It was a blustery Spring day, but volunteers with the Great Headwaters Trails Foundation (GHTF), the Three Eagle Trail Foundation and Tara Lila gathered May 19th to install the bollards and chains on the Eagle River City Connector biking and walking path.

The connector, initially installed in 2014, provides a path for bicyclists and pedestrians to safely transit from the Three Eagle Trail by the Dairy Queen to the Railroad Depot and downtown Eagle River. The bollards are installed each spring by the volunteers and removed again in the fall to allow for winter snow plowing in the downtown Eagle River parking lots.

“For some reason, we never seem to have the best weather on the date we schedule the work, but that’s OK,” said GHTF President Laura Van Valkenberg. “We know summer is just around the corner and soon there will be lots of people up here looking to take a bike ride and explore Eagle River.”

The connector links downtown Eagle River to the Three Eagle Trail, with its 13-plus miles of scenic forests, vistas and bridges, and it eventually connects to the town of Three Lakes.

“The reason the connector came to be in the first place was to provide a path for bicyclists and pedestrians to safely transit from the Three Eagle Trail by the Dairy Queen to the Railroad Depot and downtown Eagle River,” said VanValkenberg. “When the Highway 45 Safe Crossing project is completed later this year, people will be able to continue on the connector across Highway 45 to Riverview Park.”

That Highway 45 crossing project is a collaboration between the Eagle River Revitalization Program and GHTF and needs final approval from the Eagle River Planning Commission and City Council. The revitalization program has received a state Vibrant Spaces grant for the project and additional funding will be provided by GHTF.

GHTF and the River Trail Commission also are in the process of developing the River Trail that will connect Eagle River with St. Germain. The 10-mile long asphalt bike and pedestrian trail will connect Eagle River and Three Lakes to the 52-mile Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail System.

Volunteers needed

GHTF is always looking for more volunteers, according to VanValkenberg.

“Whether it’s to help with hands-on projects like the bollards and chains spring installation or fall removal, helping out at our fundraiser bike events Ride with Leinie and SepTimber Ride, or getting involved with trail development, there are many ways people can help,” she said. “If people would like to learn more, they can visit our website ghtrails.org and check out the ‘Get Involved’ page.”

Every Saturday in June, GHTF volunteers will be at Andy’s Pontoon Saloon in downtown Eagle River for the Saturday Run Club between 10 a.m. and noon.

“People can stop by to chat with a GHTF volunteer and learn more about plans to connect eastern Vilas County by bike/pedestrian trails,” said VanValkenberg.

GHTF’s two major fundraisers also are scheduled for 2026. The 15th annual Ride with Leinie will be held July 25th on the Conover-Phelps Trail and the SepTimber Ride will be September 12th on the Three Eagle Trail as well as two road routes.

For more information about the rides or other GHTF activities, visit ghtrails.org.