Biking Levis Mound.
Roughly 15,000 years ago, the Levis and Trow mounds were islands that rose above a sea of glacial ice in northwest Wisconsin near Neillsville and Black River Falls.
Known as “stacks” or “nunataks” by geologists, these formations are located on the eastern edge of the Driftless Area. They consist of a harder rock than the surrounding sandstone, rising more than 300 feet above the surrounding forests of Clark County.
With around 15 miles of rolling cross-country ski trails and 25 miles of single-track bike trails ranging from relatively flat to steep, the mounds draw off-road cyclists from around the region and have been used for grueling races of up to 12 hours and 100 miles, said Steve Meurett, president the Neillsville Area Trails Association. The Buzzard Buster competition alone draws hundreds of riders.
He said the easy and moderate trails are near the bases of the colorfully banded stacks, while the difficult ones climb both Levis and Trow mounds before dropping — sometimes precipitously — back to the forest floor. The banded sandstone of the formations is known as “zebra rock,” thanks to the stripes of alternating dark red iron oxide and white-yellow quartz.
“We have some of the best mountain biking in the Midwest,” Meurett said. “Our trails feature a variety of terrain, from meandering wooded paths over sand, rock, dirt and mud that a family can enjoy to technical pitches, as well as outstanding views of the surrounding 133,000-acre county forest.”
On one trail, a gap between two rocks on the side of a hill is linked by a bridge with no sides. If a rider should tumble, it’s about an eight-foot drop to the ground.
“Some trails are more challenging than others,” Meurett said. “But it’s not like Colorado, where you can be riding downhill for half an hour.”
He said the Levis and Trow mounds' routes are not marked for difficulty, as ski resorts do with black diamonds or other symbols to show difficulty.
“But if a single-track is too difficult or steep, you can always get off your bike and walk,” he said. "And yes, we do have a number of trails that are technical where you don’t want to fall."
Meurett said a rider died last year after he crashed, but the mishap did not occur on a challenging trail.
“It was actually on a pretty mundane trail where he crashed and went over his handlebars,” he said. “It wasn’t a tricky spot where you’d need to be especially cautious.”
He said nearly all cyclists who ride at the mounds wear helmets. He said to do otherwise is “just plain stupid.”
Meurett, a Wausau native, said the mounds only had a few cross-country trails when he moved to Neillsville to teach high school art and photography classes in 1983. He used those trails to ski and then four years later took up mountain biking.
“We’d been building ski trails from the start, but it was about 1987 when we started adding mountain bike trails to the system,” explained Meurett, who has retired from teaching and now works as a wildlife technician for the state Department of Natural Resources. “We were always pushing the county to add more trails because we knew what a great resource we had here."
Nearly every route in the trail complex was laid out by Meurett with the help of association members and others. He said his favorite route is Sidewinder. It’s on Trow Mound and isn’t the longest in the system, but it wraps around the nunatak as it climbs to the top and then unwinds as it descends.
“My son and I scouted that one out on snowshoes one winter and decided to make a trail there,” he said. “And it’s worked out pretty well.”
Brett Urban, a bike mechanic at the Sports Den in Marshfield, said he rides at the mounds frequently and calls them the best in the region.
“I keep going back because of the challenging terrain,” he said. “The elevation gains and drops make the trails more technical and fun. But there are also routes for novices on the flatter land.”
He said he appreciates the berms, bridges, logs and teeter-totters that are part of the trail system. His favorites include Sidewinder and Lucy’s Loop, which includes numerous obstacles to test his riding skills.
Weekends can be fairly busy, but he said the trails are never packed. A chalet used by riders burned in May and is being rebuilt with showers, which he said should attract more riders who who would like to camp near the trail system.
The next mountain bike event at the mounds is Gnome Fest, which will be held on the weekend of Sept. 9 and 10.
“It’s more of a party than any kind of a formal race,” he said. “I’d describe it as a nice relaxing weekend of riding, camping, games and informal music if people bring instruments. There won’t be an admission fee, but donations are welcome to help finish off the fundraising for the new chalet.”