, food, and drink. The Caryville traihead is accessed from Wisconsin State Highway 85.

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

Founded in the mid-19th century, Caryville is a quaint, small community in Dunn County. In its heyday, it had a train station, post office, and Pony Express office. Nearby, the Caryville ferry offered passage across the Chippewa River from 1910 to 1964. In 1964, a bridge was finally built and replaced the ferry.

A bike ride on the Chippewa River State Trail is over 12 miles from Phoenix Park in Eau Claire to the rural community of Caryville. Despite passing through the city of Eau Claire for several miles, the route is remarkably scenic, with outstanding views of forests, creeks, and the Chippewa River. An exciting part of the excursion is crossing the river on two old trestle bridges. But there is much to see and learn along the entire section of the trail.

Trail last ridden and documented in July, 2020.