Mountain Bike Trails

Project Background:

The 2018 Northern Lake Michigan Costal Master Plan prescribed and authorized the objective of assessing the trail system and adding purpose-built mountain bike trails in Peninsula State Park. In 2023, the Friends of Peninsula State Park raised money to hire a professional mountain bike trail planning consultant to develop a mountain bike trail system plan for Peninsula State Park. This plan was done in consultation with property staff and was given to the department in January of 2024. The friends raised over $650,000 for phase one of this project, which will result in approximately nine new miles of sustainable and desirable mountain bike trails. Phase two is expected to occur in 2025 or 2026 and will consist of the final approximately nine miles of this purpose-built trail system.
 
Phase 1: 9 new miles of purpose-built mountain biking trails in Peninsula State Park. This phase is fully funded ($650,000) thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Friends of Peninsula State Park organization.
Phase 2: The final 9 miles of purpose-built mountain biking trails to be completed in 2025 or 2026.
 
Currently, the existing off-road bicycle trails used by mountain bike riders utilize winter cross-country ski trails that are wide and generally flat, which is not desirable by the mountain bike community. There are currently no purpose-built mountain bike trails on public lands within Door County. Future trail locations will be determined by evaluating the ecological sensitive areas of the park and will follow industry design standards that utilize 18-inch to 48-inch-wide trails that meander through the forest, utilize available land with desirable topography, and are constructed to minimize erosion. This new trail system will offer a quality mountain bike trail ride for thousands of visitors and locals annually.

Trail Updates:

No Trackstanding at the Peninsula State Park’s New Mountain Bike Trail (9.10.24)

MTB riders call it trackstanding which is balancing on a bike without moving forward or backward. Phase 1 of the new Mountain Bike Trail project at Peninsula State Park is definitely not trackstanding, It is pedaling forward at race speed.

“Rock Solid Trail Contracting”, the professional MTB trail builder for the new trail, has been working since just before Labor Day and has completed over 20% of the first phase track as of this writing. The nine mile phase 1 route is scheduled to be completed yet this Fall. The plan for phase 2 is another nine miles of feature filled trails. Completion of phase 2 should be sometime in 2025 or 2026. Both phases of the new trail will be filled with rollers, rock gardens, switchbacks, drops and a lot more biking challenges for the adventurous off-road rider.

The MTB project is made possible through the dedication and foresight of our donors and grant providers. Because of their generosity the Friends of Peninsula State Park has so far raised over $650,000 to fund the project. The new MTB trail is a collaboration between the Friends of Peninsula State Park and the Wisconsin DNR. The project goal is to provide off-road bike enthusiasts a superior riding experience with a priority on ensuring an eco-friendly design. Project priority number one is protecting the environmental balance of one of our State’s most treasured recreation areas.

If you would like to donate to this project or to other Park improvement initiatives through the Friends of Peninsula State Park please visit our website HERE.