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The Ahnapee Bike Trail, Door County

The Ahnapee State Trail runs from Sturgeon Bay in the north, to Algoma in the south, then west to Casco for a total distance of 28.6 miles.

 
Ahnapee Trail Bench
One of the benches along the Ahnapee Trail		 Ahnapee Birch Trees
There are quite a few white bark birch trees in this area and along the trail		 Forextville Dam
This is a view of the Forestville Dam.

Ahnapee Trail History

The trail is named for the Ahnapee River, which parallels the route for about five miles between Forestville and Algoma.  Ahnapee means "when?" in Ojibwa.  A portion of the trail near Forestville passes through  an area burned by the Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871.   The most devastating forest fire in  American history destroyed more than 1.25 million acres and killed at least 1,152 people.  The fire occurred at the same time of the Great Chicago Fire and was overshadowed by it, even though the Peshtigo fire was larger and deadlier.

The trail received its origin from the Ahnapee & Western Railroad, which served as an industrial link for Door, Brown, and Kewaunee Counties.  It had major destinations in   Algoma, Sturgeon Bay and Casco Junction.  Steam and diesel powered locomotives journeyed through Wisconsin hauling lumber, dairy products, and other commodities.  In the early 1970's, costs and alternative routes of shipping forced the Ahnapee and Western to abandon the line.  The State of Wisconsin opened the cleared railway as a recreation trail for bicyclists, horseback riders, hikers and snowmobilers in 1975.

 

Our Rides on the Ahnapee Trail (AT)

The original article (above) and 2003 photos (below) for this trail were written and created by Dale Kiffel in 2003. Both Dale and I have also ridden this trail now in June of 2018 so now the article and photos are from both time frames.  Our 2018 rides were from Sturgeon Bay to Algoma although we did 2 separate trips.

As for the trail and our 2018 rides, the trail is crushed stone and very flat. We didn't ride the northern most part of the trail in Sturgeon Bay, the Algoma to Casco section (see the 2003 version for this part of the trail) or the Luxemburg to Kewaunee section.

The part of the trail that we rode most recently passes through a couple of very small towns but is mostly through open farmland, along wetlands and near the Ahnapee River south of Forestville. There is a small park in Forestville near the dam with picnic tables and washrooms. We rode the trail on a weekday and saw very few other bikers.

Regarding the Door County Trails that I have ridden, this trail is a great trail for fairly long and easy rides. You can ride well over 30 miles on this trail (one way) and the trail is flat so you can choose how far you want to go.

For a more hilly and scenic ride in Door County, I like the Peninsula Park Trail, near Fish Creek, but that one is just less than 10 miles so you can't go as far.

The 2018 photo tour (below) are much better quality photos than the original 2003 photos (for a number of reasons) and is mostly from the point where we turned around (just south of Forestville) back to Sturgeon Bay but also includes our day 2 part of the ride into Algoma.

 

The Ahnapee Trail Maps

I am including the Google Maps version of the trail, so you can get right to it without having to search and zoom in. In addition to my GPS map on the Garmin Connect SIte, I have included some Google Trail Views that I generated and the original JPG map (that was included in the 2003 version of this article).

Each map has different features that can be helpful so you can take your pick of which one you like the best.

Here is the GPS Map of Our Ride on the Ahnapee Trail (day 1) and the GPS Map of Our Ride (day 2). Both are through the GarminConnect site.

Here is the Google Maps version of the Ahnapee Trail.

Google Street/Trail Views - I personally generated these Google Street View (actually Trail View) 3D spherical images at various points along the trail so you can see what the trail looks like at these points. After viewing the image, close the image with the X to see the map again.

The Bridge just south of Forestville where we turned around

A flowery part of the Ahnapee trail - I paid a price for this one by getting attacked by bugs!

One of the dual bench locations on the trail

The Ahnapee Trail in Forestville

Here is the Original 2003 JPG Map of the Ahnapee State Trail

 

The Ahnapee Trail Photo Tour

Here's the photo tour of the Door County Ahnapee Trail from Sturgeon Bay to Algoma. These rides were from June, 2018.

Ahnapee Trail Home < you are here

Ahnapee Trail Photos 1 ~ North to Forestville
Ahnapee Trail Photos 2 ~ Farms and Wetlands
Ahnapee Trail Photos 3 ~ Wetlands to Sturgeon Bay and Algoma

Photos © Copyright Rob Chapman, about-bicycles.com. Photos with * Copyright Dale Kiffel.

 

Here's the photo tour of the Door County Ahnapee Trail from Sturgeon Bay to Algoma from September, 2003.

Ahnapee Trail Photos:  Sturgeon Bay to Algoma.
Ahnapee Trail Photos:   Forestville to Casco.

All Photos this section are © Copyright Dale Kiffel.

Ahnapee Trail Video on YouTube

Here's the video of the Ahnapee Trail that I posted on YouTube.

Ahnapee Trail Video

 

Articles Photos and Video by Rob Chapman and Dale Kiffel