With light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel, here are five Green Bay-area bike trails to kick bad habits and get your blood pumping

GREEN BAY - It's been a long winter inside a long two years of COVID-19, but the warming weather presents healthier opportunities to shake ourselves from streaming binges and doom scrolling and hit the trails with bikes, running shoes, strollers and wheelchairs.

"It's important for us to take the time to be outside to get acquainted with our community," said Natalie Bomstad, executive director of the Green Bay nonprofit Wello. "When you are outside — walking, biking, running, rolling — you are seeing your community in a different way. You're not just driving past."

Green Bay has about 11 miles of bike and walking trails, plus new and improved buffer lanes for street bikers and "rectangular rapid flashing beacons" — signs that alert drivers to crossing pedestrians. Much of that work is the result of the city's Safe Walk and Bike Working Group, which started in 2019 and is led by Stephanie Hummel, a planner with the city.

It's been a critical time for health and well-being. Since the pandemic started, studies show, there's been a nearly 50% increase in negative mental health effects across the United States, with the greatest toll among women, including mothers, and people 18 to 29 years old. And according to Brown County Public Health, the most common preventable health risks in the county include physical inactivity, poor nutrition, tobacco use and excessive alcohol use.

Green Bay has five multi-use trails, including those that extend into neighboring communities including Allouez, Bellevue and De Pere. Since 2020, the city has installed 2.5 miles of bike lanes, which connect downtown Green Bay to Bay Beach. The city also added its first buffered bike lane, a painted lane about 3 feet from vehicle traffic on East Walnut Street, extending from North Webster Avenue to North Baird Street.

"Just starting with that one segment of buffered bike lanes gave people an idea of what the rest of the city could look like," Hummel said.

While the city works on its bicycle infrastructure in the coming years, there are already plenty of bike trails to cruise through the Green Bay metro area as we ever-so-slowly make our way into spring.

West Side Trail

The only multi-use trail on the west side of Green Bay, the West Side Trail, also known as the Sgt. Benjamin Edinger Corridor, is a favorite of Hummel's.

The 1.5 miles of tree-lined trail extend from South Oneida Street to the city limits. The presence of the old railroad adds a "homey" element for Hummel, who admits one reason she likes this trail is because it's less crowded than the Fox River Trail.

The trail is great for beginners and children, as there are few vehicle crossings, it's relatively short and it's off the beaten track.

"I'm not a great biker. I'm more of a walker," Hummel said. "If I'm on a bike I really want to make sure that I'm feeling protected."

Fox River Trail

The Fox River Trail has grown in popularity over the years, with an enormous 3,200% jump in use between 2019 and 2020, according to the Safe Walk & Bike Plan 2021 Annual Report.

Some of that, it can be deduced, is the result of the pandemic shuttering indoor places and making people feel safer in the open air. Then, a multi-jurisdictional agreement to maintain the trail during winter months helped increase its use in 2021, totaling 212,961 users.

That it's accessible regardless of whether it's summer or winter made it a favorite for many people who were going stir-crazy during the pandemic.

The behemoth trail, at 25 miles, bisects Green Bay, Allouez, De Pere, Rockland, Wrightstown, Holland, Greenleaf, Forest Junction and Hilbert, running across Brown and Calumet counties.

Bomstad, Wello's executive director, said it's a favorite trail of hers. Part of that has to do with the reminder that one of Green Bay's key charms is its proximity to water. But for Bomstad, it's also the immersion factor.

"The Fox River Trail is one of those trails that allows you to really be in an urban setting, but also be immersed in nature as well," she said. "And it spans different municipalities, so you can go from Green Bay to De Pere, all the way down, which is, I think, really unique."

If you're biking, skating, skateboarding, horseback riding or traveling any other way except on foot, be aware that, because this trail is managed by the state Department of Natural Resources, you are required to buy a trail pass either for the day or the year.

East River Trail

Like the Fox River Trail, the East River Trail extends across municipalities in Brown County, from Green Bay to Bellevue, Allouez, De Pere and Ledgeview.

The winding trail follows the curvature of the East River, starting on North Baird Street in Green Bay to the southern side of Ledgeview, in Ledgeview Park Memorial Area.

From top to bottom, the trail is 8 miles long. The trail can easily connect to Baird Creek Trail at the intersection of Main Street and Elizabeth Street.

Baird Creek Trail

Baird Creek Trail is 2.6 miles of moderate trails, extending from Main and Elizabeth streets to Triangle Park Area.

Similar to the Fox River, the trail can be used in both winter and summer, with cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the wintertime and walking, jogging and mountain biking in the warmer climates.

The trail is part of the Baird Creek Preservation Foundation, a nonprofit committed to preserving and restoring the Baird Creek Watershed.

UWGB Trail

A natural element of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus, the UWGB Trail is within the Cofrin Arboretum.

Depending on the time of year you go, you can be in a world of green or white.

The 5 miles of multi-use trail can take anywhere from 1 hour 45 minutes or longer to circle on foot.

With a scenic look at the expanse of the bay, this trail is perfect for any dendrophile who'd like to circle the arboretum amid a bounty of trees.

What trails lie ahead

As for the future of biking in the city, Hummel said the road ahead will be long and require community collaboration.

Over the next four years, the city will add 4.75 miles of bike lanes along Manitowoc Road and Greenbrier Road.

The working group also plans to propose using some of Green Bay's American Rescue Plan Act money toward more flashing beacons to reduce vehicle crashes and make drivers more readily aware of pedestrians on the road. It's requesting anywhere from $1 million to $1.6 million in ARPA funding, according to Hummel.

Hummel said she would like the future of Green Bay to not only be more bike- and pedestrian-friendly, but for there to be equal consideration for those on foot and bike as there is for vehicles on the road.

"We've definitely got that Midwestern mindset that roads are only for cars, and that's the only way we've been looking at them," Hummel said. "Equal consideration should be given for all users of the road. That will take some political will and a lot of education."

Natalie Eilbert is a government watchdog reporter for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. You can reach her at neilbert@gannett.com or view her Twitter profile at @natalie_eilbert.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Five Green Bay bike trails can help get you out of bad COVID-19 habits