Great Headwaters Trails
Building family-friendly biking and walking trails near the source of a Great River
Since its founding in 2010, the Great Headwaters Trails Foundation has been closing in on its goal to build 40 miles of biking and walking trails in eastern Vilas County. The system we envision will expand the Heart of Vilas Trail System and connect the towns of Eagle River, Conover, Phelps and Land O’ Lakes, resulting in a connected, family-friendly, hard surface trail system over 110 miles long.
The first leg of the Great Headwaters Trails system is the Conover-Phelps Trail which was completed in 2021. The next leg, the River Trail, will connect St. Germain to Eagle River.
HELP US GET THE WORD OUT about GHT's bike trails. Contact us at ghtinfo@ghtrails.org. Watch for our booths at various events in Eagle River, Conover, Phelps and Land O' Lakes.
Help us develop more biking and walking trails in eastern Vilas County!

Two trails, two rides – 2022 was a very good year!
Rainy events bracketed a very productive and mostly sunny summer. At the May Ribbon Cutting in Phelps’ Lakefront Pines Park and at the autumn SepTimber Ride in Eagle River, rain soaked everyone. But it didn’t dampen the spirit shown by all who gathered to celebrate the completed Conover-Phelps Trail or…
Read MoreMake a virtual visit to the Conover-Phelps Trail or join Ride with Leinie on July 30!
The Conover-Phelps Trail connects the park in Conover to Lakefront Pines Park in downtown Phelps. This video lets you take a virtual ride from end to end of trail. On a rainy May 28, a hardy crowd of Conover and Phelps supporters turned out for the trail’s official ribbon cutting.…
Read MoreRide with Leinie continues in 2022
Registration is now open for Ride with Leinie with Dick Leinenkugel, happening this summer on and around the newly completed Conover-Phelps Trail! Ride with Leinie has been a popular summer event for the past ten years hosted by the Wilderness Lakes Trails (WLT) group in Land O’Lakes. When WLT decided…
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