Biking in Madison: paths, trails, bike share and winter riding

The main paths and trails

• Capital City State Trail (Cap City Trail). A paved, asphalt shared-use path that Dane County describes as over 20 miles long, running almost continuously from the Military Ridge State Trail to E. Buckeye Road. The county says it is a joint effort of Dane County, the cities of Madison and Fitchburg, and the Wisconsin DNR. The DNR lists it at 17 miles, so treat the length as approximate.
• Lake Monona loop. Visit Madison describes a 13-mile paved, marked loop through Madison and Monona with Capitol skyline views, passing Monona Terrace and Olbrich Botanical Gardens. It connects to the Capital City Trail under the Beltline,.
• Southwest Commuter Path. A city-maintained path. The city currently lists a roughly 1.3-mile section between Monroe Street and N. Shore Drive for new lighting and a new traffic signal at its W. Washington Avenue crossing. Check the city's project page for current status.
• Lower Yahara River Trail. Dane County says Phase 1, opened in 2017, links the Capital City Trail in Madison with McDaniel Park in McFarland and includes a mile-long boardwalk bridge over Lake Waubesa. Phase 2, opened in 2024, runs between Fish Camp County Park and Lake Kegonsa State Park, with a 2-mile on-road connection to McFarland.
• Military Ridge State Trail. The DNR lists it as 40 miles long, connecting Dodgeville and Madison across Iowa and Dane counties.
• Badger State Trail. The DNR lists it as 40 miles long, running between Madison and the Wisconsin-Illinois border.

Current detour: As of fall 2026, John Nolen Drive reconstruction has Cap City Trail users detoured around Monona Bay. Visit Madison says the closed section is between E. Lakeside St. and S. Broom St. and expects it to last until about June 2027, with a marked 2.6-mile detour. The city says the detour stays in place through winter and into spring 2027.

State trail passes

The Wisconsin DNR requires a state trail pass for anyone age 16 or older who bikes, in-line skates or cross-country skis on designated trails. Walking and hiking on state trails don't require a pass, and each person on a tandem bike needs their own. County and local trails may have their own fees, which state passes don't cover.

How that applies to the trails above, according to the DNR and Dane County:

• Capital City State Trail: a pass is required on the stretch between Verona Road and Nob Hill Road through the Capital Springs area, where passes are sold at trailheads and a kiosk. Commuters may qualify for a subsidized pass through a form on the DNR's site.
• Military Ridge and Badger State trails: the DNR says a pass is required for bicycling and in-line skating. Its pages don't say which segments near Madison are signed, so follow trailhead signs.
• Lower Yahara River Trail: Dane County says a trail pass is not required.

For current pass prices and where to buy one, see the DNR trail pass page. Passes are sold online, at many state park properties and at DNR service centers.

BCycle bike share

Madison BCycle is an electric bike share system. Its website says rides are available 24/7 from March 15 to December 15, so the 2026 season ends in mid-December. It lists stations across downtown, the Isthmus, Fitchburg and Monona, and describes the operator as Revolution (Bicycle Transit Systems). You buy a pass in the BCycle app, unlock a bike at a station and return it to any station. Passes include a set amount of ride time per trip, so read the current pass details in the app. The City of Madison says the system has close to 100 stations.

Bikes on Metro buses

Metro Transit says all of its buses have bike racks and there is no extra charge to use one.

• Standard buses carry two bikes on an outside front rack, first come, first served. Bikes aren't allowed inside standard buses.
• Bikes over 55 pounds don't fit on the rack, and neither do fat tires.
• Tell the driver you are loading or unloading, and load from the curb side. The driver can't leave the bus to help.
• At bus rapid transit stations, you board at the rear doors and roll your bike on, then strap it into a rack on either side of the aisle.

See Metro's bike racks page for the full loading steps.

Winter biking

The City of Madison says it plows arterial bike paths as needed after any snow event, aiming to clear them for weekday commuters as soon as practical. Because plows make several passes on major streets, snow windrows at path and street intersections are likely.

On-street bike lanes are a different story. The city says they are rarely cleared to bare pavement, because parked cars keep plows from reaching the full lane and salt works poorly on lanes with little traffic. The city's winter tips include riding where cars have cleared the pavement, using good lights, considering studded tires, and skipping the day of a storm and a day or two after. If a path needs plowing, you can report it through the city's Bike Concerns form. See winter in Madison and winter parking and snow for more.

Bike registration and theft

Madison repealed its mandatory bike registration on January 5, 2021, and no longer accepts new city registrations. The city still encourages registering with the free national programs Bike Index or Project 529 to help recover a stolen bike, using the serial number, manufacturer and model. The city also suggests recording your serial number, keeping photos, using a quality lock and locking to a bike rack.

If your bike is stolen, the city says to file a report with the Madison Police Department as soon as possible through its online self-report portal, including the make, model, color and serial number. To check on a recovered bike, you can call the department at 608-267-8611.

Maps

The City of Madison's maps and data page links the interactive Dane County Bicycle Map, a Low Stress Bike Route Finder, a StoryMap of shared-use trails in Dane County, and a ride around Lake Wingra.