It takes a great deal of work on the part of a whole bunch of people to create and maintain a network of trail systems like the one we enjoy here. Building and maintaining trail, grooming winter trail, advocacy, and general management all depend on generous volunteers giving time and funds to make things happen. But the foundation upon which all that rests, without which there would be no trails, is land to build on. There isn't much undeveloped and underused land in the Madison area, so we are extremely grateful to the partners we get to work with; Blackhawk Ski Club, Cross Plains, Dane County Parks, Fitchburg, the Haack family, Madison Parks, Middleton Parks, Prairie du Sac, Sun Prairie, the Wisconsin DNR, and Wisconsin Power and Light. The value of the access to all of this land hard to overstate, feel free to reach out to any of them and let them know how important trails are!
On a related note, several of the properties require passes or membership: A
Dane County Trail Pass for Badger Prairie, CamRock, and Seminole, a
WI State Trail Pass for Blue Mound, and
club membership at Blackhawk. While it is awesome that some land managers are able to provide access without such fees, managing the land has its own expenses, including insurance and maintenance of non-biking infrastructure (roads, bathrooms, shelters, etc.) that we use, so it's not unreasonable to help support that. And in many cases, a significant portion of the fees collected are invested back into the actual mountain bike trails. Purchasing year-round passes for all three of these is $85; less than a day pass to many ski resorts. And there are seasonal, day use, and family options that can bring the price down even more. Think about the value these trails add to your life, and do the right thing. Poaching isn't cool or 'sticking it to the man.' It's stealing, and you're a better person than that.
Thanks, and enjoy your ride!
