Heart of Vilas County Paved Bike Trail to Expand in Boulder Junction

Courtesy of Barb Konopacki/Theresa Smith

North Creek Loop Trail Committee,

715-892-7297, [email protected]

 BOULDER JUNCTION, WI (November 20, 2020) – The Heart of Vilas County Paved Bike Trail System (⇐ Link) which was recently designated a National Recreation Trail, is expanding again. The Town of Boulder Junction has been awarded a $217,299 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program grant towards the construction of phase 1 (of 2 phases) of the North Creek Loop Trail.

The project, managed by the Town of Boulder Junction, will add approximately 3.3-miles of paved trail that will complete the 14-mile North Creek Loop Trail connecting to the Heart of Vilas County Paved Bike Trail System. The new trail will run from Highway K, connecting to the existing bike trail, along the east side of Highway H going south to North Creek Road. Trail users will then be able to continue down the newly paved North Creek Road to access the existing trail along Highway M completing the loop back to Boulder Junction.

Phase 1 of the project runs from Highway K to Rudolph Lake Road, where a large private campground with 223 sites is located. Phase 2 of the project will run from Rudolph Lake Road to North Creek Road, where a state forest campground with 25 sites is located on Upper Gresham Lake.

“The expansion of our trail system along Highway K, connecting Camp Holiday Campground and Upper Gresham Campground will allow not only the campers, but residents along and near the trail, to safely ride into downtown Boulder Junction and other parts of the trail system,” said Barb Konopacki, North Creek Loop Trail Committee Member. “Our committee has been fundraising, we have been awarded the grant, the Town of Boulder Junction has committed to funding and we now need to raise the remaining matching funds for the grant in order to begin Phase 1.”

The total cost of Phase 1 is estimated to be $520,410. With the DNR grant at $217,299, $51,000 already raised through fundraising and the Town of Boulder Junction Room Tax Fund contributing $100,000, the remaining amount of approximately $155,000 needs to be raised. The North Creek Loop Trail Committee is reaching out to individuals and families, businesses, corporations, foundations and nonprofits to support the project.  The Boulder Junction Community Foundation will be managing the North Creek Loop Trail Fund during the fundraising phase. All donations are tax deductible to the extent the law allows, and donations received above the construction cost will benefit Phase 2 of the project.

To donate go to the  Boulder Junction Community Foundation website, www.boulderjunctioncf.org. Click on the donate button and select the “North Creek Loop Trail Fund” or by mail to: Boulder Junction Community Foundation, Inc. PO Box 675, Boulder Junction, WI 54512.

Engineering will begin this winter and into the spring with a targeted completion as early as fall of 2021.

To keep up to date on the progress of the North Creek Loop Trail fundraising and construction project, visit www.northcreekloop.com or follow on Facebook.

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Theresa Smith, Executive Director

Boulder Junction Chamber of Commerce

1-800-GO-MUSKY | boulderjct.org