Military Ridge State Trail: Ridgeway to Blue Mounds

The Military Ridge State Trail from Ridgeway to Blue Mounds is 9.4 miles. A ride on this section of the trail involves a slow ascent up the western mound. However, the scenery along the way is amazing, especially in Blue Mounds State Park. As the trail journeys from Ridgeway to Blue Mounds, it also passes through the community of Barneveld.

To reach the trail in Ridgeway, exit onto County Highway HHH on the east side of the village from U.S. Highways 18-151. Drive 1.1 mile into town to the water tower. The road becomes Main Street. The trailhead is at the historic depot north of Main Street, north of the water tower. Trail parking, an information kiosk, a self-registration station, and public restrooms are available there. This 1913 depot is the only remaining depot on the trail.

Ridgeway was settled in 1828 by J.B Skinner and other lead miners. By the 1840s and 1850s, Irish, Welsh, Norwegians, and Germans made it their home. Ridgeway’s 1913 railroad depot is the only remaining depot from the former Chicago Northwestern railroad line. Residents of Ridgeway also claim that a phantom haunted the village. From 1840 to 1885, a ghost was spotted at times along the old military road. Today the main feature of the community is the Sunday farmers market held during spring, summer, and autumn months. The village has several small businesses along Main Street.

Returning to the Military Ridge State Trail, the path heads east out of town. It passes by several beautiful older homes along the way. Naturalists may want to head off the trail on County Highway H to the Ridgeway Pine Relics State Natural Area. Located just a half mile north from where the trail intersects County Highway H, a short hike off the road leads to pine forests that have remained since the last glacier receded. The pines of the natural area are set among sandstone cliffs, rocky outcrops, shallow caves, and rock shelters.

Continuing east on the Military Ridge State Trail takes bicyclists past Hi Point Steak House, opposite Strutt Road. Visitors come here for a traditional Wisconsin Supper Club experience. It’s a long-standing local attraction, being established back in the 1930s.

From Ridgeway to Barneveld, it is nearly six miles. The trail parallels U.S. Highways 18-151 at different places in this section. The roar of highway traffic is frequently heard. In a few places, the trail digresses from the highway. Deer, squirrels, and other wildlife are often seen along the trail, and the distinct calls of cardinals and catbirds are heard as well.

Beautiful wildflowers speckle the sides of the trail in summer. However, trail-goers should beware of the wild parsnip plant. It contains psoralen that when touched and exposed to sunlight, causes reddening of the skin, rash, or blisters. Random gopher holes along the trail are potentially dangerous, and keeping an eye out is key to avoiding these obstacles.

As the trail slowly climbs in elevation, the town of Barneveld appears. Barneveld was incorporated as a village in 1906. It was rebuilt after a devastating tornado hit in 1984. It has restaurants and gas stations. Botham Vineyards and Winery, located south of town on County Highway K, is a perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine after a ride. The winery has a tasting room, offers tours, and features a wide variety of wines for sale. Their Uplands Reserve is a long-time customer favorite. It is a dry, oak-aged, dry red wine.

Barneveld’s village park serves trailhead. The park has ample amenities. A parking lot, restrooms, and self-registration station are available there. The village park is located on East Main Street. To access the park by car, exit U.S. Highways 18-151, and travel north on County Highway ID one mile. Turn left (north) on Church Street, and left again (west) on Main Street. The parking lot is on the left (south) side of Main Street.

After leaving Barnveld, the trail begins its slow ascent of west Blue Mound. Along the way, the trail crosses County Highway K and Blue Mounds Road. Open fields and meadows give way to the cool shade of maple forests. While the climb is gradual, over 100 feet in a distance of three miles, the cool shade of the maple forest lessens the burden.

Near the top of the climb, a paved spur trail on the left (north) side of the path leads to Blue Mounds State Park. The park has a wide variety of activities for outdoor enthusiasts. It is perched atop the highest point in southern Wisconsin, and offers spectacular views of the countryside. The park has a swimming pool, hiking and off-road biking trails, observation tower, playground, picnic area, large campground, and bike-in campsites.

One mile after the spur trail, the Military Ridge State Trail arrives in Blue Mounds. Blue Mounds Village Park appears on the left (north) after crossing Mounds Road. Parking is available there, and other facilities include an information kiosk, self-registration station, restrooms, playground, and picnic area. The park is reached by heading north on County Highway F from U.S. Highways 18-151. Turn left (west) on County Highway ID. Travel a half mile and turn right (north) on Mounds Road. The park is 0.3 miles ahead.

There are several taverns and restaurants in Blue Mounds. It has gas stations and convenience stores also. Nearby is Bigham County Park and Cave of the Mounds National Historic Landmark. Bigham County Park has a campground, two shelter facilities, picnic area, playground, hiking trails, and interpretive markers. The Brigham Trail goes through the park and connects to the Military Ridge State Trail. Cave of the Mounds is a popular attraction that features a natural limestone cave located in the southern slope of the east mound. The cave contains numerous unique geologic formations.

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

During the Black Hawk War in 1832, local Blue Mounds citizen Ebenezer Brigham, and 25 other residents, built a fort south of Blue Mounds to protect themselves from factions of warring Native Americans. A marker on County Highway F conveys the fort’s history. Blue Mounds has historically served as a distinguishable feature for Natives Americans and white settlers passing through the area. The military road, built in 1835 by troops from Fort Crawford in Prairie du Chien, traveled along the south side of the mounds.

It is 9.4 miles from Ridgeway to Blue Mounds on the Military Ridge State Trail. Along the way, the route passes through Barneveld and skirts Blue Mounds State Park. While it is a gradual climb in elevation from Barneveld to Blue Mounds, this is the most scenic part of the trail. The ascent certainly is not strenuous. Adding to the exhilaration of the ride is the enjoyment of the beautiful hardwood forest through which the trail journeys.

Trail last ridden and documented in June, 2020.