My first overnight bicycle tour went from Madison to Devil’s Lake State Park. It wasn’t a long ride- 45 miles one way, but it opened my eyes to the potential of the bicycle to explore distant places. Within a year I began riding the entire southern half of Wisconsin exploring bike routes for my first book “Bicycle Escape Routes.”

Devils’ Lake State Park turns 100 this year, and it has a number of celebrations planned for the summer, including Old Fashioned Day on July 23 and an ice cream social and string band on August 28. Click the link above for more information about the park and activities in the area.

You can ride your bike in and around the park, but if you want to get a taste for bicycle touring and have a great destination, try the Devil’s Lake Download from Bikeverywhere. The download includes great back roads from Middleton (a western suburb of Madison) to the free Merrimac Ferry across Lake Wisconsin. The ferry ride takes 7 minutes to cross and bikes get on right away. From there you take a couple of more scenic back roads that pass through rolling hills and marshlands to the park entrance.

Don’t be fooled by the road into the park. Because of the talus slopes along the road, it appears to be flat or even slightly downhill, but you’ll be working hard because the road actually climbs at a decent grade.

If you have the time and energy, continue north to Baraboo, home of Circus World Museum. The route is included in the download.