ORA Trails: 50 in 5 Legacy

Build 50 miles of quality, sustainable,

shared-use trails in 5 years

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The Outdoor Recreation Alliance (ORA) is a 501c3 nonprofit established to create, enhance, and protect majestic trails within the Driftless region.

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La Crosse, Wisconsin

News & Events

Grandma's Gateway

ORA received the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) Trail Accelerator Grant, from a pool of 12 applicants, to fund the planning of the Grandma’s Gateway trail project. This project will turn an iconic regional landscape with no formal trail access into a community trail system, ripe with opportunities to connect to several nearby public lands. Developing Grandad Bluff Park into a multi-use trail system will provide neighborhood access, alleviate pedestrian road traffic and help clear out litter and invasive species. The closest school to new trailheads is a quarter-mile away.

Read about the Trail Accelerator grant here.

Chad Erickson
Connector Trail

The Chad Erickson Connector Trail runs from Chad Erickson Park to State Road Elementary School. The trail has been in the works for two years and was completed in September thanks to the work of the parents of State Road Elementary School students who created the La Crosse Community Forest. ORA worked with the La Crosse Community Forest to raise $100,000 for the project.

This trail connects young and old with nature and the outdoors and was made possible because of the collaboration between ORA, the La Crosse Community Forest, the City of La Crosse – Parks, Recreation, La Crosse County, and State Road Elementary PTO.

Upper Hixon Trails

ORA, in cooperation with the City of La Crosse Parks and Recreation Department, hired Rock Solid Trail Contracting to repair the Upper Hixon mountain bike trails that were in desperate need of rehab after torrential rains last summer. On Wednesday, July 25th we hosted a Grand Opening and ribbon cutting for the new trails. Watch our video for a preview of the new trails.

Lueth Park Bicycle Playground

In cooperation with the City of La Crosse, ORA led the efforts for the Lueth Park Revitalization project which includes improved neighborhood access, repairing the skatepark, removing an undersized and underused baseball field, and installing a bicycle playground.  We also installed a hard surface pump track that compliments the other improvements and rounds out the project.  This park serves as an activity hub and a highlight of the neighborhood, fostering pride and building community.

From Our Community

Testimonials

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Keachen & Jill Abing

“The trails of the La Crosse area are a true blessing for our entire family. The natural beauty of our area serves as an escape whether for trail running, family time at the pump track, or hitting up some dirt on our bikes!”

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Gabe & Annie Berendes

“One of the main reasons we chose to live where we do is the fact that we can be on the bike trails within five blocks of our home year round. Our whole family (boys 7 & 9) is able to engage the trails in a way that's unique to each of their levels. This allows us all to love and grow in the sport of mountain biking that is equally challenging and rewarding. ”

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Dan & Jennie Wateski

“On a nice night, we just head to the trails and use them as family time where we can ride and be together. We love that it's just a short drive from where we live and we can be riding on the trails instead of worrying about traffic on the streets. During the school's mountain biking season, we are on the trails daily, even if using just Vista for a quick ride or workout. ”