Home - Great Headwaters Trails

Finishing Up the Conover-Phelps Trail

Patience and commitment are keeping things on track to build the last 2 miles of trail.

We thank all those who have helped us reach the $430,000 mark, close to full funding for the last section.

The Yard & Mile Club has grown to over 500 members! An updated Yard & Mile Club list will be posted later this fall. Click here for the membership list as of last summer.

Add my donation!

Family fun on the Conover-Phelps Trail - July 20, 2019

The second Don Gillum Memorial Bike and Hike on July 20 was a great success due to our participants, our volunteers, and our great sponsors! Over $2,000 was raised for the Conover-Phelps Trail and for Relay for Life of the Northwoods, and more than $600 will go to the chambers of commerce in Conover and Phelps.
Click here for a complete list of our sponsors!

SepTimber Ride - 2018 was record-breaking, 2019 to be better yet!

With 238 riders, the 2018 Eagle River-based brewery-to-winery ride was the best ever!

This year you can win an electric bike or a kayak or other great prizes, and choose from a 100K or 60K road ride or enjoy the 26 mile trail ride. All three start and end at Tribute's taproom and pass the Three Lakes Winery at the halfway point. SepTimber Ride V will be on Sept. 14, 2019. Click here to register!

Get a close up view - click here!

Next up: The River Trail

This 10-mile trail will connect Eagle River to St. Germain. In doing that it will connect the 55-mile Heart of Vilas Trail System to the 13-mile ThreeEagle Trail.

GHT is working on the project as a partner to the River Trail Commission made up of the municipalities of St Germain, Cloverland and Eagle River. Watch for new developments.

Help Build More Trail!

Building family-friendly biking and walking trails
near the source of a Great River

Since its founding in 2010, the Great Headwaters Trails foundation’s goal has been to build 40 miles of biking and walking trails in eastern Vilas County, the headwaters of the Wisconsin River. The system we envision will connect the towns of Land O’ Lakes, Conover, Phelps and Eagle River to the Three Eagle Trail, the Heart of Vilas Trail System and the Wilderness Lakes Trails.

A grand vision, it will result in a connected family-friendly trail system over 110 miles long.

The first leg of the Great Headwaters Trails system is the Conover-Phelps Trail.

Nine years in, get GHT's 2019 Annual Report here!

The Conover-Phelps Trail

Help finish the last 2 miles of this 11-mile trail!

Donate Now

3.2 miles
in place and in use

5.5 more miles
were completed last fall.

Check out the new trail!

The final 2 miles
can be added by 2019.

paid for

Now

funded

Extension of the Conover-Phelps Trail almost complete!

October 23, 2017

Before the snow flies, this beautiful, family-friendly trail will be almost 9 miles long. The smooth trail bond surface is being put down now, in mid-October. That leaves only 2 miles to go to connect into downtown Phelps. Want to help make that happen? Donate now!

Construction on Song Hill section begins

August 10, 2017

Construction has begun on the 5.5 mile middle section of the Conover-Phelps Trail. Pitlik & Wick has been contracted to complete the trail section. When the section is done in six to eight weeks, the entire biking and hiking trail will be almost 9 miles long. “The family-friendly non-motorized trail…

7th Annual Meeting set for August 15th

August 6, 2017

The Great Headwaters Trails’ 7th Annual Meeting is August 15 from 5-7 p.m. in Phelps’ Wavering Park. The meeting is open to all trail supporters and will include updates on Construction this summer of 5.5 more miles of the Conover-Phelps Biking and Walking Trail. Plans for completing the final 2 miles and bringing the trail right…

Be an active ingredient – all kinds of skills are needed to build top notch biking and walking trails. Add yours! <a href="https://ghtrails.org/volunteer-2/">VOLUNTEER</a>

Be an active ingredient – all kinds of skills are needed to build top notch biking and walking trails. Add yours! VOLUNTEER

Make the Northwoods even better – donate to help build the Great Headwaters Trail System <a href="https://ghtrails.org/donate">DONATE NOW</a>

Make the Northwoods even better – donate to help build the Great Headwaters Trail System DONATE NOW

When it comes to nonmotorized trails, here are the people – all volunteers - who are moving things forward in eastern Vilas County. <a href="https://ghtrails.org/about/">LEARN MORE</a>

When it comes to nonmotorized trails, here are the people – all volunteers - who are moving things forward in eastern Vilas County. LEARN MORE

Good trails pay off in fun, well-being, and dollars. Here’s what is in place and in the works right now! <a href="https://ghtrails.org/trail-system/plans-and-progress/">SEE THE PROGRESS</a>

Good trails pay off in fun, well-being, and dollars. Here’s what is in place and in the works right now! SEE THE PROGRESS