A Guide to Bicycling around Lake Monona with the Detour

Start
July 08, 2025
End
December 14, 2025
Location
Madison

Bicycling around Lake Monona is very popular with the bicycle community. Because of construction on John Nolen drive, there is a detour around Monona Bay that has added 1 1/2 miles to the usual route. The detour will last until the summer of 2027.

The route (14.2 miles with the detour) outlined below goes through a mixture of bicycle paths and lightly traveled streets and deviates slightly from the official Lake Loop but was selected because it is relatively flat and easy to follow. It takes about 90 minutes for the average cyclist.

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Monona Terrace to Waunona Way - 3.9 miles

Shortly after leaving Monona Terrace cross John Nolen drive at Broom street. Turn left on Broom street and follow the paved off-street bike path that parallels John Nolen Drive for a few blocks until you reach Bedford street. If you want to reach the Southwest Commuter Path continue straight for one block where it intersects with North Shore Drive. However if you want to do the Lake Monona loop, cross North Shore Drive at Bedford and turn right on the Brittingham Park Bike Path. The route now follows Monona Bay on the Brittingham Bike Path, West Shore Drive, and South Shore Drive. When you reach Gilson street turn right for one block until you reach Lakeside street. Turn left on the off-street bike path on Lakeside street for one block until you reach Rowell street.

A good stopping off point here is the Lakeside Street Coffee House at 402 W. Lakeside street. Turn right on Rowell street for three blocks until Van Deusen street where you turn left. Follow Van Deusen street to the end where you will see a sign for the Wingra Creek Bike Path. On the Wingra Creek Bike Path turn left to get to Olin Park and the Capital City Trail where you turn right. Just before Waunona Way and the railroad tracks, there is a junction that will enable you to continue on the Capital City Trail where you have the option of biking to Fitchburg or biking to McFarland via the Lower Yahara River Trail. But if you are continuing on the Lake Monona Trail, turn left onto Waunona Way.

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Waunona Way to Winnequah Road - 1.8 miles

This section of the route goes along Waunona Road, a lightly traveled street. Esther Beach Park has nice views of the Capital and Lake Monona. At the end of Waunona Road, the path goes into A. O. Paunack Park. Follow the path in the park to Bridge road where you will turn left for one block to reach Winnequah Road.

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Winnequah Road - 2.4 miles

At Winnequah road turn left and follow it for the next 2.4 miles. There is a bike lane for about half of the distance. At the stop sign at Maywood and Winnequah, turn left on Winnequah and go up the hill. When you go down the hill on Winnequah you will see a pond on your left side and a Lake Loop sign that says to turn left. Ignore that sign (the Lake Loop route has some steep hills on Tonywatha) and instead turn right on Winnequah Road. A few blocks further you will cross Nichols Road; the Monona Public Library is two blocks to the right at 1000 Nichols Road, a nice half-way point on the route. Continuing on Winnequah Road, at 4516 Winnequah (across from Schluter Park), you can get Babcock Hall ice cream at Monona Bait & Ice Cream Shop. At the intersection of Winnequah Road and West Coldspring Avenue (there is a sign that says Lake Loop), turn right onto W. Coldspring Avenue.

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Winnequah Road to Capital City Trail - 1.6 miles

Go three blocks on W. Coldspring Avenue to Monona drive. Cross Monona drive at the lights and go one block on E. Coldspring Avenue to Jerome street. Turn left on Jerome street and continue until you reach E. Buckeye road. At East Buckeye turn right for one block until you reach Davies street. At that intersection turn left on Davies where you will see an off-street bicycle path heading north. Continue on the bicycle path (Davies street turns into Dempsey street) for almost a mile (it crosses Cottage Grove Road where there is the Pinney Branch Library) until you reach the railroad tracks on Dempsey. Just after the railroad tracks, you will turn left onto the Capital City Trail.

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Capital City Trail at Dempsey to Monona Terrace - 4.5 miles

The final stretch follows the Capital City Trail back to Monona Terrace. About a mile along the route you will come across Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Across from Olbrich is the Garver Feed Mill where you can get pizza and ice cream. Further down along Atwood Avenue you can get ice cream at the Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company (2322 Atwood Avenue) or the Atwood Creamery (2302 Atwood Avenue), both of which have outdoor seating along the trail. The trail then parallels Atwood Avenue and Williamson Street and both streets have a cornucopia of establishments for food and drink.

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BCycle Stations along the Route

Madison BCycle has a number of stations along the route where you can rent an electric bicycle. The following map lists some stations within a block of the route.