Devil's River State Recreational Trail is a 14 1/4 mile long hiking/biking/snowmobile trail originating in Denmark with a termination point about 5 miles outside of Manitowoc, generally paralleling Interstate 43. Built upon an abandoned train line, expect exactly what that generates which is a fairly flat path with gentle grades.
I walked the entire route on two different days, starting first from Maribel to the termination point near Manitowoc (9+ miles), then the remaining 5+ miles from Denmark to Maribel the following day. As a long-time seasoned hiker I appreciate these state sponsored "rails to trails" projects and for a rural project this is a great place to get out and stretch the legs... unless you're riding a snowmobile in the winter which I assume is probably the greatest use of the trail.
Wide, hard packed gravel, it's a surface for these projects that's immediately familiar. The Northern end seems to be maintained much better--fewer weeds--than the Southern half, but not enough to deter anyone. The Northern half is also quite a bit more interesting, but hey, you are walking through rural Wisconsin farmland along an old train line so no need coming here thinking you're hiking the Rockies or The Appalachian Trail.
Whoever maintains the project has built several nice stopping points with a bench to sit on and sometimes a bit of cover for shade or to keep out rain. Modest, they're a welcome sight if you're walking the route and want a place to sit and take off your shoes.
Probably the highlights if there are any to speak of are two grand railroad trestles crossing streams that appear to be at least 60-80 feet below. They're pretty impressive works in themselves and worth stopping to look over.
The only thing about this trail that perplexes me as a long-time hiker is why they didn't take the Southern end on into Manitowoc. I realized the Northern end they would have had to go another 12-15 miles to hook up to Green Bay. Doing both of those would obviously incur a huge expense, but it'd also make the trail accessible to a lot more people in this area of the state. In walking the entire trail I encountered 2 hikers and 4 bicyclists on a Friday and Saturday in ideal weather. Perplexing. Maybe in the future they'll consider this, but the remoteness of the trail from those two towns makes this trail more of an access points for the small communities it travels though, not a destination from either Green Bay or Manitowoc.
If you're looking for a place for a nice long walk or bike ride in the country, this is your thing. If you're looking for a hiking or mountain biking adventure through the woods, this isn't your thing.
If you come: plenty of parking spots in most of the small towns and sometimes in the country to drop the car. Didn't encounter any insects during the first week of June but this part of the country is known for mosquitos the size of birds later in the summer and there are abundant wetlands and stagnant water all along the trail so come prepared. Maybe 25% shade in morning and later afternoons, otherwise if traveling around noon expect to get plenty of sun. Also, although remote and rural, you're rarely more than a half mile from a gravel or paved road crossing so plenty of access points and homes close by. read more