MARINETTE — Getting on a trail is getting a little easier.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has entered into an agreement with the Marinette Area Mountain Bike Association for the nonprofit organization to maintain a popular trail under DNR supervision.
“The stars finally aligned,” said Joe Krawczyk, director of MAMBA, concerning the four-year process. “It’s been a long journey, but a really fruitful one.”
Not only is the local group taking a bit more care regarding stewardship of the trail, but its condition is also looking good for bikers who may want to start off-roading early this year.
“People can be out there riding now if they wanted to,” Krawczyk said.
Take a leisurely drive in the tri-cities area, and residents will find the trail, known as the Governor Earl Peshtigo River State Forest Nonmotorized Trail System or the “Potato Rapids Trail System” by the DNR.
It’s a trail for biking, hiking and horseback riding, and it’s located west of Marinette on Highway 64 off of Potato Rapids Road. A quick Google Maps search for Potato Rapids Road should bring curious bikers to the trailhead.
The trail has existed for some time, but the partnership with the local group, which started in 2020, is making it more visible.
“There’s a certain core of people that do know about them, but typically, they fly under the radar,” Krawczyk said.
Krawczyk said the trail is dry and ready to go, having just had a trail report this week.
Technically, there are no seasonal restrictions on state forest property, said Darrek Sams, property manager of Governor Earl Peshtigo River State Forest.
The state acquired the 900 acres in 2001 from Wisconsin Public Service to protect the shoreline. The primary use is forestry, but hunting and hiking are also permitted. Hence, the trail.
And, even though the trail seems older, it’s new compared to some state forest properties that have been in existence since the ’30s and ’40s.
“It’s the newest state forest property in Wisconsin,” Sams said.
Kyle Marinoff, a natural resources property supervisor, said the DNR is constantly working to build these partnerships, as there are countless miles of hiking and biking trails in the area that get overlooked. The area has only recently become known for these recreational opportunities — most people have land up here to hunt.
“I think that’s why people don’t know about a lot of the recreational areas,” Marinoff said.
The group will be responsible for trimming brush on the sides and overhead, ensuring the surface isn’t overgrown with roots or strewn with loose rocks. With the DNR’s approval and discretion, they will also create new trails and reroutes.
The state’s concern is erosion. He said that if mountain bikers get on the trails too early, their bikes could create ruts that spill sediment and runoff into the streams, harming fish habitats, aquatic life and insects.
That’s why it’s all the more important for the ground to be dry and frost-free.
A county frost report revealed that Oconto has no frost near the shoreline — the water is free of ice, which warms up the ground — but northern parts of Marinette County still have 14 inches, according to Timm Uhlmann, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service out of Green Bay.
That means the Strong Falls Trails, another trail the group helps manage, won’t be ready for another three to four weeks.
“We don’t want to send people up there and have them be disappointed,” Krawczyk said.
Uhlmann said that for the frost to clear, the daytime and nighttime temperatures must be mostly above freezing.
“Just a few hours below freeing isn’t enough to keep frost,” Uhlmann said.
The trails still have a headstart just because of the lack of snow.
“In general, it’s been one of the warmest winters and one of the warmest, if not the warmest, February on record,” Uhlmann said.
That’s good news for the nonprofit. Right now, they’re assembling volunteers to get involved with the group. Along with Strong Falls, located at N13980 Harper Road in Athelstane, and the Potato Rapids trails, they look after the Lake Noquebay county-owned trail system.
The Noquebay trail is located on the east side of Lake Noquebay in Peshtigo. Follow Highway 180 to County Trunk X and make a sharp, 90-degree turn on X to Right of Way Road.
“It does need some work, but other than that, it’s a nice, short ride for a family,” Krawczyk said.
Although most trails can be ridden by bikes, some are not trail-optimized. Clearing downed timber, muck holes, and other pesky obstacles can make the difference between an enjoyable and miserable bike trail. The group aims to ensure gentle turns, uphill and downhill sections and other features that make the ride, well, rideable.
Krawczyk said he recently took his brothers to Strong Falls, and they were amazed.
“We crested the hill, and there was a view of Thunder Mountain and they couldn’t believe we were in Wisconsin,” Krawczyk said.
Visitors may not have to take as long of a drive to get to some great biking trails.
“They drive through Marinette County, and they don’t know what they’re missing,” Krawczyk said.
Not anymore.
To volunteer with the group, visit the group’s website at mambatrails.com.
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