Kid-friendly bike paths in Madison, WI

Each trail gets a kid score out of 100 for a smooth surface, staying away from cars, and having a playground, restroom and parking within half a mile. How we score trails

Scores are based on OpenStreetMap data and may be out of date or wrong. Always check trail conditions, closures and your child's readiness before you ride. Disclaimer

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Kid-friendly trail
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Tap a trail for its name and score.

Best trails for kids

Demetral Bike and Footpath

100

1.2 mi · 100% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Badger State Trail

1.7 mi · 98% smooth surface · 98% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom 0.4 mi away
Parking 0.1 mi away

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Campus Drive Pedestrian & Bicycle Path

0.9 mi · 100% smooth surface · 94% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Cannonball Path

3.5 mi · 100% smooth surface · 94% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom 0.1 mi away
Parking along the trail

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Southwest Path

5.7 mi · 100% smooth surface · 94% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom 0.1 mi away
Parking along the trail

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Ed Jepsen Way

0.7 mi · 100% smooth surface · 89% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Capital City Path

1.1 mi · 100% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking 0.1 mi away

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West Waubesa Trail

0.9 mi · 85% smooth surface · 99% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom 0.1 mi away
Parking 0.1 mi away

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Starkweather Creek Path

3.2 mi · 100% smooth surface · 81% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom 0.5 mi away
Parking along the trail

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Capital City State Trail

15.9 mi · 100% smooth surface · 77% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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West Beltline Bike Path

1.9 mi · 100% smooth surface · 74% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom 0.3 mi away
Parking along the trail

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Baxter Park Spur Trail

0.8 mi · 88% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking 0.2 mi away

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Howard Temin Lakeshore Path

2.1 mi · 71% smooth surface · 100% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom 0.1 mi away
Parking along the trail

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Military Ridge State Trail

5.4 mi · 66% smooth surface · 99% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Autumn Lake Path

0.7 mi · 100% smooth surface · 77% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking 0.2 mi away

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Ice Age Junction Trail

4.2 mi · 90% smooth surface · 73% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom 0.1 mi away
Parking along the trail

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Garver Path

0.6 mi · 100% smooth surface · 51% away from cars

Playground 0.1 mi away
Restroom 0.3 mi away
Parking 0.1 mi away

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Sun Prairie Loop

4.5 mi · 100% smooth surface · 51% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom 0.1 mi away
Parking along the trail

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Lower Yahara River Trail

3.6 mi · 74% smooth surface · 73% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Blackhawk Path

1.7 mi · 100% smooth surface · 45% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Lake Loop

1.3 mi · 100% smooth surface · 40% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom along the trail
Parking along the trail

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Trails we can't score yet

OpenStreetMap doesn't record the surface for more than 5% of these trails, so we can't say how smooth they are. Some may be great for kids. Check before you go.

Sandburg Woods Bike Path

0.8 mi · 100% away from cars

Playground along the trail
Restroom none within ½ mi
Parking 0.1 mi away

See it on the map

Questions parents ask

What are the best bike trails for kids in Madison?

The top-scoring kid-friendly bike trails in Madison are Demetral Bike and Footpath (100 out of 100), Badger State Trail (98 out of 100) and Campus Drive Pedestrian & Bicycle Path (98 out of 100). 21 trails score 70 or higher.

Demetral Bike and Footpath · Badger State Trail · Campus Drive Pedestrian & Bicycle Path

Which kid-friendly bike trails in Madison have restrooms?

These trails have restrooms right along the trail: Demetral Bike and Footpath, Campus Drive Pedestrian & Bicycle Path, Ed Jepsen Way, Capital City State Trail and Military Ridge State Trail, plus 3 more.

Demetral Bike and Footpath · Campus Drive Pedestrian & Bicycle Path · Ed Jepsen Way · Capital City State Trail · Military Ridge State Trail

Which kid-friendly bike trails in Madison have playgrounds?

These trails have playgrounds right along the trail: Demetral Bike and Footpath, Badger State Trail, Cannonball Path, Southwest Path and Starkweather Creek Path, plus 7 more.

Demetral Bike and Footpath · Badger State Trail · Cannonball Path · Southwest Path · Starkweather Creek Path

What's the longest kid-friendly bike trail in Madison?

Capital City State Trail is the longest, at 15.9 miles, with a kid score of 91 out of 100.

Capital City State Trail

How are the trails scored?

Each trail gets up to 40 points for a smooth surface, 40 for staying away from cars, and 20 for a playground, restroom and parking within half a mile. The data comes from OpenStreetMap.

How we score trails

Closest cities in the guide

Rockford, IL · 57 mi away · 3 kid-friendly trails
Milwaukee, WI · 73 mi away · 10 kid-friendly trails
Appleton, WI · 96 mi away · 5 kid-friendly trails
La Crosse, WI · 107 mi away · 10 kid-friendly trails

See all cities

Trail data from OpenStreetMap as of 2026-10-31.