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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has named the Elroy-Sparta State Trail the seventh inductee to the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame.

The Wisconsin trail is featured in Rails to Trails magazine and on RTC’s Web site, www.railstotrails.org, with photos and a detailed ride-along description of its scenic views and important community connections.

“The Elroy-Sparta State Trail is really a crown jewel in our extensive system of rail trails here in Wisconsin,” said Brigit Brown, state trails coordinator for Wisconsin. “It is the trail that started it all and made us a national leader in rail trails.”

The 32-mile Elroy-Sparta State Trail is one of the first rail-to-trail conversions in the nation. Its pathway follows an out-of-service Chicago & North Western Railway bed and passes through three

rock tunnels, each handcrafted by rail workers in the early 1900s.

The Elroy-Sparta State Trail is a multi-use path shared by bicyclists, walkers, joggers, snowmobiles and equestrians. In its beginnings, the Elroy-Sparta served as a way to save a rural rail corridor and reshape its economic value as a tourist attraction.

“The trail is a tourist attraction for the communities through which it runs,” Jim Moorhead, a park ranger with the Wisconsin State Parks and Trails System, said. “Half (of the trail) use comes from out of state, so there’s economic input into those communities and just a source of pride.”