Want to give winter fat biking a try? Here are 5 Wisconsin places to do it

Green Bay Press-Gazette

It was late in the fall, the ground was frozen. and a dusting of snow covered the forest floor at Big Eau Pleine County Park, a handful of miles west of Mosinee.

I was puttering around the area's trails on my regular old entry-level mountain bike, slipping and sliding, but still having fun. Then I encountered a group of Wausau-area mountain bikers that I knew who were riding, at the time, flashy new-fangled bikes with super-wide tires. One of them yelled out, "Hey Keith, get a fat bike!"

I laughed and yelled back, "Some day!"

This was several years ago, when fat bikes were rising in popularity. Fat-tired bikes are excellent for the winter because those voluminous tires can offer all-important grip on snow and slippery surfaces. Having one would have made my life easier that day.

It's clear that it is no passing fad. Cycling in the winter using the bikes that boast big-ole donut tires 4 inches wide or bigger is as popular now as it has ever been, judging from the trails being groomed for snow biking as well as the general state of joy communicated through cycling-related social media feeds.

But most of the new bikes cost at least $1,000 and can run $2,000 or more, so I'm still in "some day" mode. But there's no denying that if you live in Wisconsin and you like cycling, you have to at least consider taking up the sport.

Renting a fat bike is one way to do that without breaking the bank. Many bike shops offer rentals. But then you might be faced with another dilemma: How do you get the bikes to the areas where they are at their best, on trails that snake through woods?

I scoured the state for places that offer fat bike rentals and trail riding right out the door, or very nearly so. If you're hankering to try winter trail riding, consider these destinations.

Green Circle Trail and Standing Rocks Park, Stevens Point area

The Hostel Shoppe, a bicycle shop located at 3201 John Joanis Drive in Stevens Point, offers fat bike rentals for half days ($39), full days ($59), multiple days ($53 per day) and per week ($299).

People can ride Stevens Point's excellent 27-mile Green Circle Trail (greencircletrail.org) directly out of the bike shop's door. This route gives riders a tour of the city and surrounding towns, with rambles through forest trees, along the Wisconsin River and through University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point's Schmeekle Reserve.

Cyclists looking for more adventurous, single-track rides may want to hit up the trails at Standing Rocks Park, a short drive away. Located east of Plover at 7695 Standing Rocks Road, the area features a variety of mountain bike trails catering to people with a variety of skill levels. The bike trails are maintained by the Point Area Single Track Association (pointareasingletrackassociation.org).

WinMan Trails, Winchester

WinMan, 6870 Highway W, Winchester, is a nonprofit trail center with winter biking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails that spiderweb through 1,300 acres of public and private land. The organization grooms 10 miles of "our most enjoyable, flowy trails," according to its website (winmantrails.com).

WinMan partners with Rivers Edge Adventure Company (riversedgemw.com), which rents bikes out of its shop at 263 S. Highway 51 in Manitowish Waters. Costs are $55 for a half day rental, $75 for a full day, $68 per day for multiple days, and $364 for a week. Rivers Edge offers a shuttle service or delivery at the WinMan trail head.

Ski Brule, Iron River, Michigan

Ski Brule (skibrule.com), an Alpine ski resort about eight miles southwest of Iron River, Michigan, offers a little more than nine miles of fat biking trails. The ski resort charges $12 for a trail pass, but the bike trail fee is included in an alpine or snowboard lift ticket.

The ski operation also offers fat tire bike rentals at a cost of $30 for a half day or $50 for a full day.

CAMBA trails, Hayward area

The Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association grooms and maintains more than 70 miles of winter biking trails in Sawyer and Bayfield counties, and the group says that hundreds of miles of plowed town roads offer up great winter riding possibilities.

Many of those trails and roads are located near the New Moon Ski + Bike Shop (newmoonski.com), 15569 Highway 63 Hayward, an outfitter for the large group of people who enjoy both cross-country skiing and cycling. Fat bike rentals cost $45 for four hours, $55 for eight hours and $80 for 24 hours.

A fat tire bike is an off-road bike with large tires perfect for riding on soft, uneven terrain.

Hilly Haven Golf Course, De Pere

Hilly Haven Golf Course (hillyhaven.com), 5911 County Road PP, De Pere, transforms into a trail center during the winter, and people can rent equipment to try snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and yep, fat biking. The course charges a $6 trail fee per day (children under age 16 are free with an accompanying paid adult.) You can bring your well-behaved trail dog, too! They are allowed to accompany users during daylight hours (if you agree to pick up their poop).

Trail hours are dawn to 8 p.m. on weekdays and dawn to 6 p.m. on weekends. The golf course's bar and grill opens at 10 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on weekends.

Fat bike rentals cost $30 for the first hour and $10 for each additional hour.

Keith Uhlig is a regional features reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin based in Wausau. Contact him at 715-845-0651 or kuhlig@gannett.com. Follow him at @UhligK on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram or on Facebook.