Ensure the ongoing quality of the Conover-Phelps Trail!
By 2017, 8.7 miles of trail was in place and paid for!
$300,000+ donated in 2020 and 2021 so the last section could be built
2021 - 1.9 miles of specially engineered trail built
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 this past summer. The next leg, the River Trail, will connect St. Germain to Eagle River.
HELP US GET THE WORD OUT about GHT's bike trails. Watch for details about our 2022 booths.

SepTimber Ride 2020 – It’s Happening and Important!
My wife, Ann, and I just registered for SepTimber Ride 2020. We rode part of it already, too – riding on STH 2 from Oregon to Byron and back! (We’re in Illinois for doctor appointments.) Most important, like every year, your Ride registration fee goes to help support GHT bike…
Read MoreHelping build the River Trail in the Age of Zoom
Despite COVID-19, progress on a biking and walking trail between Eagle River and St. Germain is moving forward. The River Trail Commission continues to meet, and the Friends of the River Trail (FoRT) has also been meeting and getting ready to swing into action. Zoom provided one way for the…
Read MoreEquipping 2 communities for economic recovery – Pt. 1
Despite all the dark news, the current status of completing the Conover-Phelps Trail is bright: • Expensive special engineering needed due to the 2018 trail reroute has been completed. • To complement the last 2 miles of the trail, a multi-use trailhead is being planned north of Military Creek and…
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