26 Jul Biking Along Lake Michigan in Sheboygan
With the wind in our faces and the freshwater lake air surrounding us, we peddled our way along the shore of Lake Michigan, one of the five Great Lakes in the Midwest. It was a sweltering hot afternoon, and our route was a mix of tree sheltered trails, breezy lakeside paths and non-shaded streets where the sun beat right down on us, baking us to the core.
We were continuing on our Wisconsin road trip with AmericInn Hotels, and our morning had started out with a delicious continental breakfast of waffles and a drive from Tomah to Sheboygan. Our plans for the day were wide open; while we drove, we talked about what our options were for our afternoon adventure. We briefly contemplated trying our hand at surfing–believe it or not, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, is known for their great surfing, but unfortunately, just not at the time of year we were visiting. After narrowing down our options, we ended up with biking and kayaking as the two remaining choices on our list. Since we had just went kayaking the previous morning, biking seemed like the perfect decision!
Initially, we thought about biking around one of the nearby State Parks, but after looking into bike rental options, we found ourselves at Sheboygan Bike Rentals in town and planning a route along the shore of Lake Michigan.
The bikes we rented were Trek 700’s—they were very comfortable and easy to ride, which was a nice change from some of the other bikes I’ve been stuck on in the past. Plus, the best part was the rental fee for each bike was only $20/day! We thought that was a great price, so we geared up and set out on our way right from the shop.
We had to bike down a few side streets to get over to Lake Michigan, but after a few short minutes of peddling, we made it to the lake and a sign pointing us towards the bike path. The path led us north along the lake, past marinas, beaches, and parks. There were plenty of people walking along the path, so we weren’t sure if it was actually a bike trail or not, but since we encountered numerous others biking on the same trail, we figured it was ok to continue on our way.
After passing several busy beaches, we found a peaceful spot of land with a gorgeous view overlooking the lake. We couldn’t resist stopping to soak up the scenery and to take a few photos. I always love how the Great Lakes feel more like an ocean than they do a lake—there is definitely something magical about them.
Continuing on our way, we immediately had to tackle an uphill climb—thankfully we had just given our legs a bit of a rest! Next, we made our way through a park, which luckily had water fountains, or bubblers as they call them in Wisconsin! We forgot to bring along water, so this was definitely a lifesaver.
Eventually, the lake disappeared from sight and we found ourselves in a quiet residential neighborhood. The streets reminded me of our hometown, where I used to ride my bike as a kid, and with nostalgia in our minds we ended up exploring some of the neighborhood streets before making our way back through the park and towards the lake.
On the way back, we couldn’t help but stop for another lakeside break—this time we stopped under the shade of some trees for a bit of people watching. The beaches were busy and it was fun to see everyone swimming and enjoying the gorgeous weather.
In total, we ended up covering around 8 miles throughout Sheboygan. There are plenty of other great areas to bike in town, such as the streets downtown with shops and restaurants to stop by, but we were happy to get a bit of nature mixed in with our ride through town. Another great option for biking in Sheboygan would be to pedal to the State Park several miles south of town. We contemplated heading that way, but due to time constraints, we decided to stick around town.
The bike ride was the perfect activity to get us up and moving after a morning of driving in our car. We had a fantastic afternoon exploring Sheboygan by bike, and afterwards, we were excited to do some relaxing in our nearby AmericInn Hotel before dinner. When we arrived, refreshing strawberry lemon water, cookies and popcorn were ready and waiting for us in the lobby—it was the perfect treat to refuel after our ride!
We partnered with AmericInn Hotels and Suites on a summer road trip through Wisconsin in connection with their Fill-Inn-To-Win promotion. AmericInn is giving away a free night stay every day throughout the summer, so be sure to enter for your chance to win! As always, all opinions are our own.