City Times Staff

The county’s first-ever fat tire bike trail is scheduled to open on Thursday.

The Portage County Parks Department has established the first fat tire bike trail in the Steinhaugen Recreation Area in the Town of Sharon, and it opens to riders on Wed., Feb. 1.

“It’s something we planned on doing for this winter season, but we just haven’t had the time to brush or sign the trail, let alone groom it,” said Parks Director Gary Speckmann. “The weather hasn’t helped. either”

With super-wide tires, the so-called fat bikes are known to float over almost any terrain. The groomed trail is about two-and-a-half miles long, and winds through various woodland and open grassland on the property, Speckmann said.

A sign marks the trail entrance. (Contributed)

Future expansion of the trail is a possibility, he added, depending on how much the trail is used and staff time.

“We’re pretty limited on what we can do during the winter due to manpower,” Speckmann said. “But this activity has been requested for a few years and hopefully this is just a start.”

Along with the new fat tire bike trail, there also is a marked one-mile and two-mile snowshoe trail at Steinhaugen. he added.

The Steinhaugen Recreation Area is a 270-acre property located at 3485 Bentley Rd. in Custer, about seven miles northeast of Stevens Point.

For more information contact the Portage County Parks Department at (715) 346-1433.