Parking and restrooms: Mineral Point, Hollandale, Blanchardville, and Darlington
This spectacular ride is not for the beginning biker, but the ride has unbelievable ridge top vistas, deep valleys, and agriculture of all kinds. Yellowstone Lake State Park is in the center of the loop. Stop in for a dip in the lake (you will need a State Park Admission sticker.) You can start this ride in four different places – Mineral Point, Hollandale, Blanchardville or Darlington. This loop can also be a great opportunity to appreciate historic preservation. Mineral Point, chosen as one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations is home to an amazing inventory of 19th century stone buildings. Darlington’s nationally registered historic downtown is an architectural and cultural gem, anchored by a beautiful courthouse that holds the distinction as the only Courthouse still in use in the United States that was paid solely by one man. The village of Blanchardville, whose history includes early settlement as a Mormon community, is a small community with historic buildings that recall the small town life of yesteryear. Just west of Hollandale is Grandview, a great place for an afternoon picnic. The creator of Grandview, Nick Englebert, a farmer-turned artist, who transformed his homestead into a concrete landscape said it best: "If a man can't be happy on a little farm in Wisconsin, he hasn't the makings of happiness in his soul." It’s a sentiment shared by many who live and visit here.
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The following link is to a high-resolution PDF (3 MB file) of the entire Cycle Southwest Wisconsin FREE Bicycle Trail Map. The PDF contains bookmarks that allow you to navigate your way to views of each individual map. Click here to view the map, or right click and chose “save as” to download the PDF.