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TRAIL INFORMATION CENTER
620 South Main Street Shawano, WI 54166 |
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At 83 miles, the Mountain-Bay trail is one of the longest rail-trail conversions in the state. The vast majority of the trail, 53 miles, runs through Shawano County, with the city of Shawano approximately “midway on the Mountain Bay.”
Although the trail is about 30 years old, there has never been a trail information center in Shawano County. Two trail advocacy groups, the Friends of Mountain Bay Trail – Shawano County and Shawano Pathways, aimed to remedy that. After fundraising for about a year, with a lead gift from the ThedaCare Foundation, and generous gifts from the Shawano community and significant contributions from volunteer labor, the groups are pleased to announce the trail center is open and ready for visitors.
The information center occupies the middle section of a historic railroad depot immediately adjacent to the trail where it crosses Main Street and where there is plenty of parking. The center has bathrooms, wi-fi, a water bottle filler, a bike repair station, a new concrete approach with colorful Adirondack chairs, racks with local information, maps and features historic railroad displays.
Nancy Brown-Koeller, president of Shawano Pathways, stated that she hopes the center “will encourage more people to use the trail and consider biking to or from Shawano. It will also be a great stopping point for through-cyclists who are going from Weston to Howard by trail. It’s a great gateway to the Shawano community which has many parks, other trails, restaurants and places to stay.”
A celebratory ribbon cutting took place in September 2024. Attendees were invited to walk or bike the trail after the ribbon cutting and return for refreshments and tours. The Info Center will be open Spring - Fall.
Although the trail is about 30 years old, there has never been a trail information center in Shawano County. Two trail advocacy groups, the Friends of Mountain Bay Trail – Shawano County and Shawano Pathways, aimed to remedy that. After fundraising for about a year, with a lead gift from the ThedaCare Foundation, and generous gifts from the Shawano community and significant contributions from volunteer labor, the groups are pleased to announce the trail center is open and ready for visitors.
The information center occupies the middle section of a historic railroad depot immediately adjacent to the trail where it crosses Main Street and where there is plenty of parking. The center has bathrooms, wi-fi, a water bottle filler, a bike repair station, a new concrete approach with colorful Adirondack chairs, racks with local information, maps and features historic railroad displays.
Nancy Brown-Koeller, president of Shawano Pathways, stated that she hopes the center “will encourage more people to use the trail and consider biking to or from Shawano. It will also be a great stopping point for through-cyclists who are going from Weston to Howard by trail. It’s a great gateway to the Shawano community which has many parks, other trails, restaurants and places to stay.”
A celebratory ribbon cutting took place in September 2024. Attendees were invited to walk or bike the trail after the ribbon cutting and return for refreshments and tours. The Info Center will be open Spring - Fall.