Ozaukee Interurban Trail

Great trail with a 98 ft. climb in elevation while I pedal North from Fox Point to my turnaround in Cedarburg. Yes, over the 15 mile distance between the 2 cities you will encounter a continuous but subtle climb The route of the Ozaukee Interurban Trail is based on the Interurban railway that connected Ozaukee County to the Cities of Milwaukee & Sheboygan.
In 1922, the right-​of-​way was acquired by The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company for development of an improved rapid transit service from Milwaukee to Sheboygan. The Northern Route of the interurban electric railway had stops in the rural communities of Brown Deer, Thiensville, Cedarburg, Grafton, Port Washington, Belgium, Cedar Grove, Oostburg & Sheboygan. This rapid transit system linked Milwaukee & many of the surrounding communities from its inception in 1905 to the end of all operations in 1951.
Today, the Ozaukee Interurban Trail is a 30-​mile paved trail that spans the entire length of Ozaukee County. Unlike many recreational trails in the State of Wisconsin, use of the Ozaukee Interurban Trail is free for everyone. The trail is intended for year round uses, such as biking, in-​line skating, walking, running and cross-​country & skiing. Motorized vehicles including snowmobiles are not allowed on the trail. The Trail route connects historic downtowns with natural landscapes. Views along the trail include hardwood woodlands, wetlands, farmlands, Cedar Creek, the Milwaukee River, Lake Michigan & it is designated as a «Great Wisconsin Birding Trail.
Improvement projects along the Ozaukee Interurban Trail include the construction of informational kiosks, benches, directional signage & mile markers. Future projects include parking lots, additional restroom facilities, trail overlooks & historical markers.

Well maintained trail and makes biking somewhat safer…
Disclaimer…There are hoards of idiots on the trail who haven’t figured out how to use it. Thank goodness these people don’t drive their cars, walk… or bike… in the same manner they use this trail.
I use it every single morning as a biker to commute to work. You will always run in to the walking groups that spread out across the whole trail, people walking their dogs on long leashes waiting to cloths-​line you, and the idiot bikers who don’t understand left vs right. I’ve learned to hold out a stiff elbow like a battering ram to help prevent people from driving into you.

**Disclaimer: I haven’t ridden very far into this trail.
Getting that out of the way, this is a nice, well paved well marked trail that, combined with the northwestern portion of the oak leaf trail will take you from downtown Milwaukee through most of the town’s of ozaukee county, with only a brief onroad portion (for the oak leaf trail) at green bay avenue in Glendale.
Its a little more rustic feeling than the oak leaf (hey, even the power lines here become mainly wood as opposed to metal once you cross the county line) and its a lot less congested than riding the trails in Milwaukee proper (although love those too!) Also, although the name has «urban» in the title, I found the trail anything but and very pastoral (I’ve been waiting for a while to use that word in a review.) People seem more likely to give the universal biking/​jogging «hi» and accompanying wave here than in the city.
There’s many places to stop for coffee, food etc along the way and a few stops in from the mke county line is a «family community center» that looked useful for pit stops.
Another great addition to the greater Milwaukee areas parks and trails system!

This bike trail is really great. I feel so fortunate to be living in a city (suburb) that has a well maintained trail like this one.
The ride is super smooth. An easy place to hop on is at Thiensville and Freistadt. You can park your car in the strip mall parking lot (less than a block away) and get peddling!
Oak Leaf turns into the Interurban trail and then you can head north to Cedarburg and Port Washington, depending on how long you want to ride! Both are great destinations. You can go even farther if you wish!
I’m really happy I’ve taken advantage of such an amazing ammenity. You should too!

Very nice scenic route the spans from Brown Deer to… God, IDK, maybe Port Washington and beyond?
Anyway, it’s very pretty, but I have a major issue with all the roads that intersect it. The curbs are jarring if you’re on a bike and slowing down every block in Mequon, Grafton and Cedarburg gets really annoying.
A really welcome repaving project is underway, and they’ve completed a significant portion of the trail between Mequon and Cedarburg. Be wary of workers and loose gravel because I don’t know if they’re continuing to repave more of the trail in the future.

Nice paved trail through neighborhoods, small towns, woods, and prairie. It is level with a few gradual inclines. Plenty of markers and benches along the side. We rode it from Mequon to Port Washington. It’s a great change of scenery from city riding.

I mean, it’s a bike trail you guys. Going to keep it brief for this one.
Nicely paved path that has distance markers every ¼ mile. Wide enough to ride a few wide with multiple rest areas with benches, maps, and info.
Highly recommend checking out this great trail. Take it from mequon to cedarburg all the time for the Friday music during summer. Haven’t made it up to port Washington yet but it goes way past there.

Great! Keeps kids off the street and out of my garbage cans! No, seriously though. It’s ok if you want to ride in peace without trucks less than 3ft off your left side.

Nice bike trail. I’ve found one locally that pleases me that I like as much as this one so I no longer feel as deprived however mine can’t compare with being able to drive right through Port Washington or being along Lake Michigan. Highly recommended especially from Grafton Northward. Lots of trees and not much wind resistance even on windy days which is just about every day out here. :)

This trail is one of the best things our county has to offer — it is so beautiful! It runs behind my house and there is a stretch of a few miles from where I live to the overpass of highway 43 that I often take. The trail here goes through tall grasses where you can hear frogs and through woods where you can spot birds and smell the fires from peoples’ backyards. I just started biking last year and this trail made me an immediate bicycle enthusiast. I can’t wait to explore more of the trail this year.

What a nice trail! I typically ride singletrack, but like to go for recreational rides on more level ground with my father. I like that the trail has a slight upward grade as you go north from Mequon road, because it makes for a quick and enjoyable return trip. The trail runs through Cedarburg, Grafton and Port Washington, which are of course, as Brian describes, «serene, bucolic» towns (bucolic is such an awesome word!). In Cedarburg especially there are a bunch of little places for coffee or a bite to eat before continuing on the trail. The long stretches through prairie are pretty scenic, and even as you are riding through back yards, it doesn’t feel as though you are in a residential area like the Oak Leaf in Milwaukee. A very nice change of pace!

Wow, what a great ride! I’ve heard a lot of great things about this trail and was eager throw my bike in the truck and drive up and hit the trail, and I’m glad I did! I grew up along the Oak Leaf Trail, which is also great, but it lacks the wide open expanses of the Oz Interurban. I parked off of Mequon Road and rode 35 miles round-​trip to Port Washington and back. Most of the paved trail was in new-​like condition. I would estimate that about 90% of my ride was on «off-​road» trails which was very nice. The on-​road sections take you through Cederburg, Grafton and Port Washington: all wonderful, serene, bucolic towns. I consider myself a slightly better than recreational rider, and although the trails were mostly straight, and relatively flat, the route I rode held my interest throughout. I rode past a lot of truly recreational riders who should really appreciate having this trail in their back yard. I wish I did! I’m sorry it took so long!