Perhaps you’ve heard of the Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival? It’s a 40-mile “drag race” from Hayward to Cable, ripping through the Birkebeiner ski trail in the sprawling 1.5 million acre Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin.
While that annual event may have put the area on the map, it’s the massive trail network that’s received a recent boost in mileage (and fun!) thanks to the new Trek Trails at Mt. Telemark Village that makes it worth a visit.
Centered around the Hub, it’s the area’s first purpose-built flow trails and bike park, but it’s merely the icing on the cake here.
If you’re looking for a quaint but epic MTB vacation spot, you’d be hard pressed to find something as remote yet developed as Cable, Wisconsin. Here’s what you need to know, and why you should go…
The Bike Park & The Hub
Our visit, which, full disclosure, was covered by Travel Wisconsin’s tourism/marketing fund, started at Mt. Telemark, then expanded into surrounding trails developed and maintained by CAMBA. In total, there are 100s of miles of singletrack spread throughout the greater area, but there’s plenty between Cable and Hayward to keep any rider entertained for days.
We started at Mt. Telemark Village, a newly built center that serves as the hub for year-round activities.
Impressively, or simply because the winter weather and remote location make it less susceptible to abuse, the Hub’s bathrooms and showers are kept open and accessible 24/7/365. Wanna night ride, then clean up, then camp? Bikepacking through and just need to freshen up? They make it easy and comfortable to do just that.
Mt. Telemark was once the local ski hill, but the ghosts of the lifts and decaying elevator shafts from the long-gone resort are the only reminders. In its place is a groomed bike park with mild climbs leading to a spiderweb of downhill options. From rough and rocky to bermed flow trail, there’s something for all tastes and abilities here.
And e-bikes are welcome, making short work of the roughly 300 feet of elevation gain. What the mountain lacks in height it makes up for in well-built, session-worthy trails that can easily fill a day.
Start your day at The Hub with coffee and breakfast at Backroads.
And when you’re done, hit New Moon North bike shop for a beer. The Hub also has a seasonally-open Trek store, and both bike shops offer rentals and all the gear you need (or forgot).
Speaking of Trek, they’re a big supporter of One Track Mind, the group behind the park’s 17+ miles of “Trek Trails powered by OTM”.
And those trails are really, really fun. There are jump lines, flow lines, and technical, natural lines. And there are “green” XC loops throughout that serve both as easy trails and return loops to bring you back to the climbs.
The descents are long enough to be challenging, but short enough to session, making it easy to practice sections or just hit everything in half a day.
As a bonus, there are fun connectors that tap into the CAMBA trails, too, with two great loops – Evenflow and Ojibwe – letting you add nine miles of XC riding to a park day. And those connect to longer trails that head east or south, making Mt. Telemark Village a perfect starting and stopping point for bigger rides, too.
For anyone not into riding, there are 5km of paved rollerski paths and lots of hiking trails, plus outdoor seating if they just wanna chill and read.
CAMBA Trails
If long, point-to-point singletrack rides are more your speed, there’s no shortage of those. CAMBA boasts 130+ miles of singletrack throughout northwestern Wisconsin, and much of it is connected. Cable, WI, is a central point on the trail map, but if you’re looking for a bit bigger city, Hayward is about 25 miles south by road (or 40-ish miles by trail).
Both towns let you jump straight onto the trail and ride for as long as you want. Choose from long out-and-backs, or ride local “clusters” for loops. Or combine them for really big days.
My final day of riding was the longest. Kristi dropped me off at Camp 38 trailhead, just south of Mt. Telemark’s bike park and the surrounding trails I’d ridden the two prior days.
I combined Flow Mama –> Seely Pass –> Makwa –> Hatchery Creek for a little over 30 miles of riding. Starting with an almost-full battery and judicious use of Eco and Trail modes, I perfectly timed a complete draining of the Ari Nebo Peak’s battery rolling into the Hatchery Creek Trailhead.
It’s hard to say which I liked better, the bike park or the CAMBA trails. Each of the four trails I rode had their own personality, offering different terrain, different build styles, and different scenery every 5-8 miles.
The sheer volume of trails and distances between trailheads mean it’s unlikely you’ll run into crowds. I further mitigated this by riding late in the season. If your dream riding trip is one of solitude, Wisconsin’s a good spot for that outside of race weekends…the Chequamegon 40 and its MTB fest are part of the Lifetime series, so it draws a big crowd.
Tucked in the middle of woods are treats like bermed sequences with quick return routes so you can do them again…
…and the occasional feature to spice things up.
All trails are well marked, too, both inside the park and along the CAMBA trails, making it easy to navigate. Many of them criss cross the Birkie trail, too, giving you a little taste of where folks cross country ski during the winter (and where the Chequamegon 40 takes place…it’s not on the singletrack!).
After three days of riding, I felt I had a good sense of the area, but also like I’ve only scratched the surface. Despite visiting weeks after most of the leaves had fallen, the trails remained mostly clear and fast…very little leaf surfing to be had, which was good. More on that below.
Another refreshing surprise were the buildings along the trail. These public facilities have bathrooms, seating and tables, and sometimes even fast, free WiFi, and they’re just plopped along the trail at various trailheads. No matter what time you’re rolling by, chances are they’re open and clean, which is an incredible resource. Some even have obstacle course-style playgrounds for off-the-bike skills training (or just entertaining non-riding family and friends).
Before this trip, Wisconsin wasn’t really on my radar. Now, I want to come back and explore more. I’ve got at least 80 more miles of trail to ride, and I can’t wait to do it. Highly recommend putting this on your list of places to ride.
Where to Stay, What to Eat
We stayed in two different spots during our visit. The first was Home Base, a small building with adventure-minded design perfectly located in the woods at Mt. Telemark Village.
Outside is a communal fire pit, bike wash, and repair station with lights and Park Tool stands. There’s also a screened in picnic area large enough for multiple groups to share.
Cabins are simple, but thoughtfully designed. Concrete floors are perfect for all-season use, and there’s a drain and heater right inside the front door. Slushy fat bike? No problem, just roll it in and the snow will melt off and drain away by the time you wake up. A kitchenette lets you heat food and water, and bunk beds keep everyone cozy. Just be sure to order the sheets-and-towels package, or bring your own…they’re not included in the base price.
The next spot was ROAM Base Camp, located in the middle of the woods halfway between Hayward and Cable. If you want to hop on the CAMBA trails and ride all day in one direction then try the other way the next, this is the spot for you.
Tiny off-grid cabins face into the forest and pack in a lot of sleeping…up to six or seven people can fit in each. But when I say “off grid”, I mean it’s entirely off the grid. They have their own power generator and wood-burning water heater. So, there are lights, but there are no outlets in the cabins to charge things up (they have options for those with CPAP or other medical devices that need power, but you’ll wanna charge your phones in your car). Unfortunately, that means there’s no e-bike charging on site.
That said, if you really want to disconnect, this is the spot. The coin operated showers (bring a few bucks for the quarter machine) have great water pressure, and there’s a wood-fired sauna you can light up, too. They also have tent campsites available, and their own private access trails to the Birkie, so it’s easy enough to ride (or ski) directly from camp.
Of course, if you’re here, you’re in the middle of National Forest and may be able to find a spot to boondock, too. There aren’t a ton of spots (at least not shown on onX), but there are a lot of forest service roads to explore if you’re into overlanding. For the less adventurous, Hayward has plenty of standard chain hotels (and a hospital…with it’s own public, beginner-friendly singletrack loop!).
When it’s time to eat, we found a few local gems. Grab stone-oven pizza from The Rivers Eatery, whose entrance is tucked away at the back of a book store.
It’s a popular spot, so expect a wait during high season, but no worries…there’s a great selection of beer on tap and the walls and ceiling are covered in bike stuff to entertain you. A huge outdoor patio gives you space to roam and hang out while you wait, and the pizzas are worth the wait.
Save room for a different kind of pie, because directly behind Rivers Eatery is Tilly’s Pies.
Founded by Trudi Rebsamen, wife of late pro cyclist Steve Tilford, to honor the mountain bike national champion’s memory (he loved pie).
Tilly’s sells incredible homemade pies, but only on certain days. Check her website in advance and get there early for the best selection…we walked over while waiting on our pizzas and grabbed the last couple of pieces before she closed for the night!
Fuel up for the next day’s ride at Cable Cafe, and be sure to ask what the daily special is. We lucked out with pumpkin spice pancakes, accompanied by a big veggie omelet just to be safe. Strike up a conversation with the locals and chances are they’re involved in the local trail building efforts or Chequamegon MTB Fest.
Down in Hayward, finish a ride at Main Street Tacos. It’s not fancy, but the best Mexican food usually isn’t, and this was pretty good. Head over to Angry Minnow Brewing for the only brewery in the area, which reportedly has solid food options, too. There’s also a Backroads Coffee here for the next morning’s reboot.
If you’re staying at ROAM Base Camp, the Sawmill Saloon is a local watering hole with decent food and a cool atmosphere. Locals also recommended Velo Cafe and The Portage in Cable, and Angler’s Bar & Grill for brewpub fare (and a bowling alley) in Hayward.
Gravel, Seasons, & Other Things You Need to Know
Want to make a week of it? Bring your gravel bike, too. Those hundreds of miles of National Forest service roads make for great gravel riding, with virtually no vehicular traffic on them. You could ride for days and barely touch pavement.
We visited from October 18-21, which is pretty much the end of mountain bike season here. Nights were chilly, and we may have lucked out on the weather during the day. It was a bit of a gamble that we fortunately won.
Summer is great if school schedules dictate your travel plans. That said, locals say September is ideal. Weather is cooler, the black flies and mosquitoes are mostly gone, ticks are going dormant. If the mention of bugs scares you off, sorry, it’s just a reality of many states throughout the northern midwest and central areas. Bring repellent with DEET or Picaridin and you’ll be fine. That, and stay on the trail and out of the brush.
The other gamble with coming late in October is restaurant availability. A few in Cable, which already has a very limited supply, had already closed or had limited hours and days. Hayward is bigger and has more options, though.
The benefit to coming in early fall is you’ll likely get the best of the leaves changing color. We had a lovely palette of yellow from the poplars, but it’s definitely peak leaf peepin’ season in late September to early October.
What’s the Best Bike for the Area?
I rode the Ari Nebo Peak, a lightweight e-mountian bike with 150mm fork and 140mm rear travel. It turned out to be the perfect option for combining bike park rips with all-day pedals. I subbed in a carbon PNW handlebar and F&B carbon wheels to save a bit of weight, ending up at ~42lbs for an XL. Not bad, and with the mid-powered assist, it made the climbing easy and helped me explore more miles of trail.
If you’re sticking to the CAMBA trails, their analog Signal Peak (120/120) is a lightweight XC ripper. And if you’re only there for the bike park, the La Sal Peak (analog, 170/170) or Timp Peak (eMTB, 170/170) would be a bit more playful on the descents. But if you’re there for all the things, the Nebo Peak is a goldilocks bike for big days with lots of variety.
Ready to go?
Hit the links throughout this story for more resources, and follow @birkiebike @mttelemarkvillage @OTM_foundation and @cambatrails for the latest from the area. Huge thanks to Travel Wisconsin for bringing us to the area, we’ll be back!
