Madison Mountain Bike Trail Conditions
Madison rides the driftless edge and the moraine east of it — Quarry Ridge and Blue Mound to the west, the CamRock trails toward Cambridge, and a dense in-town network. Soils shift fast here between sand, loam and heavy clay, so one system can be riding hero dirt while another an hour away is closed. Short steep climbs, fast wooded descents, and a riding community that closes trails early when they are wet rather than damaging them.
98 featured mountain bike trailselevation 741–1,293 ft
Is it muddy in Madison right now?
Right now about 38 of 82 featured Madison trails are riding well. Conditions change daily with rain and snowmelt, so the list below shows the live read for each trail, and the chart shows which day ahead is your best bet.
Madison conditions at a glancesnapshot · Oct 15
Live conditions map
© OpenStreetMap
Open the live map → Riding right now
38 of 82 trails riding well
37 1 26 18
Air quality
AQI 25 · Good
EPA AirNow (observed) + CAMS forecast. Informational.
Next 10 days
Trails riding well each day · blue dot = rain
37 Today 0 Fri 0 Sat 0 Sun 2 Mon 5 Tue 11 Wed 14 Thu 20 Fri 33 Sat Most trails are wet right now and stay marginal through the week. Look for a rocky or sandy trail that drains fast.
Temperature this week
Lower trails 771–991 ft
33° typical 43°–60°F 67°
High country 1,007–1,240 ft
32° typical 42°–60°F 67°
20° 40° 60°
5-day forecast
Today 🌧️ 60°
Fri 🌦️ 52°
Sat ☀️ 57°
Sun ☀️ 61°
Mon ☀️ 64°
Daytime high across Madison, rain marked. Real forecast, refreshed every morning (elevation detail above).
Trail soil & drainage
11% 9% 78% 2%
Mostly sandy, which drains fast and firms up quickly after rain.
See the live map & forecast Every featured trail · best bets today · 10-day outlook →
Done. We'll email you the day Madison flips to good.
Trail networks in Madison
Named riding areas in Madison, each with its own live conditions and the trails inside it.
Best Madison mountain bike trails to ride right now
Every featured singletrack trail, sorted by today's real conditions, best first. Refreshed every morning.
Dips · 0.7 mi Tacky / good Erdman Ski Trail · 0.3 mi Tacky / good Misty Valley Trail · 0.3 mi Tacky / good River Side · 0.4 mi Tacky / good Riverside Connector · 0.1 mi Tacky / good Trail Side · 0.8 mi Tacky / good Baxter Park Spur Trail Tacky / good Post Road Extension · 0.2 mi Tacky / good Shred to School Trail · 0.4 mi Tacky / good Ball Field Loop · 0.4 mi Tacky / good Jackson Landing Trail · 0.5 mi Tacky / good Seminole Mountain Bike Trail · 0.3 mi Tacky / good Military Ridge State Trail · 15.5 mi · 925–1,293 ft Tacky / good Seminole Mountain Bike Trail - Inner Loop · 0.9 mi · 955–991 ft Tacky / good Wolf Run Trail · 1.7 mi · 768–804 ft Tacky / good Middleton Hills North Park Trail · 0.2 mi Tacky / good Staircase Trails · 0.4 mi · 1,010–1,063 ft Tacky / good The Fairway · 1.3 mi · 1,030–1,093 ft Tacky / good Three Sisters - Little · 0.1 mi · 997–1,056 ft Tacky / good Swenson · 0.2 mi · 771–807 ft Tacky / good Ambulance Climb · 0.2 mi · 991–1,086 ft Tacky / good B Line · 0.2 mi · 991–1,083 ft Tacky / good Bottoms Up · 0.5 mi · 974–1,086 ft Tacky / good Pheasant Branch Conservancy Southeast Trail · 0.7 mi Tacky / good Pork Chop · 0.4 mi · 974–1,086 ft Tacky / good Rewind · 0.4 mi · 974–1,086 ft Tacky / good S/M Connector · 0.2 mi Tacky / good Sandy Bowl · 0.1 mi · 991–1,079 ft Tacky / good Sandy Climb · 0.3 mi · 981–1,086 ft Tacky / good Three Sisters - Big · 0.2 mi · 994–1,083 ft Tacky / good Twist & Shout · 0.6 mi · 1,050–1,099 ft Tacky / good Lakeview · 0.4 mi Tacky / good Marina Court Trail · 0.2 mi Tacky / good Rail Line Oaks Trail · 0.3 mi Tacky / good Springs Trail · 0.4 mi Tacky / good Switchbacks · 0.3 mi · 938–1,060 ft Tacky / good Badger State Trail · 9.9 mi · 856–1,007 ft Dry Northwoods · 0.7 mi · 1,043–1,099 ft Tacky / good Aldo Leopold Pilot Trail · 0.2 mi Soft — ride gently Creek Trail · 0.6 mi Soft — ride gently Drop Zone · 0.1 mi · 991–1,073 ft Soft — ride gently Dual Slalom · 0.2 mi · 873–915 ft Soft — ride gently East Connector · 0.4 mi · 1,037–1,073 ft Soft — ride gently Fire Pit Path · 0.4 mi Soft — ride gently Forest Loop · 1.4 mi · 1,017–1,076 ft Soft — ride gently GSST North Connector Soft — ride gently Howling Wolf · 0.4 mi · 938–1,070 ft Soft — ride gently Ice Age Trail · 0.9 mi · 988–1,191 ft Soft — ride gently Joe V · 1.6 mi Soft — ride gently Kilowatt · 0.4 mi Soft — ride gently Mounds Loop · 0.3 mi Soft — ride gently Outer Limits · 0.6 mi Soft — ride gently PBR · 0.6 mi · 833–892 ft Soft — ride gently Seiler Trail · 0.8 mi · 830–886 ft Soft — ride gently Tunnel Trail · 0.1 mi · 997–1,050 ft Soft — ride gently Zeloski Marsh Trail · 1.9 mi Soft — ride gently Clubhouse · 0.6 mi Soft — ride gently Funk · 1.7 mi · 840–883 ft Soft — ride gently Happy Hour · 1.1 mi · 889–965 ft Soft — ride gently Dizzy · 1.2 mi Soft — ride gently Doubletrack Connector · 0.6 mi · 928–1,050 ft Soft — ride gently Pines Loop · 0.5 mi Soft — ride gently Slice · 1 mi · 948–1,030 ft Soft — ride gently Sycamore Park Bicycle Adventure Trail · 1.2 mi Soft — ride gently 5 Layer Cake · 1.2 mi · 896–965 ft Muddy — stay off Quickie · 0.5 mi · 869–961 ft Muddy — stay off Walnut Loop · 0.7 mi · 1,056–1,145 ft Muddy — stay off Dam Connector · 0.1 mi Muddy — stay off Howard Temin Lakeshore Path · 0.6 mi Muddy — stay off Seminole Mountain Bike Trail - Outer Loop · 1.1 mi · 951–1,020 ft Muddy — stay off All American · 0.8 mi · 873–961 ft Muddy — stay off Pine Shadows · 0.7 mi · 873–919 ft Muddy — stay off Ridge Loop · 0.4 mi · 889–965 ft Muddy — stay off Maywood Park Mountain Bike Trail · 0.2 mi Muddy — stay off Bock Forest Trail · 0.1 mi · 873–922 ft Muddy — stay off Hill 6 · 0.2 mi · 938–1,093 ft Muddy — stay off Mulligan · 0.5 mi Muddy — stay off Pheasant Branch Conservancy West Trail · 1.1 mi Muddy — stay off Roller Coaster · 0.1 mi Muddy — stay off Ziggy Up · 0.5 mi · 938–1,047 ft Muddy — stay off GSST South Connector · 0.1 mi Muddy — stay off Starkweather Creek Path · 0.2 mi Muddy — stay off Madison mountain biking FAQ What are the best mountain bike trails to ride near Madison right now? Today the trails riding best near Madison are Dips, Erdman Ski Trail and Misty Valley Trail. The full list below is sorted by today's real conditions, best first, and refreshes every morning, so the top of the list is always your best bet right now. See live conditions →
When will the mountain bike trails in Madison dry out? It depends on recent rain and each trail's soil. The 10-day outlook on this page shows how many Madison trails are expected to be riding well each day, with rain markers, so you can pick the right day instead of guessing. See the 10-day outlook →
Is it too muddy to ride in Madison after rain? Right now 44 of 82 featured Madison trails are reading soft or too muddy to ride. Madison is mostly loam soil, which drains at a moderate pace, so after a storm some trails firm up within a day while others stay greasy. Riding wet, soft dirt damages trails and leaves ruts, so check the live mud reading on each trail before you head out. Check the live mud reading →
How many mountain bike trails are in Madison? Madison has 98 featured mountain bike trails tracked here for conditions, with more searchable on the live map.
How high are the Madison trails? Madison trails run from about 741–1,293 ft. Higher trails hold snow later into spring and dry out later than the lower ones, so conditions can vary a lot across the same area on the same day.
You're on the list. First report lands Friday.
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Nearby regions across the state line
Live mud, dust & snow conditions for mountain-bike trails across Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Alberta, last updated
Oct 15, 2026 and refreshed every morning from public weather (Open-Meteo), terrain (OSM), and
SNOTEL data. Conditions are informational only.