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Elroy–Sparta Ridge Loop

Elroy–Sparta Ridge Loop is 61.6 miles of loop riding through Monroe County in Wisconsin — the Coulee Region, the coulees, ridge tops and river bluffs of south-west Wisconsin. Moving time is about 76 minutes; allow 110 with stops — a half day. It is scored CS-2, Easy: 70 corners, 102° of turning per mile, 2,590 feet of climbing. The roads it uses, in the order you ride them, are in the app.

Curviness
CS-2Easy · 1.14/mi
Distance
61.6 mi76 min riding
Corners
7043% sharp · Mixed
Climbing
2,590 ft42 ft/mi · Hilly
Shape
LoopHalf day
Roads
Backroads43% county & local
Traffic
1,700vehicles a day, median
Speed limit
55 mphtypically 55
Open this route in the app

About this road

The ridges above the famous Elroy-Sparta State Trail offer a different perspective on one of America’s pioneering rail-trails. The trail itself, complete with tunnels, is a landmark of early conversion; the on-road loop travels higher, more open country with more climbing. Sparta bills itself as the Bicycling Capital of America, a claim supported by both the trail and the surrounding roads. The railroad grade and the tunnels remain engineering landmarks of the late nineteenth century. Even when staying on the road, acknowledging the Elroy-Sparta Trail and its history adds depth to the day. An excellent way to experience the historic transportation corridor from above while remaining free to drop to trail access points. The combination of elevation, scenery, and transportation history makes the loop a coherent and satisfying half-day or longer. Climb above the grade between Elroy and Sparta, look down on the tunnels, feel the engineering that crossed this country.

How it rides

70 corners over 61.6 miles — 1.14 a mile, and 102° of turning for every mile ridden. That scores CS-2, Easy on the five-point curviness scale. 43% of those corners are sharp ones, and the road reads as mixed.

What it climbs

The road climbs 2,590 feet in total, 42 feet per mile, between 776 and 1,448 feet — 672 feet of relief. The longest single climb is 388 feet over 3.0 miles, and the steepest grade on it is 14.6%. By Driftless standards that is hilly.

Surface, speed and traffic

98.8% paved; the odd short stretch is gravel or seal coat. 43% of it is back road rather than highway, the other 57% state or US route. Posted speeds run to 55 mph, typically 55, measured across 65% of the route. Where traffic counts exist — 32% of the miles — the median is 1,700 vehicles a day, busiest at mile 58.3 with 18,600.

Where to stop

3 of the towns on this road have somewhere to stop — 2 fuel, 7 food, 1 bars.

Longest stretch without fuel: 61.6 miles. Worth knowing before you set off if your tank is small.

Listed alphabetically, and chosen by us rather than rated by anybody. The order you reach them, and the mile each one sits at, are in the app.

Worth knowing

Turn-by-turn directions and the spoken guidance are in the app. Every figure on this page is measured from the route itself — corner counts and gradients from the road geometry, elevation from the national elevation dataset, traffic from the state transport departments where counts exist.

Nearby roads