The Ahnapee Bike Trail

Having a vehicle at the Marina allows us to explore and bring our kayaks and bikes along. In July, we brought our folding bikes with us and drove over to Algoma, Wisconsin, on the east side of Door County, to ride the Ahnapee bike trail. The north end of the trail runs from Algoma to Sturgeon Bay. We rode 7 miles to the Forestville Dam then turned back. It took a lot longer than we expected as the smaller bikes only allow speeds up to about 6 miles an hour tops.  That was only if we kept up constant peddling. If we coasted, forward motion slowed to a crawl. We were exhausted at the end.

After the ride, we loaded our bikes up and drove into Algoma to visit the original Ahnapee Brewery,  "The Garage". It's located in an old two stall car repair shop just a few doors down from the original 1800's microbrewery. We'd already been to the second Ahnapee tasting room just off of highway 41 in Suamico. It is a bit upscale compared to The Garage but The Garage is across from the marina and has gorgeous views of Lake Michigan.  It has that alternative vibe that microbreweries are known for. Both are great places to have a cold beer. Ahnapee makes very good beer!

In August, we brought our road bikes to finish the trail from Sturgeon Bay to the Forestville Dam, a 20.8 mile round trip ride. It took us 2 hours and 4 minutes with several stops for water and to take in the views. As we rode, a chipmunk and a big young buck crossed the trail in front of us as a hawk soared over us, floating from tree to tree like it was leading our way. We dodged a gardener snake and a toad, sunning themselves on the trail. Our greatest sighting was catching a cougar sneak delicately from one side of the trail to the other. He tip toed across, pausing for just a moment to look at us, as if to say, " What the heck is that?" From our point of view he looked like a panther, very dark in the low light, with a distinctive long curling tail and huge paws. He was about the size of a medium dog. As he crossed, we noticed a hiker just ahead. She was oblivious to the event behind her but it would have been astonishing for both of them had their paths intertwined. 

We passed meadows of ragweed and golden rod, beautiful reminders that fall is in the air. There were fields of corn, tall and straight as an arrow, ready for harvest. Tons of apple trees lined the trail, both red and golden yellow. We stopped to try the yellow which were deliciously sweet but riddled with bugs. Wildlife, maybe deer or raccoons, had shaken the trees to get the fruit down, so the trail was littered with rotting debris that filled the air with the sweet smell of apple pie. 

At the dam, a couple, who looked to be around 90 years old, were trying to unload kayaks off their truck. Dave offered help but they were having none of that! The husband said, "You're not going to be here tomorrow to help me reload them, so, no I don't need help. I need to figure out how I'm gonna do it on my own".

The Ahnapee trail is hard packed gravel and easy to ride with our road bikes. There is little to no elevation change. Some parts of the trail have grass growing which required slowing down and extra attention to the ground on road bikes. The views were gorgeous. It made for a lovely day with unexpected treats along the way.  We look forward to biking the south end of the trail from Algoma to Luxemburg then down to Keewaunee and back on our next ride. It's another 40 miles round trip.

From the Door County Pulse

State of Wisconsin Trail Maps