Conover-Phelps Trail
Conover-Phelps Trail 11 Miles of Trail
The Conover-Phelps Trail became the first officially completed leg of the Great Headwaters Trails System at its ribbon cutting on May 28, 2022.
The 11-mile trail connects the commercial centers of the towns of Conover and Phelps.
From the Conover Town Park trailhead on the west, the trail passes through the Conover business district, and, following railroad grade, runs past marshland, beaver habitat, and on into the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Most of this 8.7 mile stretch has an granite aggregate surface called Trail Bond.
Special engineering was needed for the trail's final 1.9 miles which is mostly paved. Paralleling County Hwy K and E, the last section of trail connects right into Phelps's lakefront park at the top of North Twin Lake.
The western trailhead is in the Conover Town Park on Hwy K, just east of Hwy 45. Parking, water, picnic area, bicycle repair station and restrooms are available. Eleven miles east is the trailhead in Phelps' Lakefront Pines Park.
The trail offers stunning views of wetlands, meadows and woodlands and provides a connection between the centers of Conover and Phelps.
Become a Friend of the Conover-Phelps Trail!!
Help keep the trail a beautiful, safe and user-friendly place for hiking and biking. Please join us! For more information, contact us at aadamsall@aol.com or 715-891-3123.
Updates: Conover-Phelps Trail
The C-P trail is currently open and accessible for fat tire biking. Please be aware that the section from Hwy 45 to the power lines is a shared use trail for snowmobiles. While the trail hasn’t been opened for the snowmobile season yet, we encourage cyclists to exercise caution when riding on this section. Thank…
read more >We recently held the Annual Ride with Leinie fundraiser bicycle event which featured a ride with Dick and Katie Leinenkugel on the Conover-Phelps Trail (C-P Trail). The event drew in over 400 participants from across Wisconsin and 15 other states, including as far away as Texas, California, Florida and New York. The GHT Board voted…
read more >By Gary Ridderbusch In an effort to support bike trail opportunities, maintenance and development in eastern Vilas County, organizers of the 3Bear 5K recently donated $4,500 to Great Headwaters Trails (GHT). The 3Bear 5K was held in Land O’ Lakes on July 4th as part of the town’s Fourth of July festivities. The annual family-friendly…
read more >When Neal Adams learned a pile of white cedar trees that were cut down when constructing the Conover-Phelps Trail were headed for the burn site, the 72-year-old trail advocate went into action. The trail contractor had piled the logs on a large concrete pad where the old chemical plant was located on the former Christensen…
read more >Join us for the live auction starting at 1:30 PM on Saturday, July 27th, at Conover Town Park, located at 4697 Park Circle in Conover. Everyone is welcome to bid, whether you’re a rider or not. This year, we will be auctioning off a Gary Fisher Leinenkugel bike! This bike was purchased by a GHT…
read more >The community is invited to join Dick Leinenkugel and volunteers with the Great Headwaters Trails (GHT) Foundation for the annual “Let’s Talk Beer and Biking with Dick Leinenkugel”. “Let’s Talk” will be hosted at Greenhill’s Log Cabin, 226 Hwy 45, Conover, WI 54519, on Thursday, June 27, 2024 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. “Let’s Talk”…
read more >In the Northwoods of Wisconsin, there’s a unique bicycle event that has been drawing riders and Leinenkugel Beer fans for more than 12 years. On Saturday, July 27th, the Ride With Leinie fundraiser will once again return to Conover. The annual event, hosted by the Great Headwaters Trails (GHT) Foundation, attracts more than 300 riders. Participants…
read more >Read the Wisconsin Bike Fed Article on the history of the Ride with Leinie event! Learn how the event began and all the exciting things coming to this year’s ride on July 27th.
read more >Spring clean-up and new directional sign installation have been completed on the Conover-Phelps Trail and the trail is now open to ride for the season. The images below feature Neal Adams performing clean-up by removing trees and installing new directional signs.
read more >On Saturday, July 27, 2024, GHT will once again host the Ride with Leinie fundraiser bicycle event. This year, participants may choose from five different ride options. Dick Leinenkugel will lead off the 20.4-mile ride on the Conover-Phelps Trail and Dick’s Daughter Katie Leinenkugel will lead off the 10.4-mile trail ride. For those that prefer…
read more >The Conover-Phelps Trail was built in three stages.
Phase 1 - The western 3.2 miles was completed in 2015 and opened with a ribbon-cutting event at Conover’s first Ride in the Park on May 29, 2015.
Phase 2 - The middle 5.5 mile section was built from July to October 2017:
- July 31 - Construction began at Muskrat Creek Road. Good progress was made in this wet section, about 1500 feet long. Rain late in the week forced construction to the section's east end at Song Hill Lane and County Highway K.
- Though August 7 - About 2500 feet of base gravel was applied on the east end of the trail.
- August 8 - Construction moved back to the west end of the trail section. The goal was to get culverts in place up to the 4000' station.
- Week of August 14th was the most challenging since the trail between Stations 4000’ and 5000’ is the wettest section. Once Station 5000 was reached, construction progress went significantly faster.
- Week Four - Construction work included scraping off the top level of organic matter from the railroad grade, leveling the base, adding gravel, and grading. That enabled dump trucks to drive over the graded gravel to reach deeper parts of the construction site.
- Week 6 & 7 - By September 9, the entire trail was covered with base gravel. Final grading began the week of September 19th. Once completed, the trail was ready for the smooth Trail Bond top surface. Six pass-through gates arrived and were sent out to be powder coated.
- Week 11& 12 – Over two weeks in mid-October, a paving machine added the final touch - surfacing the trail with Trail Bond.
Phase 3 - Despite the challenges posed by Covid-19, this final, easternmost section was completed in fall of 2021. About 2 miles long and hilly, much of it is paved to avoid erosion.
The ribbon cutting for the entire completed trail was held in Phelps Lakefront Pines Park on May 28, 2022. Kiosks in the parks at both ends of the trail will display Yard & Mile Club lists that acknowledge all those whose donations made the trail a reality.
