Enjoy the Outdoors
on the Oak Leaf Trail and Ozaukee Interurban Trail and more!
The Oak Leaf Trail is a multi-use trail system with over 125 miles of trail for cycling, rollerblading, walking, birding and running around Milwaukee County. Nearly a quarter of the trail hugs the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan. The trail system is mostly smooth asphalt, with dozens of easily accessed connections that take you just about anywhere in the Milwaukee metro area.
Menomonee River Line Dretzka Park – Doyne Park, approximately 14.75 miles
Starting from Dretzka Park, the Menomonee branch follows the Little Menomonee River Parkway and the Menomonee River Parkway. The trail passes through Currie Park and Hoyt Park before reaching downtown Wauwatosa.
Kinnickinnic Line Honey Creek Parkway – Veterans Park, approximately 15 miles
This east-west section connects Wauwatosa with downtown Milwaukee. The trail passes through Jackson Park and McCarty Park following the Kinnickinnic River Parkway, and uses sections of the Honey Creek Parkway to connect with the Menomonee Line in Wauwatosa.
Root River Line Hansen Park – Milwaukee County Sports Complex, approximately 19 miles
The southwestern section travels from Wauwatosa down to Franklin. The trail connects with the Hank Aaron State Trail on Underwood Creek Parkway and the New Berlin Trail in Greenfield Park. The trail follows the Root River parkway for much of the trail.
Oak Creek Line Root River Parkway South – Grant Park, approximately 12.5 miles
The southeastern section of the trail connects the southern edge of the Root River Parkway with the Oak Creek Parkway via an old railroad track (the North Shore Right of Way). The trail connects with the South Shore Line at Grant Park.
South Shore Line Grant Park – Cupertino Park, approximately 8 miles
The South Shore Line tracks the shoreline of Lake Michigan from Grant Park in the south, through Warnimont Park, Sheridan Park, Bay View Park, South Shore Park and Cupertino Park. The majority of this section is on off-road trail.
Milwaukee River Line Juneau Park – Brown Deer Park, approximately 14 miles
This section of trail begins in downtown Milwaukee along the lakefront, travels through the city on a section known as the Eastside Trail before connecting with the Milwaukee River and tracking the river north through Estabrook Park, Lincoln Park, Kletzsch Park and on to Brown Deer Park.
The Zip Line Estabrook Park – Brown Deer Park, approximately 6 miles Brown Deer Park – Kohl Park,
approximately 3 miles
This section of trail branches off of the Milwaukee River Line and provides a direct, traffic-free connection from Estabrook Park to Brown Deer Park by following an old rail line. The line is named for bicycling advocate Harold “Zip” Morgan, who first conceived and laid out a 64-mile trail in 1939.
Lake Loop and Whitnall Loop Lake Loop, approximately 8 miles Whitnall Loop, approximately 3.5 miles
The Lake Loop branches off of the Milwaukee River line to take trail users along the Lake Michigan shoreline and through the historic Lake Park. The Whitnall Loop branches off of the Root River Line for a scenic ride through Whitnall Park.
Bradley and Drexel Connector Bradley Connector, approximately 3.3 miles Drexel Connector, approximately 4.5 miles
Bradley Avenue in the north and Drexel Avenue in the south provide east-west connections between trail lines. Portions of these connectors are on-street, with traffic.
The Ozaukee Interurban Trail
To the north of the Oak Leaf Trail is a 30-mile paved trail that spans the length of Ozaukee County. On the south end, the trail ends at the start of the Brown Deer Recreational Trail where riders can tap into the Oak Leaf Trail.
The trail route connects historic downtowns with natural landscapes. The route is based on the Interurban railway that linked Milwaukee and surrounding communities from 1905 to 1951. During the 1920s and ‘30s, the line transported African-American blues musicians to the recording studios in Grafton for the Paramount Records label.
Resources
Oak Leaf Trail: countymilwaukee.gov/OakLeafTrail8289.htm
Interurban Trail: interurbantrail.us
Hank Aaron State Trail: hankaaronstatetrail.org