The
Fox River Trail offers a rich variety of scenery as it meanders from
downtown Green Bay along the Fox River and passes through the Brown County
communities
of Allouez, De Pere, Rockland,
Wrightstown and Holland.The 25 mile trail has approximately 7 miles of paved surface on
the more urban section from the trailhead in downtown Green Bay to
Rockland Road in De Pere.The
southern section is crushed stone and includes designated
sections for horseback riding.As
the trail surface changes in De Pere, its path veers away from the river
passing by light industrial structures and transitioning to rural and
agricultural areas on the way to Ott Rd. just north of Hilbert in Calumet County. Biking is
the most popular trail activity followed by walking/jogging and
rollerblading.
On The Way
From the trailhead in Green Bay going south you'll quickly reach the back
entrance of Hazelwood
Historic House Museum which showcases one of the earliest homes in the
area. A little farther south at about the .8 mile mark you can see a
large functioning paper mill on the opposite side of the river.
You also might see an
occasional large ocean-going ship unloading cargo on the opposite bank
near the trailhead.
In De Pere, the trail passes by Voyager Park which includes a popular
fishing area near the De Pere dam. On the other side of the trail
near the park is a library branch and one block east on Broadway St. is a
commercial area featuring restaurants, bars, and retail stores. Just
beyond Voyager Park is the Claude Allouez Bridge and the De Pere
lock and dam. The new Claude Allouez Bridge opened in October 2007
but the old bridge is still being dismantled which may cause some disruption of the trail in De Pere through
2008. The lock and dam system is one of only a few remaining
manually operated systems in the country. Boats enter a chamber on the edge of
the dam where the water level is either raised or lowered to allow
continued upstream or downstream navigation.
After passing under the
bridge, on the opposite bank is the over 100 year old historic campus of
St. Norbert College, a small private liberal arts college known for
academic excellence.
Alternate North Route: The trail officially starts
near the corner of Adams and Porlier Streets in Green Bay and proceeds
south, however, from the starting point, the trail actually
continues north towards downtown Green Bay. The trail transitions into
a riverfront walkway as it goes under the Mason Street bridge then continues for several
blocks passing under both the Walnut and Main Street bridges and around
the Holiday Inn City Center near the confluence of the Fox and East Rivers. With a little maneuvering through city streets, a bike rider
could proceed all the way to Bay
Beach Amusement Park, the Wildlife
Sanctuary and the University of
Wisconsin - Green Bay (UWGB). An even more ambitious rider could
continue past UWGB along Nicolet Dr. for over 7 miles without
stopping. Nicolet Dr. east of the university has bike paths and
offers great views of the bay.
sections for horseback riding.